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Sir Donald Runnicles is among the nation's top musical talents

Letters Why do Scotland's classical orchestras not attract bigger audiences?
PATRICK Maxwell observes that classical music “is under threat”, partly because of government cuts and a lack of general public interest (Scottish orchestras are under-rated and neglected south of the Border, Apr 15). It’s certainly true that, in the UK, classical music and opera are not generally popular, often branded as highbrow and elitist and, perhaps as a result, deprived

Stewart Hosie promises to remain active in the SNP and the cause for Scotland’s independence

Letters We don’t need hope from the SNP – what we need is action

WHAT a load of waffle Stewart Hosie managed to concoct in his piece in Sunday’s National (‘I will be making the case for a brighter future for Scotland, Apr 14). Regardless of his retirement plans later this year, his opening shot was that he promised to remain active in the SNP and the cause for Scotland’s independence.

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We need a minimum of 60% in favour before a move to become independent would be assured. Photograph: Colin Mearns

Letters Yes movement is like a talented team stuck in the relegation zone

I AM accepting the invitation to respond to the article by Jonathon Shafi in Tuesday morning’s paper (The Yes movement is back at square one and needs a complete renewal, Apr 16).

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It was impossible to absorb that one bomb had reduced a city to rubble

Letters I'm still haunted by TV report following the bombing of Hiroshima
AS a boy of 15, l watched a newsreel in 1945 about the bombing of Hiroshima and its aftermath. l could not absorb that one bomb had reduced a city to rubble, and killed 147,000 people. but l was horrified at seeing a woman with her checked kimono burned into her back. That memory is with me still!

Yessers need to be advancing positive argument in favour of independence

Letters Arguing over past strategy won’t shift any undecided voters to Yes

FURTHER to Ian Lawson’s thoughtful comments of April 13 (in his letter beginning “I used to enjoy reading The National but that enjoyment is now tempered by a stream of letters telling us that the SNP approach to independence is wrong”), if one wished to read subjective perspectives denigrating the SNP, or its policies in government, there are more than a dozen newspapers one could buy other than The National.

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The Golden City was first staged in 1974 in Glasgow Cathedral

Letters Search is on for memories of landmark 1970s theatre production
FIFTY years ago, Glasgow-based Strathclyde Theatre Group created a landmark theatre production that is to be celebrated this year with an exhibition at the Edinburgh festival. The organisers are looking for memories and memorabilia from the more than 100 actors, musicians and technical crew who took part in The Golden City.

Could the parties do deals with each other in relation to the next two elections?

Letters SNP-Green squabbling won’t help the environment or the Yes cause

IT’S sad to see open squabbling between the

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The Labour leader was asked about his willingness to use the UK nuclear ‘deterrent’

Letters Does Keir Starmer really think he’d have power to press the button?

I DON’T believe Keir Starmer’s

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Food prices are still 30% higher than three years ago, and this will only exacerbate that problem

Letters Higher prices for dairy, meat and fish are another Brexit consequence
THE news that Brexit border controls coming into force later this month will cost UK businesses £2 billion and lead to higher inflation and food prices is hardly a surprise.

Some of the same people who pushed for voter ID vociferously objected to national identity cards

Letters Democracies should encourage voting, not put up new barriers to it
THE fact that only 0.25% of those turning up at polling stations in last May’s elections hardly seems to be a useful measure of the impact of voter ID when there is a non-participation rate of 30% or more.