I FEEL Corbyn and Kezia need to “get out more”. The election run-up has started and Jeremy and Kez are reported in the mainstream media to show unity in our “great union” to have four national holidays!

The Labour Party don’t do nationalism is/was their usual screech, now they think that handing out “baubles” will endear them to the electorate. Holyrood does not need “baubles”. Full autonomy and independence from these Unionist dabblers is what the country needs.

Do they not see that trite proposal is insulting, patronising and condescending? There are fundamental constitutional, political and social issues at stake in May’s grab for absolutism at Westminster. The PM who refuses to answer questions at Question Time, the PM who just scowls and ignores the MPs’ right for an answer. The lady who will thole no alternative view.

The underlying threat to rights being smashed at Westminster by an absolutist administration claiming monarchical power through a distorted claim of entitlement is all too visible, and Corbyn and co come up with holidays!
John Edgar
Blackford

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Davidson has been forced to rip up her script

WHILE Ruth Davidson’s effrontery in suggesting the Scottish Government rectify damage done to the social security system by her party was undeniably awesome, if any aspect of Holyrood’s “rape clause” stushie could be considered a positive it was the cracking of Ruth Davidson’s “jolly hockey sticks” prankster facade.

She was exposed for what she is, a fully paid-up, right-wing politician of the nasty party.

Another glitch in Ruth’s skilfully choreographed “it’s about the indyref, stupid” council election campaign was her boss calling a snap General Election, meaning Ruth must tear up her anti-indyref script, the relevance of which in council elections was nil, but saved having to come up with policies germane to local government.

Davidson must now, thanks to her leader’s precipitous, out of the blue election edict, delete from her song sheet the traditional favourites “no-one wanted it”, “it’s divisive”, “causing uncertainty” and a new ditty already a Tory mantra, “now is not the time”.

Although the loss of those standards could be problematic, continuing to recycle them could mean, heaven forbid, Ruth being labelled a hypocrite.
Malcolm Cordell
Dundee

I WOULD be grateful for the opportunity to clarify a matter relating to the “Call for SNP voters to rank Greens next” (The National, April 22).

My full comment was that it was being left to a ward-for-ward basis where we would ask SNP voters to rank “Greens or like-minded Independents” just behind the SNP.

In the Denny Ward quoted, for example, there is a like-minded existing Independent councillor whom we would be happy to see SNP voters rank third, while in my own ward, Falkirk North, there is no such individual and so the Greens would be my recipients of my third and last ranked preference.

I hope this clarification will find favour, as accuracy in such matters is important.
Cllr David Alexander
SNP Falkirk North Ward

I AM very surprised by the reported attitude of the East Lothian SNP branch concerning the local elections (Call to SNP voters to rank Greens next, The National, April 22). It is absolutely stupid in this enumerated system of voting to vote for just the party you want and then no-one else. If you do that then the Tories could possibly move into third place and steal a seat that might just hold the council balance. It is only a little different and a little less competent than not bothering to vote at all.

We have a woman who, in my opinion, is trying to outdo Maggie Thatcher and is likely to establish a dictatorial stance should she gain the sort of majority predicted. She won’t be stopped in England, but we can kick her party completely out of Scotland this time round. The first step will be through the local election on May 4. Although we are all fed up with trooping to the polls time after time, it is very important on this occasion to make sure you do vote.

The only way to vote in this local election is to place your first vote for SNP. If there are two SNP candidates the second one should get your second vote and then give your third vote to the Greens. If there are 2 Greens candidates (unlikely), give them your fourth vote too. Next place any independents or Socialist parties in line and number Labour, Liberal and Conservative in the last three places in that order. That ensures that after your first vote preference, Greens will be next followed by independents and there should be no votes carried over for the Tories.
CJ Kerr
Glenrothes

AS someone born and raised in Stirlingshire, but who has called Renfrewshire home for over twenty years, I enjoyed the analysis by Kathleen Nutt on who the runners and riders were in the forthcoming council elections in Falkirk.

However, two sentences scream out in their gross inaccuracy. “Like much of the Central Belt, Falkirk used to be a traditional Labour heartland. Up until the 1970s the mining industry was the central plank of the area’s economy.”

Whilst Falkirk and Stirlingshire constituencies did return large Labour majorities for many decades, in October 1974 the SNP took the East Stirlingshire seat and came very close in West Stirlingshire and the Falkirk Burghs seat. There are some areas in Falkirk Council which have had continuous SNP civic representation since the late 1960s. Additionally, between 1977-1980 the SNP-controlled Falkirk district had the biggest SNP majority of any council in Scotland. So Falkirk does not fit the Labour heartlands stereotype.

The mining industry was a part of the industrial mix of the Falkirk area historically, but the overwhelming dominant industry was iron-founding. Right up to the late 1970s many villages around Falkirk had more than one iron foundry within them, where whole families were employed, including my own.
Cllr Andy Doig
Renfrewshire Council

I AGREE entirely with Ian Stewart’s excellent letter on Friday. We do not need another referendum – this General Election will do nicely thank you.

Even Thatcher said that if Scotland wants independence all we have to do is return a majority of SNP MPs to Westminster. Put it in the manifesto for this surprise election. In the eighties a majority was unthinkable, but “Now’s the Time and Now’s the Hour”.
Jean Fraser
Edinburgh