FROM a young age, now 67, I always thought that Scotland should have its own government. There was none of the wha's-like-us mentality, jingoism or anti-English sentiment in this view, simply that we in Scotland should be responsible for own decision-making, in common with almost every country in the world.

I've debated and argued with friends and family over this issue and never understood the reluctance to go down this path. Over recent years, however, I have become more and more disillusioned with the direction Scotland has taken under an SNP Government. Could anyone argue that decisions taken have improved education provision in Scotland, or how our health service operates, or the access to, delivery of and accountability of our police service? Among other things, we've had the named person farrago, and internecine warfare involving the First Minister and her predecessor, where the Government has chosen to deny public access to its legal advice. On what basis? It's not an issue of national security or some such, it was advice given about a complaint and how that complaint was handled. Why the secrecy?

And then we have the handling of the pandemic and the effect this has had on livelihoods and our future prosperity as a country. No one disputes the difficulties this pandemic has created, but we have to find a path that keeps transmission rates down while allowing businesses to remain financially viable. We are already facing massive challenges when some sort of normality return; if we continue as we are the damage done will be very hard to undo.

As of today, the decision to continue to place Edinburgh in tier 3 is unfathomable ("Fury in capital over tier three ‘slap in the face’", The Herald, December 9). The daily rate in Edinburgh is 68.6 per 100,000, as compared with 150.7 in Glasgow. At Edinburgh's current rate we are heading towards tier 1 if maintained over a seven-day period (according to the Scottish Government website). It is one thing to be cautious, quite another to be inequitable and unfair. Were the figures reversed, does anyone believe that Glasgow would have been treated similarly?

Charlie Burns, Edinburgh EH10.

DESPITE what the First Minister said in parliament on Tuesday the reality, as is often the case, is completely different. Notwithstanding meeting tier 2 standards for weeks on end, Edinburgh has been abandoned in tier 3 with no acceptable justification for businesses and citizens and is no reward for their collective efforts for many months adhering to the Covid guidance. The goalposts do indeed keep moving.

The silence from the council leadership has also been deafening over the period, and the belated comments overnight from Adam McVey and co are too little, too late – they should have been banging down Nicola Sturgeon’s door for several weeks now. Abandoned by the Government, abandoned by the council. I guess the people of Edinburgh have the opportunity to respond in kind at the next election?

Steven Clark, Edinburgh EH10.

AS we await our Covid jab (sic) ("Giving over-50s jab first ‘will cut Covid deaths’", The Herald, December 5) I am reminded of an article by your erstwhile columnist the Urban Voltaire, Jack McLean, in which he bemoaned the use of the term jab for innoculation.

He stated that it is a type of punch in boxing and, especially in Scotland, the correct term to use is jag. I keenly await my turn for the jag.

Roy Gardiner, Kilmarnock.