I AM often amazed that some of your correspondents who feel the need to vent their ire on the Labour Party.

They, I would have thought, have it all: the SNP are in power at Holyrood and nearly all of the Westminster MPS are SNP, so what is it they fear from Labour ?

After all, it is a Conservative Government in power. not a Labour Government. Surely therefore they should be venting their ire on this party? I am a disenfranchised UK voter who is paying her taxes in order to allow SNP MPs do virtually nothing about the drastic cuts imposed by the Cameron Government. Rhetoric is toothless, actions matter.

It is people like myself who are also disenfranchised in today’s Scotland. Here I am paying my taxes in order to witness the dismantling of all I, as a socialist, hold dear: equality of opportunity in education , the National Health Service and good social housing being there at the point of need, and more.

Ruth Marr (Letters, August 27) states that there is “vicious in -fighting”in Labour’s leadership election. We in our party like robust debate as it helps us decide who we wish to vote for. We do not simply crown our leader with no debate being heard.

Democracy, I am thankful to say, is alive and well in the Labour party.

Jean Livingstone,

1 Scott Grove, Hamilton.

SPECULATION about the leftness or otherwise of the SNP would be answered if they gained independence, for they would then presumably disband and all join other parties, left or right according to inclination.

There is surely something wrong if they all conceal their proclivities until then.

A century ago, Gilbert and Sullivan in Iolanthe pointed out that every one of us is deep-dyed red or blue. And so it would be fairer if, at the next election, the ballot paper stated every candidate’s preference, so that “SNP” was followed by “L,A” for Labour, Actually or “T u k” for Tory-under –kilt.

In a democracy, there should be no mysteries.

Moyna Gardiner,

28 Hamilton Park Avenue, Glasgow.

WITH reference to recent debate on the timing of a second independence referendum, I hope there will be one sooner rather than later.

When I joined the SNP in 1945 under the guidance of Professor James Dott, who at that time was the SNP prospective Parliamentary candidate for Kilmarnock I was given to understand that we were seeking to re-establish Scotland's Independence within the United Kingdom, the position we as a nation enjoyed prior to the undemocratic signing of The Treaty of Union in1707. As far as I am aware that is still our current objective.

The question of the monarchy may only be decided by "the people", on a specific referendum on the subject. The SNP do not have the power nor the authority to unilaterally decide upon our position as a nation within the United Kingdom.

John JG McGill.

25, Wallace View,

Riccarton, Kilmarnock.