Conservative attacks are short-term tactics

Sir, - Ruth Davidson knows that another No vote in 2019 would silence independence campaigners much more effectively than her party’s aggressive stance against an independence vote in the foreseeable future.

Her relentless attack on a second referendum is really a short-term tactic designed to damage the other unionist parties while taking the focus away from unpopular Conservative policies.

In my opinion, her frequent u-turns to align with Theresa May on Brexit policy also make it obvious that Ms Davidson’s political ambitions lie at Westminster rather than Holyrood.

Any future Brexit deal will have winners and losers, but with no representatives in the negotiating team, it is evident that Scottish interests are not a priority for the present government.

On the home front, by promising to retain it until at least 2020, David Cameron recognised that the Barnett Formula provides the substance behind the Better Together narrative.

I think it would be foolish to assume that Theresa May’s silence on this matter is good news.

The election on June 8 is an unnecessary distraction which will weaken our negotiating position in Brexit talks if the Conservatives fail to win a landslide majority.

However, from a Scottish point of view it is surely better to have a listening Prime Minister than a strong and stable one. Andrew Masson. St Anne’s, Monorgan, Longforgan.

Picture: PA. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson campaigning at Aberargie, near Perth.