Courtesy call

In April this year Nicola Sturgeon called for more courtesy and respect in the debate over Scotland’s future. This plea appears to have fallen on deaf ears if the horrendous absolute vitriol on social media is anything to go by since it was announced that the Queen would be opening the Queensferry crossing next month. As the sovereign of the United Kingdom why shouldn’t she?

The comments I have witnessed have been disturbing and offensive to say the least and some should certainly be investigated by Police Scotland.

These are not people hiding behind false names and accounts but real genuine social media account holders.

The time for action is now, Nicola Sturgeon as leader should be publicly condemning this behaviour and taking swift action to stamp out this abhorrent behaviour and if people writing those unacceptable comments on social media are SNP members they should be permanently expelled from membership of the party.

Every political party has disciplinary procedures and it is time for the SNP to put them into place.

This kind of behaviour only polarises political discussion and puts Scotland in a very bad light. But Nicola Sturgeon’s silence on the matter is deafening and speaks volumes. GORDON KENNEDY Simpson Square, Perth