NEWS that Boris Johnson and his Brexiteers are now looking to remove powers from the Scottish Parliament should not come as a shock to anyone.

At a branch meeting late last year I asked one of the SNP Cabinet ministers the very question. “What plans do you have if the UK Government dissolves the Scottish Parliament?” Do you think they have planned for such a dramatic event? The answer was simply that they couldn’t do that as people would be on the streets.

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Do you think the Unionists wouldn’t simply take back all the major powers? The latest polls predict a clear majority for the SNP with 57% of the poll. Labour in Scotland have nothing to offer and no political talent in their ranks. The Scottish-branded Tories have just kicked out their latest office manager – a demonstration of the ruthlessness with which Ruth the mooth will act to help save her London pals, and she didn’t act on her own.

There can be no doubt that the Unionist politicians have given up on the “Better Together”, ‘We Love You Scotland” campaigns and are now just going to take back the powers and refuse to allow indyref2. I fear that the SNP has not prepared for what some may think is the unthinkable. Boris Johnson doesn’t need Scottish voters; he has a majority. The Union needs Scottish GDP and natural resources. Brexit will cut Scottish businesses from the EU single market and jobs will be lost.

So the question again. What are you going to do if they close down the Scottish Parliament? Having a majority in a chamber that has no powers isn’t going to help us. Ideas would be welcomed.

David Henry
Edinburgh

SO it seems that data from Qualifications Wales shows that more than 42% of A-level grades in Wales have been downgraded from the scores predicted by schools and colleges. The results show that 5.8% of students have been awarded final results that are not within one grade of their predicted scores.

I wonder what Labour’s Iain Gray MSP will have to say about that. Will he be calling for the resignation of Kirsty Williams, who is minister for education in Labour-ruled Wales? Ms Williams is a Liberal Democrat, actually the former leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, so perhaps Willie Rennie might have an opinion on that as well.

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I have just heard Sarah, the head of a sixth-form in West London, calling radio station LBC to say she was “disgusted” after finding her entire A-level biology class had been downgraded by two grades. She added that for one course, nine pupils who were predicted a C have been downgraded to a U. “What has happened to swathes of my students is just cruel, disgusting and absolutely inhumane,” she said.

I wonder what Ruth, Carlaw and co would have to say to her?

Brian Lawson
Paisley

I HAVE been waiting with bated breath to hear the advice from Ruth Davidson, Willie Rennie and Richard Leonard regarding the resignation of the education secretaries of the UK, Northern Ireland and Wales after their own exam grade problems. My lips are going blue at the moment, so I don’t think I’ll wait any longer! No-one is denying the difficulties of the present situation in places of learning, and that mistakes have been made, but when John Swinney is being pilloried up here, it is surely worth a comment from the opposition triumvirate in Scotland on the same problems encountered in all the other countries in the UK.

Jim Reid
via email

LISTENING to Richard Leonard opening for the no-confidence motion was like watching a puppet show – we know London is pulling the strings for both Labour and Conservatives.

The hypocrisy yesterday afternoon was palpable. Of course there are things that can be done better – that will always be the case – but this was totally opportunistic by both Labour and the Tories.

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I can be quite sure there will not be one word of criticism of Welsh Labour or Tory Westminster.

If you want to hear one of the worst speeches, tune in on the Parliament TV and listen to Richard Leonard, but If you want to hear one of the best speeches in Holyrood tune in to Michael Russell closing for the government and be enthralled.

Winifred McCartney
Paisley

I HOPE John Swinney felt the support and love from the wider independence movement which surrounded him yesterday during his ordeal of a motion of no confidence. I felt his pain and discomfort but being the decent man he is he bore it nobly. Whilst one would not wish such an experience on anyone, I have the utmost admiration for how his supporters in the SNP and Green parties contributed and conducted themselves yesterday in Holyrood. I feel proud to be associated with them all.

John, I hope you and your family have the best of times and recoveries this weekend.

Anne Thomson
Falkirk

POLICE in London have “justified” the stopping of a car driven by a black MP due to “professional curiosity” by officers who wrongly believed the car was registered outside London. So now one can only drive cars in London registered in London!

In any town, village, hamlet and city there must be thousands of cars registered in other places! What is the police in London doing? The action speaks of racist reaction, but to justify the reason given is utterly ludicrous!

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If that is the calibre of the police force there and if that is how they conduct business, no serious police work is ever going to be done by patrol cars! How many cars have they stopped out of professional curiosity? The spokesperson who uttered this “justification” is really not very bright! Does he or she really think that it can be believed? We really are in the silly season now!

Obviously, the action will have been logged and coded in some way.

How many cars driven by white drivers in London and not registered there have been pulled over out of “professional curiosity”? We can probably guess.

John Edgar
Kilmaurs