We could function perfectly well without the lords, royals and lackeys

The sooner we get rid of this bunch of serial "hangers-on" the better. All the lords, royals, all the lackeys with fancy-named positions and jobs ... we could function perfectly well without any of them. Anyone (myself included) could read out the Government's programme and do it at a fraction of the time and cost.

We have to take a shake to ourselves, wake up and realise that the days of forelock tugging are over.

Alan Carroll,

24 The Quadrant, Clarkston, Glasgow.

SEEING the pictures of the State Opening of Parliament and the crowds crammed into that venerable old building, it struck me that in these times of austerity that this could be a real money-spinner for the nation.

The Pope has a weekly audience for the public in St Peter's which attracts thousands; could not the Queen offer the same service for tourists here?

A weekly State Opening of Parliament with tourists paying to play the part of lords/ladies/commoners would be a huge hit financially with an appropriate sliding scale of charges depending on whether one wished to play the commoner or the lord, with extra for the hire of ermine for those wishing to get above themselves.

Some of the current peers could help earn their daily £300 by acting as guides, with the incentive that any tips received could be tax-free.

As we are "all in it together" and as welfare cuts are imminent, I am sure Her Majesty, as a welfare recipient herself, would like to do her bit to help ease the financial burdens weighing down her people.

James Mills,

29 Armour Square, Johnstone.

TUESDAY'S noisy clapping by SNP members in the Commons chamber ("SNP MPs break convention with roses and clapping", The Herald, May 28) was most invigorating, and the Speaker's reprimand unduly harsh. The silly customs and courtesies of the House may have adorned centuries of the most stable democracy the world has ever known, but do we need them?

The Palace of Westminster should strive to make our new MPs feel more at home. For instance, during debates fish suppers and Irn-Bru should be freely swallied on the SNP benches, with scotch pies and steaming Bovril for extended sessions. Honourable members opposite might give way when the 56 feel like singing Flower of Scotland, or performing a Mexican wave.

The Serjeant-at-Arms could cap the statue of Margaret Thatcher in the Members' Lobby with a traffic cone. Last but not least, the chamber's strict dress code might be relaxed for the new SNP members, allowing long flappy shoes, baggy trousers and a big red nose.

Martin Ketterer,

Tavistock Drive,

Newlands, Glasgow.

AS someone who came near to being an SNP MP (I came second for the selection in Kilmarnock) I have been very interested in how our 56 new members are doing at Westminster. I must say I have been very impressed by their behaviour since they arrived both in the early debates on the Queen's Speech and on their appearances on the media I have also been impressed by their diligence in attending the debates in numbers compared to the so-called official opposition the Labour Party who are notable by their absence even when important topics like zero-hours contract are being debated.

Yes, the SNP were told off for applauding . No doubt they are meant to wave their order papers and hear, hear like the public school culture which dominates the Commons.

I just watched a very impressive maiden speech by Joanna Cherry MP for Edinburgh South West and SNP spokesperson on justice. She warned the Tories not to ride roughshod over the interests of Scotland just because they had a majority in England, quoting the words of Mary Queen of Scots at her trial: "Don't forget your decision will be viewed in the theatre of the whole world which is wider than the Kingdom of England."

It is going to be an interesting five years.

Hugh Kerr,

Wharton Square,

Edinburgh.