WEDNESDAY’S National was a mixed bag of news. On the front page there were two headlines in sharp contrast to each other. Firstly “Scotland pull off incredible win over Spain” and secondly “Forbes to leave government.” The football headline was unpredicted and uplifting, the Forbes headline sadly predictable and depressing.

It would appear that the new manager of the Scotland United team, a Mr Yousaf, had offered his star striker a place in the new team, but as a full back. She was understandably unimpressed. The 48% of the supporters who very recently backed Ms Forbes to manage the team appear to have been ignored.

READ MORE: Owen Jones: Kate Forbes could yet shape Scottish nationalism

In punishment for her sins (pun intended) Ms Forbes has been relegated to the subs’ bench, as has Ivan McKee, a veteran team player with extensive international (business) experience. The assistant manager’s job has been handed to a former midfield player who spent much of the past season attempting to dribble the gender recognition football up the political park but eventually missed the goal by a royal mile.

Failing to put your best team on the park is a big mistake. In just over a year the Scottish political team will face a challenge from England United – a mixed-ability bunch of Labour and Tory players managed jointly by Mr Sunak and Mr Starmer. The media (TV, radio, print and social) will back England United to the hilt. The result is unpredictable but could easily result in red cards for some of the Scotland players. It will be in all terms an away fixture. The subjects to be tackled will be ones that are not fully in the remit of the Scottish team – inflation, fuel poverty, the wider economy, even – sadly – immigration.

The result of that game will define the Scottish political scene until the rematch at the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026. If the new Scotland political management team fail to win any high-profile international fixtures before then, I suspect there will be increasing calls from the fans to sack the manager.

Iain Wilson
Stirling

MUCH like the Old Testament prophets, Kevin McKenna has a distinctive characteristic that sets him apart – the adamantine will to challenge the elites and to speak truth to power.

Whilst he possesses a certain sensitivity which enables him to comfort the afflicted (for instance, those who did – and still do – support Kate Forbes or Ash Regan and a revitalised hope in independence), he also has steel enough to afflict the comfortable (If independence is on the back burner, it is up to us to keep the flame burning, Mar 29).

Journalism needs such prophetic voices, strident in their percipient evaluations of the status quo, of self-perpetuating cliques, and of unjust structures.

It has to be acknowledged with no little gratitude that Kevin has been presciently pointing up the canker that existed in the upper echelons of the SNP for quite some time. He demonstrates an unerring ability to read the signs of the times.

Patrick Hynes
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire

GIVEN the views of Alyn Smith MP on his desire for a big-tent approach to politics following the election of Humza Yousaf as SNP leader and appointment as First Minister, he seems to take a very small-tent approach to the significant 38% of Scots, myself included, who voted Leave in 2016 (Divided parties don’t win – now’s the time to unite, Mar 29).

Apart from rubbishing EFTA and the EEA, he does not substantiate his claim that "Scotland’s obvious and natural home is the EU. Full stop". Norway, the fourth-richest country in the world with a population close to Scotland, seems to do very well out of EFTA. Far from being a fantasy destination, an independent Scotland in EFTA would allow us to prosper by allowing open access to both the EU single market and the crucially important rUK market.

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf 'looking at' pausing deposit return scheme

I think there is a strong case for the reform of the EU single market in terms of how it distorts national economies but for Scottish trade, business and jobs we need to be in it. Mr Smith gets that, but ignores the reality of Scotland’s geopolitical position vis a vis England. The dispute over the deposit return scheme, which I support in principle, had particular risks for Scottish trade and jobs due to English-based companies saying they would not participate due it being a Scotland-only scheme at this stage.

Mr Smith’s rigid and dogmatic loyalty to the EU risks the spectre of a Westminster-imposed Carlisle Protocol that would damage Scottish jobs and trade. Why take the risk when EFTA is the commonsense option to avoid a hard Scottish/English trade border?

Cllr Andy Doig (Independent)
Renfrewshire Council

SO the Westminster-appointed governor of Scotland Alister "Union" Jack wants Scotland’s democratically elected First Minister to put the independence movement into reverse, does he?

How often does Mr Jack need told before he understands that the Scottish independence movement is much bigger than a single person or a single political party? It is not for Humza Yousaf to put the independence movement into reverse, so he need not ask this of him.

READ MORE: Alister Jack says Humza Yousaf should put independence in 'reverse'

I will still vote SNP as what I see to be the best option in many respects to advance the best interests of my country and its people. However, I allowed my membership to lapse when I found that I could no longer follow Nicola Sturgeon. I do not expect to be rejoining the SNP under the new administration although I will remain active in the wider Scottish independence movement.

Humza Yousaf will not be leading me to travel in reverse and if that is the direction Mr Jack wants me to go he will need to come and ask me directly; he will get the same response. He will not tell me, I will tell him where to travel.

Ni Holmes
St Andrews