SCOTTISH Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie asks for a "second chance" for Alistair Carmichael ("Rennie calls for Carmichael to be given a second chance", The Herald, May 25), but the former Scottish Secretary had plenty of chances to come clean in the run-up to polling day and confess to his tawdry attempt to besmirch Nicola Sturgeon.

Instead, Mr Carmichael only admitted to wrongdoing after he was found out. As Scotland's voice in the Cabinet, and as MP for Orkney and Shetland, he badly let down his constituents and his country.

Mr Rennie, with the elections to the Scottish Parliament now less than a year away and with his party in a perilous state, instead of attempting to save Mr Carmichael's skin, might be better employed trying to hang on to the five seats he has in the Scottish Parliament.

Given that the LibDems lost all but one of their Scottish seats at the General Election, the shocking revelations of deceit from the only Scottish MP they held on to would suggest that their Holyrood jackets are on a very shoogly nail indeed. Pleading for a "second chance" for an MP who lied to the entire country in a desperate attempt to divert votes away from the SNP seems a strange way for Mr Rennie to try to promote trust and confidence in the integrity of the Liberal Democrats.

Ruth Marr,

99 Grampian Road,

Stirling.

I AM certain I am not the only reader who sees the hypocrisy in the "Mother of Parliaments" over the last few days

Let us not be fooled. There was a clear intention of the existing members at Westminster to discomfit the new SNP MPs and ensure they were kept in their place. The pathetic actions of Labour MPs trying to reserve their seats round the pool says a lot about them and the fact of their absorption into the Westminster Old Boys Club. I was delighted to see the SNP MPs were refusing to "know their place".

Then we have Alistair Carmichael behaving incredibly dishonourably, first in leaking a document which he knew to be inaccurate. To then lie on camera about his knowledge of the leak speaks of a man who would appear to be stranger to the truth. Surely the circumstances demand that an honourable member would resign his seat as he has obviously misled his constituents? Of course not. In spite of all the oaths sworn and principled articles written the Westminster brotherhood suggest it is not a resigning matter and Mr Carmichael should be given another chance. Is it any wonder the majority of voters are cynical about MPs?

I believe Zig Ziglar got it right when he said: "With integrity you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt"

David Stubley,

22 Templeton Crescent,

Prestwick.

THE news that Alistair Carmichael's attempted smear on Nicola Sturgeon will be referred to the Commons ethics committee is surely a classic oxymoron.

Peter Jensen,

Tigh an Abhainn, Skipness, Argyll.

JENNY Hjul ("Larking about aside, how can SNP MPs make their mark?", The Herald, May 22), referring to the new SNP members in the UK Parliament, says: "Sometimes they resemble that handful of Scottish Socialists who, under Tommy Sheridan, stormed the Scottish Parliament and shook things up for five seconds but changed nothing." This comment is fairly typical of much of the "lazy" journalism we see in most of the mainstream media, but seldom thankfully in The Herald, casually deriding anything or anyone who is outwith the political norm. It could not be further from the truth.

With the support of his five colleagues, Scottish Socialist Party national co-spokesperson Colin Fox presented a Bill to the 2003 -2007 Parliament advocating free prescriptions in Scotland. Despite the support of the SNP, Greens and Independents the Bill was defeated under the Labour Lib/Dem administration. Ironically, after Colin Fox and all five of his colleagues had failed to be re-elected in 2007, the Bill was passed under the new SNP administration.

As someone who suffers from the long-term effects of a seriously painful condition which requires regular treatment with expensive drugs, I am a grateful beneficiary of this Act. Although I could afford to pay for them, there are thousands in Scotland who couldn't. Like their fellow citizens in the UK and many countries throughout the world they would be faced with the choice of paying for these drugs or using their meagre income to feed their children or heat their home whilst enduring the daily misery of needless pain. Some choice.

Who knows how many of the 60 or so reported suicides linked to austerity in the last five years were the result of the stress of having to make such choices?

I regard this as the most effective and progressive Act passed by our parliament in Scotland. It is one the reasons I joined the Scottish Socialist Party. Those pioneer socialists who "changed nothing" actually made life better for thousands of their fellow citizens. It's what good politicians do. I hope people remember that when they cast their votes in the Parliamentary elections in 2016.

David McGill,

61 Ladysmith Road,

Edinburgh.