I thought it was an SNP conference taking place in Inverness last week ("Lamont: Scotland needs a second boom in education", The Herald, April 20).

In fact it was a Labour conference giving much publicity to the SNP, with speech after speech namedropping First Minister Alex Salmond or lifting the name of the SNP.

Johann Lamont's keynote speech to conference gave a pledge "to work with the SNP to protect the poor and vulnerable from the injustice of the bedroom tax – we can protect them and we must".

Was this pledge an attempt by Ms Lamont to justify her something for nothing speech? Perhaps trying to get her party on side.

How many Labour councils in Scotland have yet to pledge no evictions due to the bedroom tax? I know my council (Falkirk) has not made this pledge.

Ms Lamont mentioned her opposition to Westminster having a reserve on welfare, so in her call for talks with the First Minister and the SNP is she leaning towards independence on this issue?

Catriona C Clark,

52 Hawthorn Drive,

Banknock,

Falkirk.

Johann Lamont was in Inverness preaching to the converted at the Scottish Labour Party conference and informed the audience of her desire that the First Minister should work with her towards better childcare provision.

An expensive and emotive subject for parents. Why was this not an issue when Wendy Alexander or Jack McConnell were first ministers? Is this to deflect from the real issue of the referendum debate?

Ms Lamont also raises issues regarding poverty. Is this the same poverty we had when Labour was in power in Westminster and Holyrood?

I am not saying independence is the cure for all of our ills, but with it taxes and revenues would be staying in Scotland to be spent on Scottish issues such as poverty.

It surely is up to Scottish Labour to come up with crisp and innovative policies to be re-elected. It is easy to snipe when you are in opposition.

The Labour peer Lord George Foulkes says he is against Scottish independence. So would I be if I was him. Who is going to pay his expenses when Scotland is independent and there is no need for Scottish peers in the House of Lords?

My question to Ms Lamont and Lord Foulkes is if the people of Scotland vote for independence and Scotland becomes an independent nation would they support an independent government?

Robert McCaw,

6 Hamilton Crescent,

Renfrew.