NICOLA Sturgeon might be congratulating herself on managing to wriggle out of answering the tough questions at the Holyrood inquiry, but has she done herself any lasting favours?

Ms Sturgeon is no ordinary politician, her aim is not just to win elections, it is to completely change the history of Scotland by destroying a long-standing Union in favour of basically an unknown future. To do this she and her party must demonstrate much higher standards than others to show that the SNP is beyond reproach. The party and its leadership must be seen to be very effective in dealing with not only the big issues but also the everyday minutia.

Simply not answering questions, saying that "lessons will be learned" or giving "in my opinion" viewpoints is not good enough. Clear, concise and verifiable responses are needed. We never get this.

Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.

SCOTLAND IS A HAGGIS REPUBLIC

IT is ironic. Here we are discussing and debating which one of the two SNP First Ministers tells the best/worst lies.

That we accept this erosion of standards of principles and integrity as normal of the ruling party demeans us.

It speaks volumes about how low the state of Scotland's reputation and our government has sunk since SNP came to power.

Are these the people the Scottish electorate wanted Is this the level of governance we aspire to run our country?

We are fast becoming a haggis republic.

Allan Thompson, Bearsden.

TIME TO TAKE A STEP BACK

WHAT are we as a nation?

That is a question every Scot in this country really needs to ask themselves in the lead-up to the most important election in our parliament history.

Do we really want to tear down Nicola Sturgeon, a leader so popular not only in Scotland but across the British Isles and who has elevated Scotland's voice internationally, who stood head and shoulders above anyone in UK politics in the way she handled the pandemic response, known universally for her honesty, directness and integrity, a leader who has provided for and championed the Scottish public more than anyone in our history and popular across the political spectrum even amongst those anti independence?

And for what? To concede to the howling, desperate unionist media bludgeoning. To rip her down over a procedural anomaly, straw clutched by an opposition who see no wrong in the constant, law breaking, corruption and duplicity of the UK Government.

We have to all stand back here and really assess this situation soberly, for it truly is a time in this country's existence that come May it really is all or nothing, slink backwards or sail forward.

Gavin Ferguson, Coatbridge.

BEWARE THE SALE OF THE NHS

THE Tories promised they’d never sell the NHS; they assured us it would be safe in their hands. A teary-eyed Boris Johnson stood in front of the TV cameras and told us so. Repeatedly. Without the NHS he may not have survived his brush with Covid. But without the NHS Mr Johnson could have afforded private medical care and would have been fine. A luxury of choice denied to most of us.

Since 1948 the NHS has provided comprehensive health care – free at the point of delivery – to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. And during this hideous pandemic it has more than proved its worth. Our NHS really is something to be proud of. And it’s worth fighting tooth and nail to keep it.

In truth, it has been chipped away for years south of the Border. The 2012 Health and Social Care Act opened it up to the market –privatisation by stealth. Big business now had its foot in the door. And American health insurance companies have been circling like vultures for years. The NHS offers rich pickings. And last month they pounced.

Since Brexit, Mr Johnson and his gang of gung-ho Brexiters have been desperate to get trade deals with the US. To this end, they’ve sacrificed the NHS. On February 22 the US health insurance company, Centene Corporation, was handed 58 GP practices covering half a million patients, the largest supplier of GP services in the UK. No consultation. No publicity. Surgeries are expected to close, services reduced, pharmacists and nurses substituted for GPs.

In England a coalition of doctors, academics and campaigners, fighting to keep the NHS in public hands, has written to Matt Hancock demanding the Care Quality Commission investigates this under-the-table deal. As yet no response.

So far this does not apply to the NHS in Scotland, as health is devolved. But Westminster is already chipping away at the devolved powers with the aim of over-ruling its decisions over such matters as health. If we allow this to happen the NHS will be bought by US insurance companies. Without our consent.

Health care will no longer be free at the point of delivery – regardless of ability to pay. It will not be free at all. And if you can’t pay?

Marsali MacDonald, Peebles.

BRING BACK DOG LICENCES

AT the risk of incurring the wrath of the nation’s dog-owners, may I applaud Ron McKay (Diary, February 28) for daring to call for the re-introduction of dog licences (excluding of course guide dogs)?

I well recall in my youth having to pay 7/6d annually at the Post Office for having the privilege of owning a wee Westie. It amazes me that we pay a TV licence for a pleasure which inconveniences no-one, but for some reason dog licence fees would be too onerous to implement. Really ?

Now that most responsible pet owners have their dogs chipped, how hard would it be to introduce a licence fee for the pleasure of having a pooch (or as often as not, multiple pooches) which certainly can cause considerable inconvenience to others. This "inconvenience" costs us all to be cleared - whether it be officially in Council bins or more traditionally off the soles of our shoes.

We live in an area with lovely beaches, which some thoughtless dog-owners and dog-walkers seem to treat as a dog run - in parts of France, dogs are banned from beaches. This is not to say that real dog-lovers, also respect their fellow humans but isn’t it time that this growing population makes some contribution to the cost of this particularly unpleasant type of waste disposal. Other countries manage to legislate for the cost of clearing up this mess, so isn’t it time someone ‘took a lead’ here ?

Anne Shackleton, Kirkcudbright.

WHAT ABOUT THE NEW INTAKE?

DENIS Bruce (Letters, February 28) calls making every pupil repeat the same academic year "the simple and straightforward solution" to coronavirus school disruption, but there is a complication he hasn't considered: where does that leave the new intake?

As older children move up a year, they make room for younger children to take their place. The cycle has to be continuous: if everyone stays the same then there's no space for tens of thousands of new starting pupils to enter. This would result in the impossible situation of a bloated contingent of unmanageable double-sized classes agonisingly working through the school system like a particularly solid kidney stone, protracted over more than a decade.

The alternative would be to also delay starting school so that new playgroups also have to wait another year. However, I fear that this would have a very dangerous effect on small children, damaging their awareness and fundamental motor and mental skills at a crucial point of their early development that could stay with them all their lives, especially when they've already lost a year of social interaction already.

Repeating the whole school year is a deceptively easy solution but it has its own problems and its effect on early learners just isn't worth it.

Robert Frazer, Dundee.

THE TOLL OF THE TURBINES

CLARK Cross (Letters, February 28) raises legitimate concerns about the prospect of the tallest wind turbines in the world being deposited in East Ayrshire.

In answer to his question of whether or not Banks Renewables will provide audited figures on the amount of harmful emissions that this development will create and how many years it will take to cancel out these emissions, I would have to say I very much doubt it or the game will be up!

Harmful emissions from the full life cycle of a wind farm include those which occur during production, transportation, erection, operation, dismantling and removal of turbines, degradation of peatland and backup power generation. No wind farm developer would ever want to accurately calculate those figures on a site by site basis and make them publicly available for fear of revealing the true extent of these environmentally damaging monstrosities.

Aileen Jackson, Uplawmoor.

WHAT'S UP, CROC?

THE politically correct Walt Disney Corporation is blocking young children from watching any of their classics which may contain racial stereotypes.

The latest film to fall victim to this is Peter Pan, as there is reference to Redskins.

Fortunately, the scene in which children walk the plank to be eaten alive by a crocodile has survived the cut. Clearly that is a lot less traumatising.

John V Lloyd, Inverkeithing.