Are the Greens too green to hold power in Holyrood?

This could only come from an inexperienced MSP who has never had a real job, or had to justify his own management of spending.

According to the Scottish Government website, the Scottish public pay him £74,507 as a salary, with a staff cost provision at an eyewatering £156,152.91 per annum.

What sort of a gravy train runs on such sustainably generated electricity?

Add to that a generous pension scheme. It is clear that Mr Greer will never know the anxiety that we mere mortals face upon retirement.

In the private sector a salary of £75,000 is paid to people with twenty plus years of experience, managing multi-million pound budgets, with hundreds of employees and huge responsibilities.

And their remuneration is decided by boards, not self-awarded.

The Green pledges include a long-term ‘green fleet’ replacement for ferries, and to bring all lifeline ferry ports into public ownership.

Have they heard of CMAL and Ferguson?

Obviously not.

Have they talked to the Highlands and Islands communities, whose businesses have been decimated by incompetent centralised politicians burying skeletons on an industrial scale?

Obviously not.

I note that Ross Greer is not even a constituency candidate but a regional candidate. He must be too frightened to be a first past the post candidate.

We have a fantastic system to make the unelectable electable. Patrick Harvie is the same. Lorna Slater has put her head above the parapet as a constituency MSP in Edinburgh but is also a regional constituent at the top of the list in case she inevitably fails.

What price democracy?

Uncosted. Unaffordable. Unelectable. That is the Greens.

Peter Wright, West Kilbride.

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Idiot’s guide to politics

In every sphere of life we routinely check credentials, qualifications and experience - and read reviews - before buying a product or hiring services.

So why doesn’t this basic standard apply to politicians who spend billions of our hard-earned taxpayers’ money?

Research shows the SNP has fielded just one constituency candidate out of 73 with genuine ‘civvy street’ credentials. Labour and the Conservatives each have more than two-thirds who are career politicians or aides.

By contrast, roughly 80% of Reform UK’s candidates come from outside politics, bringing real-world skills and experience.

Even SNP candidate Hannah Goodlad, a geologist, has publicly called for fewer career politicians and more people from business, education and social work.

Scotland already imposes the UK’s highest income tax rates and runs one of its highest deficits. In return, we should get the best public services.

Instead, we get failed ferries, GP access crises, Europe’s highest drug deaths, school violence and declining educational standards. Scotland deserves much, much better.

Surely it is time for a ‘Complete Idiot’s Guide’, exposing candidates’ true credentials.

I know which party would win hands down - and it certainly wouldn’t be the SNP or the Greens.

Ian Lakin, Milltimber, Aberdeen.

Tactical voting isn’t undemocratic

It takes real audacity for a political candidate to lecture voters on democracy while so clearly misunderstanding it.

A recent claim by my local Reform UK candidate, Conrad Ritchie, that “tactical voting is undemocratic” would be laughable, if it weren’t so revealing.

Further down his poster he refers to the “freedom to vote,” but with his customary cognitive dissonance misses the glaring contradiction.

There is nothing undemocratic about tactical voting. It is a straightforward expression of voter choice within the system we have.

People can also vote however they see fit based on principle, loyalty, instinct, or strategy.

What is genuinely troubling is the bald arrogance of any candidate who presumes to define to anyone the ‘right’ way to vote.

That is not a defence of democracy; it is actually a patronising attempt to control it.

No one seeking public office has the authority to instruct voters on how to use their ballot. Suggesting otherwise insults the very people whose support they claim to seek.

Democracy depends on freedom of choice, not on candidates trying to set the terms.

By all means Conrad Ritchie should encourage people TO vote.

Despite his many shortcomings, he's even welcome to ask people to vote for him. (For the record I won't be.)

But he can spare us any lectures on what's democratic and what's not.

David Birkett, Peterhead.

Here’s what Reform offers…

Alex Orr declared that the election in May will define us, and we simply must keep Reform UK out of power, before laying out the bare choice for all voters (Herald Letters, April 14).

I would like to go further regarding changes that could follow, should Reform UK enter our Holyrood Parliament in a sizable number.

First, John Swinney and others have warned that Nigel Farage may at some point seek to abolish the Holyrood Parliament.

Second, Mr Farage has openly indicated he would scrap our NHS and introduce an insurance-based health system.

In other words, creating a two-tier, or even three-tier Health Service, where the rich can buy the best cover, the middle-class can buy basic cover, and the other millions will depend on a third-rate service.

Third, Mr Farage and Reform UK have said tax breaks for the rich will be introduced under their leadership.

These are some points to ponder as we approach polling day. Loss of our democratic Parliament; expensive insurance cover to get even the most basic healthcare; and the gap between rich and poor massively increasing.

All on offer from Reform UK.

Catriona C Clark, Falkirk.

Housing shortage

With regard to Malcolm Rankin questioning the number of houses built under the governance of the SNP (Herald Letters, April 13), he may wish to note the thousands of social houses /council houses built under its rule, and compare to the incredibly few abodes of this type built under the Blair/Brown Labour government.

I read somewhere that a grand total of six were built.

Aye, "we never had it so good".

FJ Connelly, Calderbank.

Invisible genocide

While Israel defends itself against countries who wish to destroy it, and is falsely accused of genocide, may I please point out that there is a real genocide in Sudan: 150,000 killed and 13 million displaced.

I don’t recall many of your contributors mentioning this conflict.

Michael Watson, Rutherglen.

Donald Trump: A pro-life President? (Image: Mark Schiefelbein)

Pro life… or pro death?

Columnist Kevin McKenna's excoriation of President Trump is wise and witty (“The Donald versus the Pope: More comedy gold from Trump”, The Herald, April 14).

His analysis of the teachings of the Christian churches, however, ignores a rather troubling overlap between the USA's supreme court overturning Roe vs Wade on the basis of "the sanctity of unborn human life" and the egregious enthusiasm of the Republican Right for the extermination of Gazan, Iranian and Lebanese men, women and children, for no apparent reason.

It makes one wonder why so many on the right-wing, who will happily describe themselves as "pro-life", are so keen on killing people.

AJ Clarence, Prestwick.