Risky business: Flynn should be wary of becoming SNP leader

Whether successful in his quest for independence or not, a seasoned politician such as Mr Swinney will almost certainly hand over the reins before it becomes apparent that all the freebies and business constraints he has imposed on the Scottish taxpayer are unsustainable – leaving Mr Flynn to sort out the mess.

Younger voters too should be wary of promises made to win their votes.

They are the ones who will spend the rest of their lives paying for what they thought was free, if indeed they can get a job.

Perhaps, in deciding who to vote for, they should look for any party offering policies promoting jobs and businesses that are not funded by the taxpayer and likely to actually create products or services that generate real wealth.

Mark Openshaw, Aberdeen.

More letters...

How can the R&A possibly be open to returning to Trump Turnberry?

Stuck in a wind farm sink estate

Sturgeon's successor must change the Government's priorities

Loser takes all

I agree with Jill Stephenson (Herald Letters, April 3) that constitutional matters are for the Westminster Government. The constitution should not be an issue in the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary elections.

The problem for Ms Stephenson is that if the SNP, which she would like to see defeated, loses power at Holyrood, then that party could do very well at the next UK General Election.

Unencumbered by issues such as ferries, hospital waiting times and drug deaths, the SNP could replicate the result in the 2015 General Election, where they won 56 out of 59 seats with 50% of the votes.

Such a result in a General Election, as I am sure Ms Stephenson will agree, will be a mandate in the correct forum for independence to be pursued.

Sandy Gemmill, Edinburgh.

Oil crises helps Swinney

John Swinney must be thanking his electoral lucky stars that Donald Trump has caused the Strait of Hormuz to close, creating an oil security crisis, and given Mr Swinney an off-ramp from his party's suicidal policy to run down the North Sea oil and gas industry.

It's still a long way from the "it's Scotland's oil” halcyon days.

But I hope north east voters don't forget Mr Swinney and his party's major role in thousands of their neighbours, colleagues and family members losing their jobs.

Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven.

Labour and SNP: no difference

Reading Ian McConnell’s piece on your Herald business poll (“What does business think of Scottish Government performance, pre-election?”, The Herald, April 3) one wondered what clear economic difference it revealed between Labour and the SNP.

Business leaders gave Holyrood a slight edge over Westminster, yet a resounding 61% said “neither” was any good. Meanwhile, 51% felt the Scottish Government’s performance had worsened over the past year. Hardly a ringing endorsement.

Why is this? It’s not difficult to fathom. Labour has long struggled with a dynamic market economy, shackled by its hard-left wing that knows only tax and spend, delivering higher unemployment, inflation, stagnant growth and deteriorating public services.

The SNP has simply stolen Labour’s clothes north of the Border, with a nationalist twist. Same depressing outcome: incompetence and economic fantasy, brutally exposed by no credible independence plan after nearly 20 years in power.

Surely time for real change, so Scotland becomes the clear winner among the home nations, exactly as new Reform UK Scottish leader Malcolm Offord has pledged.

No change? Same old, same old depressing failures.

Ian Lakin, Aberdeen.

Reject Reform UK

We're living in an era of multi party politics it seems, but why is Reform UK putting up Holyrood candidates?

The party’s divisive right-wing politics isn’t what devolution is about, or what peace-loving Scots want.

This is also true of Reform UK’s make believe policies, which some people will likely vote for, despite many of these policies being outwith Holyrood’s powers.

Party leader, Nigel Farage, must be reinventing himself for Scotland.

As leader of UKIP he had to take refuge in a pub on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, because he spoke at a rally extolling the merits of leaving the EU.

A disaster Scotland and the rest of the UK are paying for. Scotland must address the consequences of many of his party's cloud cuckoo-land policies and what they represent.

Mr Farage is also close to Donald Trump. Say no more: water finds its own level…

John James, Musselburgh.

Serious politics in short supply

I was struck by the juxtaposition of two columns in a recent Herald.

First, Sara Thiam, chief executive of Prosper, set out clearly the scale of the economic challenges facing Scotland, and the difficult choices confronting any incoming administration (“Fiscal warnings, pressures on the NHS and weak growth to dominate new FM’s in-tray”, The Herald, April 2).

Then, on the facing page, Kevin McKenna, in his characteristically acerbic style, lamented a political culture increasingly reduced to slogans and flag-waving (“A failing parliament and a flourishing lobbying class: this is Scotland’s election reality”, The Herald, April 2).

It is hard to dispute either analysis.

The early stages of this election campaign suggest both warnings are well founded. We’re seeing a familiar mix of undeliverable promises, the illusion of ever more ‘free’ public services, and the trading of insults.

Politics at its most superficial when seriousness is most required.

Many voters, I suspect, are looking for something better: a willingness to confront hard realities, set out credible policies, and speak honestly about difficult choices.

That approach remains in short supply.

George Rennie, Inverness.

There may be a solution to Donald Trump's Middle Eastern war. (Image: Mark Schiefelbein)

Best way to end Iran war

President Trump is urging the UK and other US allies to go to the Strait, and just take it, which he claims is “very easy”.

During a cabinet meeting he said on camera that, “the problem with the Strait… let’s say we do a great job. We got 99%. 1% is unacceptable, because 1% is a missile going into the hull of a ship that cost a billion dollars”.

If he and Mr Netanyahu believed the Strait could be opened by force, without thousands of casualties, the US and Israeli navies and militaries would already be doing it.

If Mr Trump stopped being so childish, vain and worried about losing face, he could try stopping bombing Iran, and telling Mr Netanyahu no more US ammunition supplies or aid money unless he stops too.

Then offer to lift all sanctions on Iran in return for its leaders allowing all civilian shipping to pass through the Strait.

The Iranians might not trust any offer he makes after he attacked them twice during negotiations.

So they might not agree until after they’d hurt the world (and so the US) economy so much that neither Mr Trump, nor any other US President, would even think about going to war with them for decades. After that they would likely agree.

It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s less bad and more achievable than the alternatives.

If Mr Trump won’t do it, the UK and other governments could still negotiate lifting their own sanctions on Iran in return for their ships passing unimpeded.

Duncan M McFarlane, Braidwood.