As your leader rightly points out, Ruth Davidson went to great lengths to portray herself as the compassionate face of the Conservative Party, smiling cheerily from her election leaflets and putting forward an image of someone the electorate could vote for with a clear conscience; a jolly nice woman, not a bit like the frightful Tories at Westminster and with never a handbag in sight (Tory cruelty and Labour failure betray Scotland, Editorial, December 4). Sadly, it was all part of the Scottish Conservative Party leader's cunning ploy to hoodwink the voters, which included relegating the Conservative Party name to virtual obscurity on her election posters and leaflets, and even changing the colour of the party rosettes from the traditional royal blue to a watery turquoise.

At least with Margaret Thatcher, what you saw was what you got; the decimation of Scotland's industries and the imposition of the hated poll tax. Ms Davidson, on the other hand, is all pleasant demeanour without, but within beats the heart and soul of a nasty, deep blue, dyed-in-the-wool Scottish Tory, who sees nothing wrong with her country being governed from Westminster by Tory governments Scotland never voted for, or being dragged out of the European Union after voting overwhelmingly to remain. Scotland's democratic deficit appears not to trouble Ms Davidson, who, when the chips are down, will always take her orders from the real Tory boss at Westminster.

Ruth Marr

Stirling

The SNP leadership hope to derail Brexit under the guise of seeking a deal they know cannot be delivered (FM Sturgeon accuses Davidson of "selling out" Scotland over Brexit, News, December 4). In turn they hold out the prospect to the people of Scotland of a second independence referendum, when the inevitable happens and the SNP divine their disappointment with the Brexit process.

Yet what about clarity on where the SNP would propose to take us?

Forget about post-truth moral certainty. What about some feet on the ground reality? How do we overcome the fact that Scotland spends so much more than it earns and can realistically expect to earn for the foreseeable future? How can the SNP deliver the membership of the EU that it implies will be so much better than being in the UK, when the EU will require entry conditions that cannot be met without completely changing the structure of public spending in Scotland? How sure can the SNP be that the EU’s project for ever closer political and economic union, will deliver a Scotland more content with its place in the world than as part of the UK?

Freedom and self-determination are noble ambitions. Yet in an interdependent and uncertain world, can the SNP be sure they are not seeking to take us in the opposite direction to where those who value these very things are heading? The mood of dissatisfaction across Europe suggests the EU could be in for a rough ride, just as the SNP seek to portray this as the best place to be.

Keith Howell

West Linton