It’s vital that Humza Yousaf sticks to a centre-left political agenda

Although the SNP is a political party, it is in essence a movement for independence. It’s therefore vital that our new leader and First Minister, Humza Yousaf, keeps to a centre-left political agenda, providing economic stability, fighting poverty, inequality and climate change and for human rights, but above all working together, with renewed unity of purpose, to secure a vibrant and successful independent Scotland.

Grant Frazer
Newtonmore

READ MORE: What happened in the room as Humza Yousaf became SNP leader

SO Douglas three-jobs Ross now expects the incoming leader of the SNP to fail due to putting independence “front and centre”, after years of trying to present independence as Nicola Sturgeon’s personal “obsession”. Has the penny finally dropped for him or is he simply transferring the same tired old rhetoric to a new target?

When will the ball boy and all the other Anglo-British nationalists come to understand that the independence agenda is not the preserve of the leader of the SNP and that the Scottish independence movement is bigger than a single person or even a single party. The movement cannot be stopped nor will we be denied. Independence is coming.

Ni Holmes
St Andrews

READ MORE: Douglas Ross reacts to Humza Yousaf's SNP leadership win

“WHOEVER wins today, Scotland loses” says Douglas Ross, true to form with another own goal. He should instead remind voters that whoever wins in the UK, Scotland loses.

Robert Fraser
Edinburgh

WELL done Humza! Well deserved, a clear win and the Greens are in support also. Here’s to Scotland’s next chapter of history. Today was a day for SNP members to be proud, and for Scotland to celebrate our continued journey towards being the wonderful independent country that we inevitably will be, free of Westminster’s shackles.

Flora Robertson
via thenational.scot

EXCELLENT piece of writing from Kirsty Strickland today (Fake firm sting shows up party of self-serving so-and-sos, Mar 27). An £84,000 salary for MPs is certainly a welcome income, plus the extra for ministerial duties of course.

Both Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng, now they have both been reduced to the back benches, should remember their bad form come the next Westminster Parliamentary General Election. And that includes all the other MPs who got well and truly stung by the Led by Donkeys campaign group.

The Westminster parliamentary rule book says its MPs are allowed to earn whatever they like in addition to their MPs’ salaries, but it’s time something was done to change those rules with, say, some limitations on just how much they should be allowed to earn.

That said, there would be little chance it ever happening. Why? Because it is inclusive of every MP residing in Westminster. Even those SNP MPs who are elected by their Scottish constituents have the chance of earning a few quid on the side.

With the chance of the Westminster Labour Party becoming the next government, there is little chance of the loophole-filled parliamentary expenses rules being changed, even as a result of this well-worked sting.

Let Scotland and its Yes groups work together during the remainder of 2023 and help the new SNP government to find a way of achieving Scotland’s independence. The sooner we are shot of this Westminster quagmire, the better.

Alan Magnus-Bennett
Fife

AS a fellow Yes Biker, I have great respect for Stewart Hosie and believe that he is genuinely devoted to the cause of Scottish independence.

READ MORE: 'Boring banker' Stewart Hosie defends SNP currency plans

So it came as a shock and disappointment to see his quote in the Sunday National extolling the so-called virtues of retaining the use of Sterling after independence. The very last thing a newly independent Scotland needs is to be using a currency that is controlled by a malevolent neighbour that has everything to be gained by bringing Scotland back to heel.

To be successful, we must have a currency, issued by the Scottish state bank, up and running on the first day of independence. Only by creating this fiat currency will we have the economic levers to create a viable economy.

Tony Perridge
Inverness

OUR own currency is a priority, yes, but so is getting soft No and soft Yes voters feeling secure about their finances. The transition period between Yes vote and actual independence will need to be at least 18-24 months – that should be plenty of time to get a Scots currency ready to go shortly after actual independence. I would opt for the safer secure route if I was an unsure No or Yes voter, and we need every one of their votes that we can get.

Last time older voters were being hit with all sorts of scare stories about pensions, finances etc, it would be silly to let that happen again. Lots of closet Unionists will be nagging for it though.

Ben Power
via thenational.scot

SHAME on Kevin McKenna for his “touch the forelock and do what you’re told” advice to Alison Thewliss in relation to her fall-out with Paul Hutcheon – arrogance and condescension, pure and simple (Reminder why newspapers are not democracies, Mar 26)! If more of our so-called journalists followed Alison’s lead there would surely be far less of the vomit-inducing, pro-establishment toadying that blights and corrupts so much of our mass media! The MP for Glasgow Central may not be a wordsmith par excellence like Kevin but she is to be admired for having the courage to stick to her guns and refuse to be browbeaten.

Alan Woodcock
Dundee