IF there is one thing Theresa May is good at, it is being stubborn and pig-headed. She again demonstrated this facet of her personality yesterday when she ruled out calling a halt to the fatally flawed Universal Credit scheme. This is despite the fact that several renowned charities and authorities have called on the Government to stop its roll out and fix the obvious flaws if that is at all possible. It was also flying in the face of all the opposition parties, and up to a dozen of her own backbenchers who were willing to vote against her, as they have all seen the distress, anxiety and hardship this system has caused.

Why then can she, her advisers and the DWP not acknowledge there are flaws and halt the roll out in order to repair and revise the scheme before any more innocent and needy people are needlessly put into danger? The answer I feel is relatively simple. Theresa May has an inability to admit she is wrong, in any shape or form, and for some skewed reason, she sees such admission as a sign of weakness, and despite the fact she is actually a very weak and ineffective prime minister, cannot see that on some occasions, admitting you are wrong can actually be a sign of strength. The same deranged logic permeates her thoughts and actions in the Brexit fiasco. She will not be seen to be backing down, as the rabid right wing of her pathetic party would swoop on her like a pack of wild dogs and tear her apart, along with their own party.

The sad and rather pathetic fact remains that she has backed down on numerous occasions but has tried to dress it up as a change of direction of her doing rather than it being forced upon her as she was backed into a corner, and she does this by being as vague and non-committal as possible as she knows that the devil is in the detail. Her most recent Brexit speech is a classic example. She has made “concessions” regarding EU residents remaining after the divorce but has put no meaningful detail into this change of heart. Her Florence speech made vague references to the UK paying their obligations without putting a figure on it, something that would resolve her current dilemma and therefore allowing the EU to let stage two move forward.

It is very likely that the EU will not be interested in moving forward, and quite rightly so, as May and co have proved time and again that they can’t be trusted. It is saddening and maddening in equal measures to see that even with all the pre-negotiation predictions having come true, all the lies and bluster of Davis and his cohorts having been exposed, this whole fiasco has been allowed to continue. Will the citizens of the UK other than the committed Eurosceptics ever wake up to the fact they have been dealt a busted flush, and take to the streets to demand that May calls a halt to the most damaging act of self-harm that has ever been inflicted on this nation?

Scotland has the opportunity to do something about it, we can vote for independence and get out of the sinking ship, because despite what Johnson says, the good ship Brexit is going down the slipway right enough, but it is going to go straight underwater and sink without a trace. Do you want to be aboard when that happens?

Ade Hegney, Helensburgh

THE latest tactic by Theresa May and the Tories to abstain from voting is an insult to both democracy and the House of Commons. Telling all her MPs not to take part in the vote to halt the roll-out of Universal Credit doesn’t lessen the impact of the result of this vote, if anything it highlights the complete contempt in which this government treats not just the House of Commons and other MPs but also everyone who votes for them. It seems the Tories have decided that since the vote was not binding there was no point in taking part, so what was the point of the debate?

With each passing day the negative impact of Universal Credit is being seen across Scotland and the UK. As Mhairi Black MP clearly highlighted the idea of a Universal Credit may be worthwhile but the administration of it by this Tory government aims only to punish those who rely on benefits.

The actions of the Tory government demeans our so-called democracy and highlights yet again that Scotland is not well-served by being part of a UK which routinely votes for heartless Tory governments.

Cllr Kenny MacLaren, Paisley

WEDNESDAY’S vote on pausing the roll-out of Universal Credit raises some very interesting questions.

Is it not an abdication of both responsibility and principle to instruct elected representatives, as the Tories did, to abstain from voting on such a crucial matter affecting so many of their constituents? Or does the risk of humiliation from losing a vote outweigh both these considerations?

Moreover, will those who chose to elect the new Scottish Thirteen feel that they were representing both their and Scotland’s interests by their Westminster-imposed silence? Perhaps they would do well to reflect that, come a hard Brexit with the severe damage to Scotland apparently detailed in the still secret government report, they themselves might well find they need the support of this botched implementation of a benefit scheme. In particular, how do they feel about one of their MPs giving higher priority to a football match than to debating and voting on behalf of those in dire need?

Are the Thirteen there to be their constituents’ and Scotland’s voice or to do what they are told by Westminster Tories to protect them and their (great?) leader?

P Davidson, Falkirk