Election reflections

Now that the Scottish people have chosen the politicians who will represent them in London, I think we ought to reflect more on who will not represent them.

I am referring to the anti-independence, Tory/ labour/ lib de ms who, just as they have been since time immemorial, will unfortunately be sidelined when voices for Scotland are urgently needed.

Thankfully, however, Scotland will still have 35 SNP voice sin westminster passionately promoting the best interests of “everyone” in Scotland.

Ever since England voted to turn its back on Europe there has been nothing but chaos, with not one politician able or perhaps even willing to take the reins in a positive manner and convince the people that someone, somewhere knows where we’re heading.

Had we Scots rid ourselves of these shackles when we had the opportunity at the indyref in 2014, we would now be enormously relieved that we distancedourselves from the complex disorder.

BILLY BURNS, Pennywell Road, Edinburgh

It is amazing how, after an election, every party claims it has “won ”. that is a claim, however, which in the current case cannot be made by one party.

The scottish green party may well have sealed its own demi se as a result of its craven submission to SNP demands to stand only three candidates in Scotland.

Its integrity was already under scrutiny for waving the SNP’S budget through and then for supporting its call for indyref2 while receiving little or nothing in return.

A party once highly regarded for its principles has become little more than the SNP’S poodle. Since it now follows obediently in the footsteps of the SNP, perhapsit is time to adopt it leader’ s colours and call itself the yellow Party.

COLIN HAMILTON

Braid Hills Avenue, Edinburgh What should happen to prevent yet another general election, possibly this year and certainly within a year?

Prime minister theresa may’ s credibility on Brexit has blown away in the light of Thursday’s poll. She wants to go on in government possibly with the help of the Democratic Unionists in Northern Ireland; that can only be possible if she declares straight away that she will pursue a more conciliatory approach in the impending Brexit negotiations with the question of the border with the Republic given the very highest priority. To hold on to office she would need to look again at her attitude to the triple lock on pensions, winter fuel payments and social care policy in England and Wales.

That would require statesmanship, but in truth she has forfeited any claim to statesmanship after calling an election on a false pretext and then failing to get a majority for it. She does herself and her office no favours by holding on in the way that Edward Heath tried in 1974 and gord on brown in 2010.

The idea of a minority labour government led by jeremy corbynwill be viewed with concern by the markets, by our international allies and large swathes of the voting public. But his accession to office seems to be the only way forward.

Only the extremely naïve could believe that even part of his manifesto programme could be delivered in two parliaments never mind one. He should still be given a chance to put forward proposals.

The resilience he has shown over the last two years in the face of opposition, not least from his own party, deserves some credit. For good or ill he represents a new type of politics and deserves at least an opportunity to deliver in the light of Theresa May’s humiliation at the ballot box.

BOB TAYLOR Shiel Court, Glenrothes

It is interesting that with the exception of the green party, all the other party leaders inScotland did not stand for westminster, instead preferring to hold their power base in Edinburgh. The scottish parliament is now far more relevant than Wests almond minster in Scotland.

For the SNP government this means getting on with the day job, improving educational attainment, reducing waiting times and increasing efficiency in the NHS, sorting out care for the elderly, improving our transport links and proving that they can run Scotland effectively.

For the Conservatives they have not taken independence off the table, instead it now stands as the lifeboat when negotiations by the ineptly weakened Conservative government at Westminster gets a disastrous deal from the EU.

This election means that they depend on th ed up of northern Ireland, where the subject of the border and customs controls is a significant topic and the electorate is split between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

For Scottish Labour it means deciding which side of the independence debate they wish to choose.

With the rest of Britain split over the EU (some of Labour’s unexpected gains were in firmly remain seats) and with westminster no longer regarded in world terms in the way it was before joining the EU the position of the Scottish Parliament is much more important in protecting Scotland. It now needs fiscal autonomy to protect the Scottish economy from the economic disaster facing Westminster. BRUCE D SKIVINGTON Gairloch, Wester Ross

Despite tactical voting, the SNP won the election in Scotland with two-thirds of all the seats and remain the third largest grouping at Westminster to ensure Scotland’s voice will be heard.

Indyref2 remains alive and as Nicola Sturgeon repeatedly said, having voted Remain, we in Scotland should have a choice once the impact of the Brexit negotiations is known.

Due to media concentration on Tory v Labour, the SNP has always struggled to be relevant in a Westminster context and the 2015 result was a fluke anomaly when SNP got its fair share in Uk-wide TV leaders’ debates. The loss of Alex and Angus Robertson is a huge blow not just for Scotland’s voice but for UK politics as a whole and it’s disappointing that progressive voters failed to stop the Tories in the North East and Perthshire.

I found it very strange that the Scottish broadcasting media focussed on the four Scottish Parliament leaders and issues rather than letting us scrutinise Westminster candidates in auk general election but this seems to be a consequence of the Tory press determined not to discuss Brexit or the Tory record thus the SNP failed to get its message over.

If Labour in Scotland had attacked the Tories rather being hostile towards the SNP then Jeremy Corbyn would have won the general election despite the antipathy of the Scottish leadership.

FRASER GRANT Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh

So theuk is to be ruled with the consentofthenorthernirish.is there something hypocritical about that when you consider how Cameron railed against the idea that Labour and the SNP could frustrate the will of the country?

May’s hard Brexit plan terms remain on the cards despite Remainers clearly showing their distaste for it in the elec-

tion.

Of course, fox hunting and dementia tax and cuts to tax credits will also now still be foisted on a public who showed distaste for such policies.

I wonder if our new Tory MPS will rock the boat a bit and frustrate the Brexiteer zealots.

ANDREW VASS

Corbiehill Place, Edinburgh

Watching the Conservatives and SNP’S respective hubris come back to bite them in the small hours on Friday morning, one could not help but think of Windsor Davies’ Sergeant-major from It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’ ss chad en freun desmirked“Oh dear, how sad, never mind!”

MARK BOYLE, Linn Park Gardens, Johnstone,

Renfrewshire

Which was the greater error – David Cameron’s attempt to use the EU referendum to strengthen his hand within the party and silence the euro sceptics, leading to the result he least wanted, or Teresa May’s desire to strengthen her position and humiliate her opponents by calling an opportunist election only to face humiliation herself?

It would be the stuff of musical comedy if it were not so serious for Britain’s interests. Two consecutive Conservative Prime Ministers displaying to the international community that they lack the wisdom the job demands. You couldn’t make it up.

GEOFF MILLER

Newtyle, Blairgowrie

I have always given credit to the BBC as an oracle of clear, unbiased, impartial and dispassionate reporting, for the benefit of all.

Sadly, the 15-hour coverage led by David Dimbleby and his team was both partisan and prejudiced. The panel’s combined delight at the outcome of the election was clearly evident and this morning, Laura Kuenssberg’s positive glee at Mrs May’s discomfiture was palpable.

It may well be that the Prime Minister miscalculated the mood of the country and perhaps there were areas where she left herself open to criticism – the apparent cracks in the conservative manifesto and her non-appearance on the televiseddebate included-–but talk about kicking someone when they’re down!

There can be no doubt that Jeremy corbyn confounded his critics but it’ s relatively straightforward to promise the earth without having to substantiate how you’re going to achieve it and, more importantly, fund it. It just goes to show that sometimes you can fool some of the people some of the time!

Ruth david son’ s success–and the decimation of the SNP support – was just as remarkable but it was, in the main, overlooked by the BBC London coverage. If we are going to have a publicly-funded broadcaster, then let’ s have fair and unbiased reporting.

IAN MCCALLUM

Edinburgh

Just over a week before negotiations start to hive us off from theeu, the nightmare prospect created by two hubristic Tory premiers means we effectively have no government.

Referendums may work in Switzerland but they have poisonous effect in the UK and the vile Scottish indyref which divided the nation should have stayed David Cameron’s hand.

Theresa may, the cold est tory fish since Ted Heath, repelled the young, Brexit’s real victims, leaving Jeremy Corbyn to gather the trump ian anti-establishment, anti-politics vote.

I thought Corbyn’s “fellow travellers” were the dangerous ideologues but it’s Tory Brexiteers with their infantile concept of national sovereignty who are the real hazard.

REV DR JOHN CAMERON

Howard Place, St Andrews