I hope that, on reflection, Ruth Davidson will realise how foolish her comments that Scotland risks becoming "Balkanised to an extent" and "not quite like Northern Ireland, but somewhere closer to it" in the aftermath of an entirely peaceful, democratic referendum were (Leader interviews, News, April 26).

It is utterly irresponsible, offensive and absurd to compare, even obliquely, our current political situation to the genocide that followed the disintegration of Yugoslavia or the decades of sectarian discrimination and death that engulfed Northern Ireland. Such hysterical comments demonstrate a worrying ignorance of history, a rather crude attempt at equivalence and a complete incomprehension of the true nature of Scotland's civic nationalist movement.

If Ms Davidson wishes for her and her party to be taken seriously by a Scottish electorate that is neither irreparably nor violently divided, she should pick her words much more carefully in future.

David Kelly

Edinburgh

So, there we have it from the mouths of the Westminster party leaders: if Scotland dares to vote SNP the Westminster Unionist Parties will ignore us. Did I hear that an election is an opportunity for the people to have a democratic choice? Ah! That is only if Westminster approves of the choice we make.

It would seem that Westminster would rather see a coalition government where the junior partners are Ukip or Ulster Unionists: is Scotland so insignificant that it may be ignored? We'll see; there is a great difference between the rhetoric before an election and how things turn out once the country has delivered its verdict. Let's hold firm and be amused by the words which are eaten and swallowed by the Westminster politicians when a sizeable number of SNP MPs are elected on May 7.

Brian Rattray

Edinburgh