THE Scottish Government's approach to the announcement of changes to the tier levels regarding coronavirus restrictions is getting increasingly tiresome.

First of all we are told that "nothing can be ruled out", followed a few days later by the news that some areas could be raised to the next level. After another day or so a leak to the press suggests which areas may be affected ("Central Belt areas told of possible shift to toughest lockdown", The Herald, November 13) before finally, levels are inevitably raised at the next weekly review. During this weary process, little evidence is ever produced as to why this should be so.

The whole sorry pantomime merely emphasises the near-contempt in which the Government seems to hold the intelligence of the Scottish public.

Away back in March, at the start of lockdown, Nicola Sturgeon said that she would have an "adult conversation" with the people of Scotland as to how and why coronavirus measures would be implemented.

Anyone any idea of when she's going to start it?

Dave Henderson, Glasgow G12.

THE First Minister never fails to amaze with her lack of self-awareness in her statements. On the recent American election she said: "I think America needs leadership that clearly, visibly and explicitly respects and upholds the tenets and the norms of democracy." Of course, that wouldn't apply here, would it?

On track and trace she said it's working well, protecting people, any issues are down to those bad people who don't answer their phone ("Contact trace fiasco blamed on ‘people not answering phones’", The Herald, November 13). Maybe she should consider the thousands of Covid-positive people who were allowed to circulate in the population when the only effort made was to phone them or the only attempt made was to text the mobile, or the many who were not told until after a significant delay. I've written here before of my own experience of the airport tracking/test process, which is more about statistics than protecting the people of Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon seems to believe that if she says it, it is so, no matter the level og hypocrisy or lack of accurate presentation of reality. There is only one priority and it's not the benefit of the citizens of Scotland.

Bill Adair, Bishopton.

NICOLA Sturgeon has declared that Test and Protect is only missing its targets because people are not answering their phones. I await this excuse being used in future for all other missed targets: hospital targets will be missed because people keep getting ill, education targets will be missed because students don’t do their homework and pass exams, substance abuse targets missed because the addicts don’t try hard enough.

Ms Sturgeon wants us to believe that the buck stops with her, but clearly she keeps passing it on.

Jane Lax, Aberlour.

MICHAEL Gove has repeated the mantra of a Scottish independence referendum being once in a generation. He is quite right to take this viewpoint. The SNP is quick to say independence is now the "settled will" of the Scottish people. How can anyone say that after a few months of poll leads after decades of trailing behind?

In particular, at this moment in time with the effects of the pandemic overshadowing everything else this is a particularly vacuous statement. If independence is really the way forward then it will still be the case in 20 years' time. If it is just the younger Scots who want this why not wait until the older generation has passed on? Independence will by its very nature bring huge problems. If the population is all for it it might work. If a large percentage feels alienated it certainly won't. It is as simple as that.

Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow G77.

NICOLA Sturgeon urges Donald Trump to accept defeat in the US presidential election. Sorry, Ms Sturgeon, but just how much does he care about your opinion? You're responsible for managing a number of important domestic services in Scotland, with zero international responsibilities.

Ms Sturgeon shouldn't waste her time nor ours on such self-aggrandising nonsense. How about she focuses on the attainment gap in Scottish schools, that the SNP has spent well over a decade failing to reduce, despite claiming education to be its number one priority?

Martin Redfern, Melrose.

IT does seem a bit early to rerun the once-in-a-generation referendum on independence.

The forced rupture with Europe caused by Brexit is reasonable cause for many, although the road back to Europe would be uncertain.

Why can the movers of the nationalist cause not take a simple step to prove that the people want another referendum? The simple step is to run a petition with the help of UK Parliamentary officials. They do that online with complete efficiency and security.

If nationalists are too afraid of a knock-back from the public, they should be derided and not further heard.

Tim Cox, Bern, Switzerland.

THREE decades of civil war in the Conservative Party between Anglo-British nationalism and European Unionism. The Anglo-Brit Nats won, senior Tory pragmatists were expelled from the party, but still the poison goes on. In the midst of a pandemic which has killed 50,000 people, and the Brexit shambles, we now have bitter infighting and chaos at No 10 over the posts of senior aides to the Prime Minister. Ministers, Tory MPs, civil servants, advisers – even Boris Johnson's fiancee, astonishingly – causing turmoil and dysfunction at the very heart of UK government ("Johnson told to ‘get a grip’ after No 10 in-fighting goes public", The Herald, November 13).

This Sturm and Drang imbroglio is what British governance has come to mean, yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Union’s relevance to a Scotland treated with disrespect and disregard lessens by the day. The “Union of Equals” and “respect agenda” are now obvious whoppers, and are the reason why British nationalists are so afraid of Scots getting a say; they have simply run out of lies.

GR Weir, Ochiltree.