I HAD just read David Pratt’s article in Thursday’s National referring to our contingent of SNP MPs as “lapdogs” (SNP Westminster lapdogs have lost capacity to bite, Jul 22) when a story on my computer caught my eye. What a cracker of a story it was. Dawn Butler, an English, female Labour MP, stood up in the Westminster circus and told the truth about BoJo’s lies.

When asked to retract and/or apologise, she refused. She was ordered to leave. She did so with her defiant head held high. I watched again the video clip and two thoughts flooded my mind: one was, aye Mr Pratt, I think you are right, and the other was words from an old Gaelic song: “where once your proud Highland mettle, now stand, herded like cattle.”

“Lapdogs” and “herded like cattle”. Imagine me thinking that about our SNP MPs. Ah dinnae ken whut, bit suthin’s wrang!!!

Kenny Henderson

Dunfermline

DAVID Pratt writes in Thursday’s paper about the toothless SNP MPs at Westminster. I couldn’t agree more.

The only purpose of the SNP MPs at Westminster seems to be to provide a target for the jeers and scorn of the Tories whenever one of them raises any point about Scotland’s interests. (“Scotland will not be dragged out of the EU” etc.) It is so futile and seems to serve no purpose as there is absolutely no prospect of them achieving any shift in the hostile Tory attitude to Scotland or even influencing any government policy.

It would be far better if they left Westminster to fester and returned to Scotland to work on the purpose for which the SNP was established. If I may remind them, according to their constitution that is independence for Scotland. Nothing else. Yet it seems they prefer being small, totally ignored and derided fish in the big Westminster pond. Time to show a bit of backbone.

James Duncan

Edinburgh

DAVID Pratt is absolutely right. Our political representatives in Westminster really need to get a grip. For goodness sake they must stop posturing and pleading and whining and using such pointless terms as “Scotland demands” and “Scotland insists”, because Scotland cannot demand, or insist on, anything from a parliament dominated by English MPs. All we get is sneering, mockery and ridicule.

Stop playing the Westminster game and start causing havoc. Be more aggressive, shout them down, mock them, make them angry, call them the liars that they are and be glad to be thrown out the chamber. Where’s your pride? Get off your knees! If you can’t, then you’re as well getting out and coming home.

And is it not time for our own Scottish Government to stop merely protesting, complaining and wailing about measures taken by the Tory government and take some positive, assertive action to counter them? If these measures are clearly at odds with the health, security or general wellbeing of the people of Scotland then why accept them? Why not just tell our Tory overlords to go chase themselves? For a start, tell the English-dominated Supreme Court to take a hike and point-blank refuse to allow Scottish law to be trivialised or overturned. Stop the nuclear convoys from crossing the border into our country. Stop our land being used as a playground by those who don’t live here. Be defiant. Be aggressive. For crying out loud, do something. Show some backbone. You weren’t voted back in to be complacent.

DA Henderson

Bearsden