HOW curious to read Douglas Ross’s latest anti-Scotindy intervention in his formal letter to John Swinney decrying the SNP’s continuing quest for Scottish self-determination under Swinney’s tenure.

D Ross lost all political credibility years ago, and there is a huge list of damning evidence to back up that assertion including his recent ill-conceived vote backing the despicable Tory Rwanda bill. He is a selfish, undemocratic, angry wee man who has never been able to get his head around the fact that there is a huge indy movement within the population of Scotland. In his view it was supposed to disappear after the 2014 referendum vote, but the indy movement has thankfully become bigger and stronger than ever.

READ MORE: Douglas Ross demands John Swinney abandon Scottish independence

Wee Doogie can’t handle this scenario at all, and he actually behaves like a little schoolboy who has never grown up to the reality of the situation. Therefore, he (and various other immature Scot Tory cohorts including his shameless, deluded propagandist/spokesperson, Craig Hoy) will never have a serious, adult conversation covering the whole constitutional issue in Scotland – an absolute disgrace!

One of the most irritating aspects of anti-democrat Unionists like Ross, Hoy, Sarwar, Baillie, Cole-Hamilton and others is their occasional reference to the people of Scotland and the bogus characterisation that they supposedly represent “the views of the people of Scotland” – cheap political misrepresentation and rhetoric bordering on sheer impudence and disregard of the Scottish electorate. Their sheer denial is jaw-dropping, to be perfectly frank!

READ MORE: John Swinney: I know what it takes to lead a minority government

Another cheap anti-Scottish Government attack line that has definitely been “fed” to these charlatans by London diktat is the oft-mentioned “17 years of SNP failure in government” as well as the more recent attack line covering “the unfair progressive income tax system deployed by the Scottish Government”. The former line is a cheap copycat version of the anti-Tory line, “14 years of Tory austerity”.

Both of these criticisms have never been challenged properly by the likes of BBC Scotland or other mainstream media channels – complicit and colluding on most occasions when it comes to reporting this negative stuff. Indeed, recent damning evidence of this type of biased Scottish media stance was in a Channel 4 interview where the programme host pointed out to a speechless Anas Sarwar the simple fact that the Welsh Labour government seamlessly changed its First Minister without any media furore while media and political opposition parties in Scotland were bizarrely having palpitations – a case of “what’s the problem”?

I think most politically savvy citizens of Scotland know exactly what the problem is. Addressing that problem is still a huge challenge and will be part of the challenge to finally gain our independence as a sovereign country.

Bernie Japs
Edinburgh

JIM Taylor (Letters, May 3) can rant all he wants regarding co-operation, but one thing for sure is that voting to bring down the only independence-supporting party in government at Holyrood is not the way, and “chip on her shoulder” Ash Regan was well out of order. She had two other options but choose to give the Unionists more ammunition at a difficult time in the independence cause.

If you can, Jim, pray tell us what her and Alex’s “ red lines” were so we can all have our views.

READ MORE: IN FULL: Alba proposals to support Humza Yousaf in no-confidence vote

There is absolutely no excuse for what she voted for, and the Alba excuse that the vote was “purely performative” is just complete whitewash.

Jim you’ll have to explain how her vote helped. She had the chance to show solidarity but blew it, and no wonder Neil Gray wrote what he did.

Whatever government is in at Holyrood, they have to make the best of devolution (the only ball on the park at the moment). Not making devolution work is cannon fodder for the Unionists.

READ MORE: Neil Gray rips into Ash Regan after Alba vote to take down Government

That will just give them the opportunity to claim “we can’t look after ourselves”, and the excuse to bring Scotland back completely under Westminster rule. Holyrood would be shut down, and believe me they would do that in an instant.

Jim, I’m looking forward to reading YOUR road map to independence and the trail of “broken eggs”.

Ken McCartney
Hawick

ON reading The National on Friday, I felt like the boy who claimed the emperor had no clothes on until I read the excellent letter from Jim Taylor.

The SNP yet again have the old guard in charge following ten wasted years. There is criticism of Ash Regan’s vote supporting a no-confidence claim by the opposition. I fully supported this action, as for 50 years I backed the SNP before I realised that achieving independence was no longer the priority of the party. In fact I consider that the SNP is now the elephant in the room standing in the way of Scotland gaining its freedom.

Neil Shaw
via email

READ MORE: John Swinney: Leadership challenge from SNP activist will 'delay' rebuild

AS an independence campaigner for more than 50 years, may I take this opportunity to advise Neil Gray, Health Secretary, that he was elected by fellow nationalists to ensure that Scottish independence is at the forefront of everything he does. Attempting to rescue an unwanted relic of a fading empire that is becoming more despised worldwide is certainly not part of his remit. Actually, it is really, really embarrassing and full of cringe.

John Hunter-Paterson
Dundonald

THE BBC grudgingly covered the All Under One Banner march in Glasgow on Saturday but they seem to be under the the impression it was “hundreds” of people who took part … they should have gone to Specsavers.

Jim Ormiston
via email