ALEXEI Sayle need not be so pessimistic ("Forever Tory: Sayle's fear for England after Yes vote", The Herald, April 1).

There have been Labour governments in power in the UK for 30 years since 1945. In only eight of the 30 years did those governments have to depend on Scottish Labour MPs. Of course, support for the Tories among both working and middle classes in England is greater and Scotland has had to suffer as a result. But England is not a hopeless case for the Left. What it needs is a genuinely social democratic model it can look towards to counter the "there is no alternative" claim. That is something we can create in Scotland if we have the powers to do so.

However there is no point in having a Labour government at Westminster unless it is significantly different from the Tories. That is a much bigger problem for the Left in England. A Tory government could not have been more reactionary than the Blair/Brown governments in defence and foreign policy issues or in its indulgence of the City, corporate power and the ultra-rich. Currently Labour is working hand in hand with the Tories in Better Together. In an independent Scotland the political centre of gravity is different and the Left would have real influence with an electoral system that gives much fairer representation. Scottish independence will shake up the current British state and the English Left should see this as an opportunity.

Isobel Lindsay,

9 Knocklea Place, Biggar.

BOB Thomson, a past chairman/treasurer of the Scottish Labour Party, argues that "the New Labour project- hijacked the party's philosophy" (Letters, April 1). That will be the New Labour project that won three General Elections in a row, a first for the party; Mr Thomson clearly doesn't have as much faith in democracy as he claims.

Mr Thomson calls on principles, but that's the easy bit. The Tory Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken famously went to court armed with "the simple sword of truth" to defend his principles. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice. The British electorate is quite rightly suspicious of politicians who claim to be driven by principle.

What matters in politics is how you convert principle into action. The Labour governments that Mr Thomson so despises made huge improvements in people's lives – and not just Mr Thomson's "working people", but also those who are retired or out of work or unable to work. The NHS was in a dire state in 1997; by the time Labour Left office in 2010, it was delivering a very high standard of care overall, and it's heartbreaking to see the improvements that were achieved at so much cost being eroded by the current governments in Westminster and Holyrood.

Spending on education shot up under Labour; the results are obvious both in the smart new school buildings we see and in improved teaching and results. Labour's welfare system generally worked well, given the complexity of devising a fair set of rules that can apply to such a wide range of personal circumstances. Again, it's shocking to see that entire edifice being torn down by this cruel and uncaring Coalition Government.

Mr Thomson blames New Labour for the recession. It seems to have escaped him that the current economic turmoil is affecting every country in the world, whatever its political complexion. Mistakes were made by the Labour Government: in particular it should have done more in the good times to prepare for bad times ahead. However, this recession would still have hurt.

Mr Thomson points out that Labour is a democratic socialist party, which it is. However, there have been plenty of countries around the world that have had the words democratic and socialist in their names, and that's generally a sign that the state in question was neither. Judge by action, not by labels.

Doug Maughan,

52 Menteith View,

Dunblane.

IN view of David Miliband's decision to leave Britain for pastures new I can understand his decision to resign as vice-chairman of Sunderland FC ("Miliband quits as Di Canio takes role", The Herald April 1). What I cannot reconcile is his reasoning that it is due to the arrival of newly-appointed manager Paolo De Canio. The latter, a self-confessed fascist, is known for his intolerance and right-wing views. It does seem proven that Labour did select the right Miliband. At least Ed is up for the fight and not ducking and diving when a potentially confrontational figure enters the room.

Allan C Steele,

22 Forres Avenue,

Giffnock.