I must admit to being more than a little perplexed as to why so many commentators are themselves so perplexed about Lisa Cameron's move to the Conservative Party. Neil Mackay was so stunned by her defection, he had to say it twice (“Get the popcorn, the SNP have gone quite mad”, The Herald, October 13). Mike Russell called his former colleague's action “absolutely bizarre” (“Mike Russell says Tory defector was 'ego driven'”, The Herald, October 13). Elsewhere, Isabel Hardman called it the "weirdest defection".

There is a truth in nationalism to the extent that the Conservative philosopher Roger Scruton devoted a whole chapter to it in his book, How To Be A Conservative. I look forward to finding out if Dr Cameron has been reading the great man. For Scruton, the truth of nationalism is encapsulated in the pronoun “we”; what he calls the first-person plural of settlement. It is not (before anyone reaches for some meaningless slur) a “we” based on religion, class, or ethnicity. It is a “we” that precedes the nation-state but which recognizes the nation-state as the extent of itself. The real reason people are conservative, Scruton wrote, is that they are attached to the things they love. And it is within the boundary of the nation that we come to recognise and love our home; the locus of our shared history, and the place where our children will be.

Conservatives have shied away from embracing nationalism because we allowed the post-war European liberal-left to characterize nations as the problem to which “ever greater political union” is, or thankfully in our case, was, the solution. But across Europe, in Sweden and Norway, in Hungary and Italy (where Giorgia Meloni regularly quotes Scruton) conservatives are reclaiming the virtues of nationalism, sometimes even from their respective Conservative parties.

Here, the “we” in Scotland is complex because the UK is a complex amalgam. But Scruton would not have been unamenable to the Scots reclaiming their sovereignty. He certainly admitted, in a Radio 4 broadcast, that given the opportunity, he would vote for English independence. An England liberated from us would both revitalize a sense of English nationalism and begin a process whereby the friendship between our countries was strengthened.

Scruton’s one concern was regarding defence, but independence, he writes, is what real friendship requires. It was true for Britain and America where independence allowed the Americans to confess their attachment to the old country, and to come to our aid in two world wars. Scruton's concerns about defence would resolve themselves because of independence rather than in spite of it.

I do not know whether Dr Cameron still supports Scottish independence. I suspect like many people she does in principle, but not if it meant further empowering the current shower. But rather than regard her decision as bizarre, it is possible, from a Scrutonian perspective, to regard Conservatism as the proper place for nationalists. Dr Cameron hasn't defected; she has simply removed herself to her proper home.

Graeme Arnott, Stewarton

A by-election must now be held

I’ve declared myself as a unionist on numerous occasions and I stand by that. However, in the case of Lisa Cameron defecting to the Tories I believe unequivocally that a by-election should be called.

Any MPs who switch parties during term should be forced to stand down and fight a by-election for whoever they’ve joined. It’s quite ridiculous that, in this case, an SNP MP can switch to the Tories and defy the wishes of the electorate. It’s a simple thing to fix and it should happen asap.

John Gilligan, Ayr

Five tests for another referendum

The SNP's new referendum strategy that if they win 28 out of 57 Westminster seats, they'll demand a referendum is a stark reflection of decline in their fortunes and competence.

They should copy Labour’s "5 tests" approach for joining the Euro. I have a few suggestions. The "Glen Sannox" recommends "no referendum until that troubled hulk completes one year's trouble free service".

The "Just Transition" tests their green credentials: "not until every house in Scotland has a heat pump".

And the "Salmond": "given our lamentable track record after 16 years in government, and no deliverable indy plan, the rocks will have to melt with the sun before we get indyref2" .

Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven

A poor use of British patrols

I hear that British military planes have left Scotland to patrol the Eastern Mediterranean. A no-fly zone, I wondered, to protect defenceless Gaza from merciless aerial attack? One thought of the protection of the Iraqi Kurds and our support for Ukraine.

However, bafflingly, as fresh armaments pour into Israel, the purpose of the patrols would appear to be the prevention of any armaments being acquired by the poorly armed defenders of Gaza. There is mention of thereby preventing further escalation of the conflict. The conflict is being escalated beyond understanding by Israel supported by America and European governments, including Britain’s. Pious talk of avoiding civilians is mere hypocrisy.

It seems to me that following the Hamas atrocities, Israel has set out, with our approval, to prove that they can do worse.

Ronald MacLean, Beauly

Difference between defence and retaliation

The right to defend your country is reasonable but there is a difference between defence and barbaric retaliation.

The UN needs to raise its authority and command the Palestinian and Israeli governments to attend a meeting in the presence of Iran and the USA, a meeting which should not end until an immediate ceasefire is directed, a full exchange of prisoners is agreed and the equivalent of a Good Friday Agreement has been reached. The present situation does not further civilisation.

Peter M D Minshall, Tarbert

Message of peace must be louder than ever

Of all the reading I have done on the Gaza disaster the most valuable article I have come across is that by Daniel Barenboim, the classical pianist and composer with Argentinian, Israeli, Palestinian and Spanish citizenship. He is a resolute critic of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Barenboim is particularly well known for founding, with the Palestinian-American Edward Said, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an orchestra of young Arab and Israeli musicians.

There is too much humanity in the article for me to give it full credit so I shall limit myself to “there can only be one solution to this conflict: one based on humanism, justice and equality, and without armed force and occupation”, “our message of peace must be louder than ever. The greatest danger is that all of the people who so ardently desire peace will be drowned out by extremists and violence”. “Humanity is universal, and the recognition of this truth is the only way. The suffering of innocent people on either side is absolutely unbearable.”

John Milne, Uddingston

Labour was right to abandon the Red Flag

I well remember the red flag to which John Boyle refers (Letters, October 13). That flag was the symbol of the socialist revolutions of the 20th century which sent many more millions to untimely death than did the first and second world wars combined. It is to the credit of the Labour party that they abandoned the blood-soaked banner of despair about 40 years ago. Like John Boyle’s letter, the song was marvellous but the truth was far from that.

Michael Sheridan, Newton, Strathlachlan

Of course we can afford independence

In terms of the private sector economy, Scotland is second out of the 12 nations and regions of the UK this September. It regularly takes third or fourth place, making it rich in comparison to rUK. Of course it can afford to be independent. Why does it want independence? Scotland has always been a socialist nation, keen to see a spread of wealth that benefits all its citizens. That is why it hasn’t voted Tory for over half a century.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, wrote, “Scotland is rich” and “Scotland can perfectly well afford to go independent” in his book, Follow the Money. Johnson is well-respected by governments, the BBC courts his financial wisdom and his credentials are well-respected. If his view is that Scotland is a rich nation, I would not argue with him. I would wonder why we are not taking up the reins of running our own country in the way that suits us, instead of bowing to a Westminster Government who are motivated by self-interest.

Frances Scott, Edinburgh