THREE things from Thursday’s edition make me wonder what it is about politics at all levels that attracts a certain type of individual whose main if not sole concern is personal gain.

The abysmal behaviour of Highland councillors regarding planning applications, the lack of SNP politicians at indy marches, and the never-ending revelations of sleaze at Westminster all feed into the public perception that we have a bunch of chancers in charge. You do wonder where the men and women of principle are.

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I know that a sweeping generalisation isn’t helpful, but I worry that, in Scotland’s case, we had many MPs who were happy to play the Westminster game, take the salaries/expenses then sit on their hands. Not all, but many.

I’m not the first in your letters page to suggest that 48 SNP politicians did next to nothing to advance our cause, and they had years to work on it.

Politics is such a dirty, lucrative business that perhaps decent people don’t want to go near it ... leaving the field open for the rogues and takers.

Jim Butchart
via email