THE Rev David Collins (Letters, October 22) is mistaken.

For the Prime Minister to assert that the British people are his only boss is self-evident. Nor does he require evidence, day to day, on what they think. He will find out soon enough at election time.

That he does not know what they think is a compelling argument that he is not driven solely by public opinion. Nor is there anything dangerous about the PM's method of formulating policy. Of course he will do his best according to his own moral philosophy and the multiplicity of advisors available to him, each (doubtless) with his slightly different moral view. Mr Collins makes the assumption that his moral view as a clergyman is necessarily superior to anyone else's. Such an attitude ill befits a Church of Scotland minister.

There is no validity in the assertion that David Cameron is a "'shallow thinker" He has been a very capable PM, better than most. Of course he has been chasing events, but that is nothing new: the job is almost impossible. He has been very active, communicated well and has been an effective leader, better by far than anyone else at Westminster.

Are the policies of Ukip "poisonous"? Their leader has argued persuasively and many (some of them MPs) have been converted to its policies, such as they are. The facts themselves disprove the use of that pejorative.

Mr Collins should examine his own moral philosophy. He might suppose that life is full of absolutes and that he knows what they are. When the arguments have been made, the people will decide.

There are even reasons for and against remaining in Europe. There is nothing "xenophobic" about withdrawal. Mr Collins might care to devote himself to the study of moral philosophy and especially to the formulation of the kinds of arguments that add to our under­standing, leaving pejoratives (which are a form of abuse) out of it.

William Scott,

23 Argyle Place, Rothesay.

AS I was born five years after the end of the Second World War and only came into existence because my father managed to survive two-and-a-half years of a Far Eastern prisoner of war camp, I find Nick Clegg's remarks disgusting ("'Salmond like a Japanese soldier still fighting after war is over", The Herald, October 21). I find them disgusting not only on behalf of my father but because my own first grandchild will be born in Japan.

Alex Flett,

Lochfergus House, Kirkcudbright.

ONE section of the Scotland's Future White Paper which was comprehen­sive was that on welfare reform. With the establishment of the Expert Working Group on Welfare the Scottish Government has in place a body which can deliver appropriate welfare to the needs of Scotland. It would therefore make sense to fully devolve welfare to the Scottish Government since the one-size-fits-all approach to welfare benefits across the United Kingdom is inefficient. Graeme Brown ("Time to think big and bold, after the referendum, on welfare reform", Agenda, The Herald, October 22) is to be commended for arguing that we in Scotland should think bigger and bolder on this important matter.

Sandy Gemmill,

40 Warriston Gardens, Edinburgh.

CONSERVATIVE MSP Alex Johnstone is quick to pick holes in the SNP's tax plans, citing the fall in oil prices and the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) predicted £5 billion shortfall in their budget figures if oil taxes were devolved to Scotland. He is less voluble, though, on the horrendous financial predictions from the same OBR on the finances of the UK, under the guiding hand of George Osborne.

Despite the austerity regime he has imposed on the poor, the Chancellor's figures still do not add up. His target to reduce the deficit is way behind schedule; his borrowing is £108bn for the year (£10bn higher than he estimated in March; public sector debt is higher, again, than last month at £1.4 trillion (79.9 per cent of GDP compared with 77.9 per cent last year). But, as Mr Johnstone says, "it would be foolish to pursue any other approach". Being part of the broad shoulders of the UK is obviously, economically the wise move. Or is it?

James Mills,

29 Armour Square, Johnstone.

YOU can't run a country like a business. If you don't like the way your firm is being managed you can always leave and set up on your own account. However, as we have just witnessed in Scotland, everyone has a say in the independence decision.

Irrespective of the party in power at Westminster, it is controlled by the finance director whose first and only priority is to balance the books and monitor the cash flow. The fact that he fails consistently and still survives places Westminster firmly in bed with its senior partner, the City of London.

The good Lord Smith of Kelvin will of course come up with a fudged compromise and some tax-raising powers, but that is a Trojan horse, because it devolves the unpopular collection of taxes and ignores the real financial power of London. It is not taxation which causes financial crises, economic stagnation and a two-tier society; it is financial corruption at the top. That is just one reason why the independence issue will not go away.

RF Morrison,

Millig, 29 Colquhoun Street, Helensburgh.