IN every election where I have voted I have put my cross against the candidate of the party I support . Doesn’t everyone?

In the Holyrood election I have a vote for the constituency candidate I wish to elect and a vote for the party which I would like to see in power. Since this system was introduced in 1999 I have voted for the SNP constituency candidate and for the SNP as my party of choice and this has, eventually, given me a government which is pushing my country towards independence . So far, so simple .

Today, for some reason which escapes me, this arrangement is being attacked. As an SNP voter I am being told that I can increase the chances of independence – by not voting for the party of independence!

Intelligent people have looked into their crystal balls and decided that a vote for a socialist party formed from the dregs of numerous other failed socialist parties, with no elected councillors, no MSPs, no MPs, is the smart move. Personally I think someone is trying to get a Rise out of me.

Others tell me that a vote for the Green Party will ensure a rainbow alliance of independence-minded parties. So a vote for a party averaging around 6 per cent in the polls is more useful than for one averaging around 50 per cent? That seems as likely as finding a crock of gold at the end of that rainbow.

I would not be surprised if, before polling day I am exhorted to vote for the People’s Front of Judea (or even the Judean People’s Front) as a sure-fire way of attaining independence, while at the same time being warned that Nicola is not the Messiah, she’s a very naughty girl !

James Mills

Johnstone

IN constantly attacking the SNP, Scottish Labour, Liberals and indeed the Greens are giving credence to the Tory smoke screen “we’re all in it together” regarding austerity measures. That mantra, espoused by Ruth Davidson and David Cameron is wearing a bit thin in light of the exposed tax havens for the rich and privileged.

The Scottish social democratic parties should unite and attack the Conservative and Unionist parties who, as the UK Government, have hurriedly arranged an EU referendum that few in Scotland voted for. As it is fundamental to the best interests of Scotland that we keep our membership of the European Union, only a strong positive SNP government can keep a lacklustre negative EU referendum campaign on track to stay in Europe.

Further also to imposing a punitive sanctions regime the Tory party remain steadfastly against Scottish independence – as strangely they were once against devolution!

Only Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP can be trusted to look after Scotland’s interest with a second historic majority government since the UK Unionist parties are obsessed with many other issues.

With regards to independence, that people continue to talk about and which will happen in the course of time, the words of that great Norwegian explorer Amundsen come to mind: “Victory awaits him who has everything in order.”

Grant Frazer

Newtonmore

I THOUGHT we had heard the last of the Unionists crying crocodile tears over the possibility of Scotland departing from the UK, then we have Theresa May, all dressed up in token tartan, pretending to be upset should Scotland vote for independence if Brexit takes the UK (including Scotland) out of the EU.

Doesn’t she know that her boss, David Cameron, doesn’t care if Scotland becomes independent. The Scots have had quite enough of this Unionist lies, handwringing, false sentiment, hollow love and emotion, and “pretendy caring”. Any Scot who believes Unionist May’s latest outburst of “I love you, Scotland, please don’t go”, needs to have their head examined.

William C McLaughlin

Biggar

WITH up to 11,000 BHS jobs at risk and maybe 1,200 going at Austin Reed, is this what the Unionist media mafia meant by Better Together? Not as if Cameron cares anyway about Scotland now we know the full facts and the truth! Time all proindy parties got on side for the good of Scotland,we can’t trust the Tories to help our steel or defend our poorest from brutal welfare assessments and cuts.

Stevie

Motherwell (via text)

THE vindication of Hillsborough families is a tremendous victory over the British state. Having been vilified for 27 years, they can’t rightly say justice has been done.

From the first moments of the unfolding disaster, the police and political establishment, with the active collaboration of the media, led by Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun tabloid, worked to ensure that those individuals and organisations whose actions resulted in the deaths were allowed to get off scot-free.

They conspired to concoct a pack of lies in order to shift the blame on to so-called “drunken” Liverpool supporters who they claimed had charged the gate leading to the terraces. Such an event never occurred.

This was compounded by the verdict of a coroner’s inquest led by Stefan Popper, after the longest-running inquest on record. He set an arbitrary cut-off of 3.15pm and announced that all those who had died were dead before this time, returning a verdict of accidental death on all the victims. This cut-off time served to leave unexamined the failure of the emergency services.

The families of the victims did not accept the slandering of the Liverpool fans or blaming them for the incident. They also rejected the inquest result of accidental death, which left unanswered their contention that, with proper medical attention, some of the victims could have been saved. The authorities were legally required to ensure the safety of the football supporters at such events. What transpired was due to a dereliction of these basic duties without precedent in British history.

The Labour Party played a critical role in the cover-up. In 1998 it appointed a senior judge, Lord Justice Smith, to “scrutinise the evidence” available. Smith’s subsequent report adhered rigidly to the official, lying version of events, defended the role of the South Yorkshire police and blamed the Liverpool supporters for their own deaths.

Alan Hinnrichs

Dundee

I NOTED with interest the words of Prime Minister David Cameron, who paid tribute to the “extraordinary courage” of Hillsborough campaigners in their “long search for the truth”.

I however found this quite confusing, as in October 2011 a gentleman also called David Cameron said: “The families of the Hillsborough tragedy are a blind man, in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn’t there.”

This cannot surely be the same person, can it?

Alex Orr

Edinburgh

AS A Catholic, I was angered to open my door to a Tory delegation desperate for my support for their candidate, a young Catholic teenager, especially on the day when the families of 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster won their 27-year fight for justice against police corruption and a cover up from the Thatcher government? I would rather denounce my faith in the presence of the Almighty than vote Tory!

Louise McArdle

Lanarkshire

ALREADY I can sense the hand-wringing establishment darlings coming together to air in various ways the view that this Hillsborough thingy is a scandal that happened 27 years ago which, of course, could not happen now, due to the lessons learned by our oh-so-jolly modern enlightened fine chaps.

This cover-up continued until the end of the inquest, 25/04/16; not exactly “different times”. To imagine a sea-change in establishment ethics over three days is laughable.

Cover-ups are alive and well and living at the heart of the British establishment.Can’t wait for the next one! Perhaps, an absence of criminal charges or convictions is not long off.

Peter Barjonas

Latheronwheel