I DID not know if I should be laughing or crying when I read in Sunday’s National the words of the SNP candidate in Thursday’s by-election. She apparently referred to the historic Hamilton by-election win by Winnie Ewing taking the seat from Labour in 1967 and how that sent “shockwaves” through the country. Loudon went on to say she hoped voters in the area would take the chance to “send a message again” by backing her over Labour’s candidate.

Only a matter of hours before, the SNP had suspended Winnie’s son Fergus from the party that they had both spent their lives building. A case of irony and crass insensitivity beyond belief.

READ MORE: Katy Loudon urges Rutherglen voters to 'send a message to Westminster'

She went on to say the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election was a chance for voters to “send a message to Westminster”. We will have to wait until the early hours of Friday morning to find out what that message will be, but by all accounts it will sadly not be one delivered by Ms Loudon.

If that is the case, I hope the SNP take note of the message being sent to them by the electorate and reflect long and hard on it at the SNP conference some ten days later.

Iain Wilson
Stirling