JENNY Hjul's long-standing antipathy to the SNP is in overdrive in her article ("Tactical voting can be crucial in uniting against the SNP", The Herald, March 3) urging voters to support the newly emerging party, the Lab-Tory-LibDems, or the Laboratory Party.

This experiment in non-democracy counsels voters to forget any reasons to support policies of their own party, but to unite behind any candidate who is not SNP. Even if this means putting Ed Miliband into office, a man she regards as "possibly the most unsuitable prime minister material since Michael Foot".

Now the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, Gisela Stuart, has called for Labour to consider a deal with the Conservatives after May's General Election: "I think you should not dismiss the possibility of a grand coalition in terms of the regrouping of the main parties," she suggests.

The Liberal Democrats (those still standing after the election) will, of course, join anybody.

What Ms Hjul, and others of a like mind, seem to forget is that it was the cosy alignment between the amigos that alienated so many voters in Scotland, and the polls by Lord Ashcroft have caused a certain frisson in the ranks of the Westminster chums. As she didn't write, aren't free-thinking voters tiresome?

Hamish McPherson,

13 Beech Avenue,

Dumbreck,

Glasgow.

IT'S confusing, isn't it? I read Labour supporter Jenny Hjul's article exhorting people to vote tactically to get rid of the SNP and then Labour List drops into my inbox with Luke Akehurst saying: "It's naive for Labour activists to encourage people to vote tactically for other parties

I'm pleased I stopped voting Labour in 2003 when they invaded Iraq.

Patricia Fort,

D/12, 160 Bothwell Street, Glasgow.