Tinfoil Theresa?

That this general election has seen a starting 25-point unassailable Tory lead dissipate into a photo finish has to go down as the most damning indictment of any Prime Ministerial candidate in British electoral history.

A remarkable series of current events gave the electorate a plethora of practical demonstrations of her incapability to handle anything from Brexit to butchery by Jihadis, and utter untrustworthiness as she u-turned at the first hue and cry to every policy there was any flesh to.

Tinfoil Theresa may promise “strong and stable” government and claim to be unafraid to make “tough choices”, but in the crucible of a general election campaign she has proven a complete liability to her party and the nation. Send her back to No 10 – but only to pack her bags.

MARK BOYLE Linn Park Gardens, Johnstone, Renfrewshire One poll (Scotsman, 6 June) puts the election result at almost neck and neck (although it is only one poll). Whether it is accurate or not, the trend must be a worry for the Conservatives, who have seen huge poll leads dwindle. Imagine if the Tories won by only half a dozen seats, and those six seats came from gains in Scotland – how ironic would that be? WILLIAM BALLANTINE

Dean Road Bo’ness, West Lothian If Labour are serious about winning the election this week, they would be well advised to ditch Diane Abbott as Shadow Home Secretary or make an announcement that she will not become Home Secretary in the event of Labour winning the election. I have spoken to many people locally and they have all considered voting Labour but the main deciding factor and serious concern is the potential of having Abbott as Home Secretary. Her recent gaffes on policing and the Harris report on terrorism is deeply concerning, I feel that she is a serious liability to the Labour Party. I know Theresa May had countless failings in her role and we are paying the price for it now, but I think it could be far worse under Abbot.

If someone is incompetent, leaders or employers should not be frightened to take action and dismiss them. I am certain Abbott would not have survived her performance in the private sector GORDON KENNEDY Simpson Square Perth Nicola Sturgeon is failing to convince us that she really has Scotland’s interests at heart rather than the SNP’S overriding ambition to break up the UK. This is reflected in the latest Yougov opinion poll saying the vast majority of people believe that independence is her main priority rather than education and health.

Equally, in the latest BBC Question Time election special, members of the audience made telling points about the SNP’S failures in education, as well as drawing an admission from the First Minister that while she is in power Scotland can expect constant maneuvering for however many referendums it takes until we deliver the result Nicola Sturgeon wants (“Sturgeon told she should quit in fiery TV clash over decline in Scottish schools”, 6 June).

In a separate STV Leader Interview, Ms Sturgeon tried desperately to portray a general election outcome that does not go her way as the UK effectively delivering a message of “shut up Scotland” in not bowing to her referendum demands.

With these words the First Minister flounders for another cause for grievance but knows the truth is that it is not Scotland’s voice that is not being listened to, but simply hers.

KEITH HOWELL West Linton, Peeblesshire According to the headlines (The Scotsman, 4 June) Nicola Sturgeon has predicted that Scotland will be independent by 2025 – eight years from now and four years after the next Holyrood elections. While this may be music to the ears of some of her supporters, others may feel that she is prepared to kick independence into the long grass.

I also wonder how this will go down with those EU nationals who have hoped for a seamless transition of their rights in the event of Scotland becoming an independent EU member state before the UK exits the European Union. Some of them may realise that such hopes are utterly unrealistic. Instead they potentially face a constant chopping and changing of their status: from EU law to UK law after Brexit, from UK law to Scottish law in case of independence, from Scottish law back to EU law should an independent Scotland rejoin the European Union.

For EU nationals the only certainty is continued uncertainty and this is not helped by Nicola Sturgeon’s ways of playing indyref politics.

REGINA ERICH Willow Row, Stonehaven I have just heard Nicola Sturgeon on Question Time accuse the Tories of being ready to “sell out” Scotland’s fishermen. Odd, as there is no evidence that a Tory government would do this – but there is a certainty that the SNP would have no hesitation in doing so by rejoining the EU and the Common Fisheries Policy. Her hatred of the Tories is surely at the point where her judgments are becoming irrational.

All politicians have a “sellby”date. Has Ms Sturgeon passed hers?

KEN CURRIE Liberton Drive, Edinburgh This has been a surreal seven week election campaign which will be remembered, sadly, more for the terrorist outrages in Manchester and London than for any sensible political argument and/or discussion. We need a strong, resilient and determined government to grapple with the myriad complexities of life in modern day Britain. I hope the nation votes accordingly.

FIONA CAMPBELL The Glebe House, Stobo, Peebles