IT really was a double whammy of a morning! Firstly the Tory party literature for May 23 came through the door. Spoiler alert: nothing to do with a better future for Scotland.

No manifesto promises, actually no manifesto info at all. But just in case I’d forgotten who our FM is, they kindly reminded me with Nicola Sturgeon’s name on every one of the four sides. And out of all the “sound bites” only one could be politically relevant to the EU elections, and referred to what Tories think: “we need a sensible Brexit” no less.

Sorry Ruth, too late. May and the failure of the official opposition have scuppered that one! Fair spluttered into my corn flakes I did.

But then, the second part! I admit to reading The Scotsman, very occasionally, and only online. And there it was, Ruth’s cunning plan, post-Brexit. And this is no spoiler alert. It’s worse than that. It’s her vision for, no less, the death of democracy here in Scotland, should she achieve it: the demolishing of our parliament, a direct attack on the sovereignty and will of the people of Scotland

She believes the way forward post-Brexit would be with her “manifesto” no less! That’s where’s she’s hidden it! In a newspaper with a reducing readership! Presumably it’s too toxic for inclusion in that leaflet destined for distribution across Scotland. She understands that the majority of us would consider and reject her, her party and that manifesto.

And what makes it so toxic? She envisages the establishment of an Office of State, with a Department for the Union, headed up by a First Secretary, complete with a Delivery Unit, all based in Whitehall. Could that First Secretary be a job in waiting perchance? But overall, there would be the ability for this Office of State to create trade policies and be part of trade missions across the world. But equally toxic would be the management, the re-routing of the EU millions due to Scotland, such as those monies destined for agriculture and fisheries, to this “unit”.

Drew Hendry, SNP MP, recently reminded us all that re-routing that EU £800 million, over the proposed seven-year period, would be a massive power grab. No Drew, that is just too polite. It would be downright theft! We have our own parliament and government. We have a First Minister, and let us never forget our voting outcomes that clearly state our intentions in two parliaments: here and Westminster, both returning a majority in favour of independence.

It was more than a spluttering into my corn flakes, believe me. Whether it’s marching, meetings, hustings or voting, the voices of Scotland cannot and will neither be ignored nor silenced. We cannot afford to be regarded as some form of feudal property to be used as a cash cow when required.

Next week’s elections can be a timely reminder. We have to get the vote out. Another step towards independence, but please can we make sure it’s a quick step? Let Ruth and the Tories dance to the slow beat that is the definite demise of the Tory Party in its current guise. Their way is not Scotland’s way.

Selma Rahman
Edinburgh

THEY just can’t stop themselves, the Scottish Conservatives and their leader Ruth Davidson launching their EU election campaign with Scottish independence and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon firmly on their agenda! But, we must note, no manifesto launch, only a campaign launch!

Ms Davidson said a vote for her party would “respect the result of referendums”, pledging “to honour the voices of millions of people who told us Scotland should stay in the UK, and that the UK should leave the EU”. Ms Davidson, why should anyone listen to your call? After all, the people of Scotland were assured by you and your party that if they voted to stay in the UK their place in the EU would be secured!

Let me remind Ms Davidson and her party: Scotland voted to Remain in the EU. Instead of Ms Davidson accusing Scotland’s First Minister of selfishly using the EU elections to push the case for separation, perhaps Ms Davidson should have directed any accusations to the PM, who has continued to exclude Scotland’s voice from the negotiation table. Can I just remind myself and your readers, this was the Scottish Conservative party’s EU campaign launch.

Catriona C Clark
Falkirk

ONE weel-kent Scottish political pundit said on television of the AUOB Glasgow march, what was the point? Stupidity could be a qualification for this kind of political journalism but this individual is not stupid.

His question is, however, very revealing.

As Kevin McKenna pointed out, a march signals a great deal about how much people care – that is why those opposed to it always claim fewer people attended than actually did. AUOB should find a way to accurately gauge numbers that cannot be disputed. Animal behaviourists do this on a regular basis to determine numbers of any large gathering of a particular species to a 95% accuracy.

There are several methods that can be employed but the most effective is by air. The person operating the police helicopter camera will know the actual number of people who took to the streets by using a tailored computer algorithm. It can analyse the images very easily and give an accurate result. In fact the police would be failing in their duty if they were not doing just that. Time for an FOI perhaps?

Mike Herd
Highland

I WELCOME the vision of ScottishPower and Glasgow City Council to become the UK’s first “Net Zero” city. The situation is urgent, so existing, proven low-carbon technologies should be deployed as soon as possible. There’s no need to wait for battery buses to mature. Trolleybuses (buses powered by electricity from overhead wires) already run in more than 300 cities worldwide. Indeed, they used to run in Glasgow until 1967, and could be reintroduced quickly.

David Sterratt
Edinburgh