AS an advocate of Scottish independence I share Neil Mackay’s concerns that, as and when it is eventually achieved, Scottish politics and politicians could prove to be no different to or improvement on the Westminster circus (“The Imelda Marcos of Glasgow shames the Yes movement”, The Herald, October 10).

I would also add that life has taught me that those who get to the top of the heap in any theatre will have stood on a few faces on the way up. It also follows that not always the best candidates nor the altruistic succeed.

In the case of Councillor Eva Bolander, does it really matter if she spent part of a legitimate allocation of funds on items that made her feel more comfortable and confident in her new role as Lord Provost, when the question should perhaps be why the budget was sanctioned in the first place?

Does it cast a shadow over the SNP as a party or the cause of independence? Does it matter? Compared to £2,063,124 in combined annual salaries paid to the 19 top executives employed by the same council, I would venture that we are scrutinising the wrong spreadsheet. It seems we are fiddling while Rome burns - but it is possibly inappropriate terminology when discussing expenses and the like.

David J Crawford,

Glasgow.

WELL done to Lord Provost Eva Bolander for doing the right thing so quickly and amending her expenses claim. Let’s move on.

Stuart Neville,

Clydebank.

AS journalists and outraged members of the public pick over the details of the Lord Provost’s credit-card statement with a fine-toothed comb, can I make a suggestion that might prevent such outrage in future?

I call on the women of Glasgow to show the city some charity by searching through their wardrobes and digging out items of clothing that they rarely wear. And similarly, all those ‘must have’ pairs of shoes that were worn once, but never again. And what about those half-empty bottles of nail varnish, gathering dust on the dressing table?

Bag these items up, and deposit them outside the City Chambers, so that the Lord Provost can sift through them, choosing those that she likes, discarding others, which can then go to charity shops, to benefit others.

Undoubtedly, not everything she picked would fit her, or be ready to wear. So, think of the spin-off for city seamstresses, who could alter those garments that didn’t quite fit, or the cobblers, engaged to spruce shoes up, making them fit to wear at that next big function.

Yes, it’s a win-win proposal: recycling, to meet the City’s environmental targets; providing work, for the city’s craftsmen and women and artisans; boosting spending in city shops, by making space in ladies' wardrobes for new purchases, and, crucially, saving the hard-pressed city coffers some money. Given the nature of fashion buying, it’s a cyclical initiative that could run and run.

Stuart Brennan, Glasgow.

NO sooner has Nicola Sturgeon proclaimed her new ‘Social Justice and Fairness Commission’ than news arrives of the SNP Lord Provost’s expenses list. It amounts to £8,000 as payment for 23 pairs of shoes, dresses, coats, jackets and underwear.

Underwear? Would she not, as a private citizen, require underwear in the normal course of events? Similarly, would her hair not require to be cut at regular intervals even if she were not Lord Provost? Yet she claimed £751 for ten haircuts, to say nothing of over £500 for nail treatments and make-up. I’m not sure about the social justice or fairness of all that. But it is clearly yet another case of our political masters saying "Do as I say, not as I do".

Jill Stephenson,

Edinburgh.

GLASGOW’S Labour group is outraged at Eva Bolander, Lord Provost of our wonderful city of Glasgow.

But no-one has stated how many official functions, she has attended on the cities behalf. Does the Labour group not want her to look smart and businesslike when attending functions?

What really goes against the grain is when Labour Councillors want her to pay the money back. They can’t be serious. Was it not the Glasgow Labour Council that spent £1.2 million in legal fees, trying to stop their employees from getting equal pay?

Was it not them that made Glasgow City the financial basket-case it now is?

Yet no-one has requested that they pay that money back. Just what made them think they were above the law of the land?

Surely that was the biggest act of folly bestowed on the great city of Glasgow.

Robert McCaw,

Renfrew.