Scottish Labour can’t convert English Tories

“DITCH the Tories not the Union” says Gordon Brown (News, 12 May). Obviously his recent sabbatical has not improved his intellectual insight.

Let’s be realistic, there is no way that the Tories can ever be wiped out in England. The vast majority of English voters are either natural Tories or are prepared to vote for them from time to time. It is hypocritical and dishonest to suggest that a bunch of Scottish Labour sycophants elected as MPs to a comfortable nonexistence at Westminster can ever change this truth. Tony Blair and Ed Miliband realise this. Even Gordon Brown, who probably does not realise it, went along with the fiction.

In Scotland the English Tories have almost disappeared. There may be a new form of Scottish Conservatism taking root and looking for a Scottish constituency. We don’t know. It’s early days yet.

Without the support of Scottish and Welsh Labour MPs the movement of Keir Hardie may develop into a proper right-wing party which will from time to time appeal to English voters. Such a change would be good for English democracy but it has nothing to do with us. “Are Scots happy to walk away?” asks Scotland on Sunday (Leader, 12 May). Surely we should not be so conceited to think that it is right for us to gerrymander English elections.

Our task is to build a new future for our country. We can’t afford to go on being part of Britain. It has cost us hundreds of billions over the past 40 years. If we are stupid enough to let them, it will cost us hundreds of billions more before they decide to let us go anyway.

The slogan must be “Ditch the Union” and English-style Toryism won’t exist in Scotland. Maybe even Scottish Labour will ditch the hypocrisy and start putting Scotland first.

George Leslie, Fenwick

THE argument put forward by Gordon Brown that Scottish Labour MPs are vital to sweep the Tories from power and return a Labour government at Westminster is absolute nonsense and deeply patronising to those south of the Border.

We have had three decades of Tory governments being imposed on Scotland by Westminster – over half the period since 1959, including the long 18 years of Tory government after 1979, and the current Tory-led coalition. By contrast, for only 26 months – from the 1964 to 1966 elections, and between the two elections in 1974 – have MPs from ­Scotland made any difference in terms of electing a Labour government.

Every other Labour government would have been elected south of the Border anyway and it is deeply patronising of Mr Brown to suggest that we in Scotland should somehow save England from itself should it want to return a Tory administration.

It is, of course, impossible for 8.4 per cent of the UK population, returning 59 out of 650 MPs, to dictate to the rest, and the electoral record shows that Mr Brown’s argument is totally threadbare.

Alex Orr, Edinburgh

I WAS surprised by your suggestion that Gordon Brown might have a credible case when arguing that Scotland should not abandon England to the Tories. This savours of Scottish colonialism; the Tartan Man’s burden. If the ­majority of English voters want a Tory/Ukip government, it would be grossly unfair for them to be denied it because of the intervention of the Scots.

England has a right to self- determination too.

Jack Hastie, Kilbarchan