MONDAY’S article on Keir Starmer’s comments is a good reminder of the Labour Party’s real priority (Starmer says Labour must gain seats in Scotland to have ‘legitimacy’). For the last 100 years or so of trying they still haven’t been able to create a UK based on socialist principles for the benefit of the majority of our population.

The party is not necessarily against independence per se, but they fear losing potential Scottish votes for Westminster, which governs their thinking. Their priority is therefore gaining power, which is why they set themselves in opposition to all the other collective socialist or centrist parties, and align themselves with their sworn enemies the Tories.

If Labour want to create a more socialist country, why do they not start off in Scotland and support independence? We are as capable of being an independent sovereign state as any other similar-sized country, so there is no reason other than fear of never getting power at Westminster.

Nick Cole
Meigle, Perthshire

READ MORE: Steph Paton: Keir Starmer's desire for 'legitimacy' could come back to haunt him

SIR Keir Starmer KCB KC now wants his latest version of the New Labour Party to have “a strong showing in Scotland so [that it has] legitimacy”. Scots must be in no doubt that what would become legitimate in the event of us voting strongly for this man’s right-wing leadership is movement of Scottish resources south of the Border to buy votes in the south-east of England where the majority of the General Election voters reside.

Let’s not ever get fooled again.

Ni Holmes
St Andrews

XANDER Elliards’ article “Anas Sarwar dismisses claims Scottish Labour is just a ‘branch office’” (Apr 18) reveals that the Labour leadership in Scotland could be overestimating their political status.

Perhaps this has arisen because of the registration with the Electoral Commission (EC) of Scottish emblems and a Labour Party branch called the “Scottish Labour Party” as a financially autonomous accounting unit of the Labour Party.

The EC accounting unit register contains details of the treasurers, second officers and headquarters addresses or a correspondence address if the accounting unit does not have a headquarters.

The “Scottish Labour Party” accounting unit shares its address in Newcastle with a number of other branches, so presumably does not have headquarters.

There is no “Scottish Labour Party” in the EC’s register of political parties.

John Jamieson
South Queensferry

IT has been suggested by quite a few pundits that if Humza Yousaf lost his GRR Westminster challenge it would be an embarrassment to the Scottish Government. It has also been suggested that a majority of the Scottish people would prefer a more modified GRR Bill.

Any potential embarrassment to the Scottish Government caused through losing the GRR challenge would be countered by the fact that the GRR Bill could then be brought back into the Scottish Parliament for further debate, and any possible amendments.

READ MORE: STUC pledge to support challenge to Westminster gender reform block

I agree with the statements of Philippa Whitford and Lesley Riddoch that because this GRR Bill (and any other Scottish bill that might emanate from its parliament) has been blocked by a Section 35 order, the Scottish Government should challenge its validity. Win or lose!

Scotland cannot allow Alister Jack or any other Tory hater of Scotland to treat our country with the contempt that is so rife in the Westminster government.

I would also like to state that regardless of the parliamentary majority vote, the people of Scotland and not the parliament are still sovereign. Or has Holyrood not realised that historical fact yet?

Alan Magnus-Bennett
Fife

PERHAPS before Maggie Chetty (Long Letter, Apr 14) slips further down the path beaten by right-wing critics of the SNP, she should question why she finds herself disagreeing with astute proponents of independence such as Lesley Riddoch, Ruth Wishart, Shona Robison, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Dr Philippa Whitford, Mhairi Black and Nicola Surgeon, as well as with one of the more enlightened Labour MSPs, Monica Lennon.

READ MORE: Shona Craven: It is the Tories who keep creating Section 35 distractions

If those who support the Alba Party (including MPs elected to represent the views of supporters of the SNP) spent less time vilifying the SNP and seeking to undermine the Scottish Government, in concert with the Scottish puppets of the Tory, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties (as well as with the BBC and most of the rest of the UK mainstream media), and more time challenging the misguided thinking of those attempting to sustain a long-dysfunctional union, then the faster the people of Scotland will have the opportunity to determine their own destiny.

Stan Grodynski
Longniddry, East Lothian

REGARDING Joanna Cherry’s article of April 14 (Those who raised questions about SNP finances were never answered), I agree with her that if the SNP are to sort out what has gone wrong within the SNP management, the need for a proper investigation is paramount to that.

I always thought that the national executive committee (NEC) was made up of members elected by the conference delegates, not unelected or co-opted officials, and that the NEC is responsible for the complete management of the SNP, like directors of a company are? That way, blame the NEC.

Maybe as a starting place it would help if a detailed party structure was provided, so that members are able to see exactly who is doing what, and what their responsibilities are. Even MPs and MSPs don’t seem to know who is in charge and running things such as party finances and governance. If there are staff employed, we need to see what they are doing and who takes responsibility.

Michael Maclennan
Brora