THE SNP must be given the credit it is due for their forward-thinking programme for government. It is truly inspirational and I am very excited by it.

They have obviously listened to experts in the many fields their proposals for legislation cover. But, as usual, it is such a crime that the British national press and media, including the BBC, do not give it the coverage it deserves. Obviously, far too good an example to be seen by the millions in the south.

Once again I am an excited Englishman in Scotland. Thank you, Nicola, for giving this much needed progressive lead on so many fronts. I have always believed the only way to get change in England is by Scotland leading by example. Incidentally, I also forecast it would have to be a Scot that would win a Wimbledon Singles title.

Then could we please, for all our sake’s North and South, see off the Tories in Westminster for good by forcing the next government to end the first-past-the-post electoral system and so transform politics in Britain forever.

If we had had PR in 14 out of the last 15 Westminster elections we would have had progressive governments. We would never have had Thatcher, Blair, austerity or Brexit. This is a great start and I hope more will come from the SNP and other parties and organisations to give us the answers to win over those extra Yes votes at the next independence referendum. Onward and upwards.

Tony Martin
Gullane

THE ultimate low in national self-deprecation is demonstrated in Peter Craigie’s letter (The National, September 4), in which he overheard two people in Edinburgh saying “there’s no such place as Scotland” and that “Scotland doesn’t have an economy”. What could possibly be the origin of this kind of mentality?

Unfortunately, there are still many Scots who denigrate anyone who talks Scotland up, the belief in our ability to look after our own affairs and our elected Scottish Government, to name but a few.

Aided by the media, too many people in Scotland today still cling onto the remnants of Britishness that hark back to the good old days of what was really an English Empire. Since the referendum in 2014, there has been a huge escalation by Westminster and its agents to flood Scotland with the Union flag and push the expression “British values” down our throats. This is salt in the wound and represents national disrespect in overdrive, and is specifically designed to reinforce the subservience factor.

No people worthy of the name will normally and willingly sink into anonymity, but many folk in Scotland today still show a surprising readiness to accept such a condition for their country on the basis that the matter has no consequence.

It has been said that there is a strange, almost cowardly, sickness of acquiescence that has fallen upon many Scots. It has been called “the Scottish Cringe” and those who suffer from it are now subservient to a UK Government. In front of their eyes is their very own Scottish nation, with its amazing history of achievements and contribution to the world, with more than enough natural and human resources to manage a democratic, prosperous, inclusive and fair society.

As we leave the EU, with job losses and an increased cost of living, remember it all happened because Westminster gambled by calling the EU election, without a plan, just because of internal party politics. The label of UK Government is a misnomer. You are part of a group in Scotland that represents what could be a national lifeline, which could help lead us from the subjection of an elite Unionist Westminster government, to a caring Scottish Government.

The wisest among you will say “I will no longer be subservient to a UK Government”, and you would be most welcome to join us when the next referendum comes. To prove once and for all that there is “a place called Scotland”.

Dennis White
Lanark

IS anyone surprised by the contents of the leaked document for a future immigration policy after Brexit? Frankly, I am not. What can you expect of a government that leaves three million lives in limbo, not clarifying what EU citizens can expect after Brexit? What can you expect of a government that is sending out erroneous letters to EU citizens, telling them to leave within a month?

Even for this Westminster government, the leaked documents are a new low in the Brexit saga and spell out a bleak future for European migrants. Under the new rules, they face being chucked out after two years if they are “low-skilled”, maybe a stay of five years for a surgeon: a deliberate time cap to make it unattractive for families to join the migrant worker. Migrants may come to work but not to live. It is spelled out in one of the paragraphs: “(…) in order to be considered valuable to the country as a whole, immigration should not just benefit the migrants themselves but also make existing residents better off.” So shut up, work hard, don’t use too many services like schools and the NHS and leave before you get too comfortable. That is the message. In addition you will be fingerprinted, be put in a database and may have to show your ID to access services such as the NHS; all because you are a migrant – natives will not have jump through the same hoops.

I have lived here for 20 years but I will leave before anyone takes my fingerprints and puts me in a database. I may return when Scotland becomes independent...

Trudy Duffy
Wigman