THE following paragraph appeared in today’s Herald (November 15) – “The Tories have crashed to new levels of unpopularity in a poll out today which shows that half the population is worse off now than a year ago. It paints a bleak picture of the nation, revealing that many people are economising on basic necessities, job fears are widespread, and there is serious lack of confidence in the future. Confidence in the Prime Minister has collapsed”.

What is so new or interesting about this paragraph? Because it appeared, not in the news pages, but under the “25 years ago” heading, and the Prime Minister whose name I omitted from the quotation was John Major. So it seems that, so far as the performance of uncaring Conservative governments is concerned, nothing much has changed in the last quarter century.

It confirms that they are all much the same, ultimately making a mess of managing the economy and international relations, and it is always those at the wrong end of society that bear the brunt of this failure. The letters from John Edgar and R Russell Smith today provide just a few examples of some of the many failings of the current Prime Minister and her policies, her dysfunctional Cabinet and her disjointed parliamentary party. Tory contributions to the interminable Brexit debate in Parliament show just how out of touch they are with ordinary people and their living conditions, and how little they understand of the need for constructive dialogue with those in other nations across Europe and beyond.

They seem to think that the UK is entitled to, and can “demand”, a good deal on leaving the European Union, when in fact the other 27 have all the cards and know how to play them. They know that the EU economy can easily survive the loss of trading with Britain on tariff-free terms, and they have no need to concede on any special pleading from us.

Meantime at home the inevitable run down in the economy will affect us all, while as always it will be the poorest in society who will feel the worst pain from the roll-out of Universal Credit and other Tory policies. There is surely something far wrong with our democratic system that allows such a situation to develop and continue without the people having any say, until this hapless Government finally gives up the ghost and has the decency to go.

Iain AD Mann,

7 Kelvin Court, Glasgow.

ANNE Kegg (Letters, November 15) asks why should people come to live in Scotland?

A few reasons by way of example should help her.

You won't have to pay the following: £9,000 per year for university tuition fees or £8 for every item of prescriptions or pay for school lunches for your P1-3 children or pay the bedroom tax or pay for hospital parking or have pensioners pay for buses or have private firms assess your benefits particularly for long-term illnesses. There are more.

In short, to come and live in a country with a more caring Government.

Bill Robertson,

Inbye, 117 Old Greenock Road, Bishopton.

KEITH Howell (Letters, November 15) once again strives mightily to posit the SNP on the wrong side of constitutional history. As we were reminded recently it is only 50 years since Winnie Ewing won a Westminster seat in a shock by-election. Did anyone at that time take the prospect of the SNP gaining independence for Scotland seriously? Did they, that tiny little party of kooks and kilties?

There is an old saying: “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there”. The SNP has a destination in mind, and the road to travel to reach it. It has come mighty close to reaching that goal, in the face of stern opposition from media and politicians. As James Cox of the BBC was prone to remarking: “has the bubble burst, now”? It would seem not, as its poll ratings are on the rise, with Brexit to come.

Could Mr Howell give a clear indication of the political and constitutional destination the Scottish Conservative/Labour parties have in mind for Scotland? More Union? Federalism? Waffle?

Both these parties now only exist, seemingly, to oppose what the SNP proposes.

Negativity, without an alternative vision, can only take you so far down the road “if you don’t know where you are going”.

GR Weir,

17 Mill Street, Ochiltree.

YOUR article highlighting the scandal of the "couch potato peers" who claim thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money while doing precious little to earn it ("'Couch potato peers' criticised in blistering attack on Lords", The Herald, November 15), confirms many of the points John Hamilton succinctly makes in his letter (November 14). Members of the House of Commons who have much to say about creating a fairer society could make a start by clearing out their expensive and undemocratic neighbours in the unelected Lords, the only upper house of any bicameral parliament to be larger than the lower house, and the second-largest legislature after the Chinese National People's Congress. However, as it would seem to be the aspiration of many MPs to occupy a seat in the Lords after leaving the Commons, the appetite to consign the red benches to history does not appear to figure high on their agendas.

Mr Hamilton writes that "Our governments (of all persuasions) preach their determination to achieve fairness in the lives of all in the UK". I would point out that our Government in Scotland, the SNP Government, does not and never has sent anyone to the champagne-quaffing "retirement home" that is the House of Lords.

Ruth Marr,

99 Grampian Road, Stirling.

AT my 13-year-old daughter's school parents' evening I was shocked to discover that she will only be able to take six subjects for National 4/5s. A strength of the Scottish Education system has always been that it did not force children to specialise too soon – for example, being able to take five Highers against the three A Levels in England and Wales. By restricting our children to six subjects at 15 we are ensuring our children receive a "Secondary Modern" education and dragging the Scottish education system back to the 1960s. A Secondary Modern education is too high a price to pay for the SNP council tax freeze from 2007 to 2016 and explains Scotland’s decline in the world education rankings.

Michael Wright,

18 Middleton Drive, Largs.