Point scoring

Tim Jackson catalogues those instances where the SNP might not meet his, or others’, expectations, in this case in relation to failure to

prosecute “benefit cheats” (letters, March 21).

The SNP’S former leader once expressed crisp dislike of Mr Jackson’s party; Courier readers might be more inclined to Voltaire’s position: “I disapprove of what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it”.

But broader perspectives see Mr Jackson’s benefits fraud allegations differently.

By a country mile, the UK’S largest single benefit budget item is the state pension – £109.7bn, roughly equal to all other benefits combined, and almost fraud-free.

The Sentencing Council for Scotland published research on fraud (2022): 57 per cent was cyber (or online) fraud, which increased by 149 per cent from 2019 to 2020.

Three other frauds were “white collar” fraud (financial crime committed by people in authority in business or organisations); “romance fraud”, where vulnerable victims are duped into fake relationships; and benefit fraud.

The Sentencing Council’s guidelines feature a test case where two convicted women were repaying benefit fraud debts at £13 or £15 per week.

Would the high cost of more such prosecutions really represent value for taxpayers’ money?

Fraud is unquestionably a crime but addiction to drugs, alcohol or other substances is not.

Using the stubbornly high figures for drugs and alcoholrelated deaths as sticks with which to beat the SNP government shows, at the very least, a lack of compassion for the poverty, vulnerability and human misery underlying these statistics.

Would decent Scottish Tories really wish to weaponise abject suffering to score political points?

Ultimately, that judgement is made by voters.

They recognise the widening gulf between rich and poor; the Westminster Public Accounts Committee found no “compelling examples” that levelling-up was working; Brexit’s economic harms are increasing.

This is all the legacy of Westminster, where the SNP has never held power. Tories and Labour have first-pastthe-post sewn up.

The UK has fallen to 10th on the World Happiness Index 2024. Quantifiably happier than the UK are small independent countries including Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Ireland.

As Winnie Ewing might have said: “Stop the world; Scotland wants to move up that happiness list”.

Dr Geraldine Prince Victoria Road North Berwick