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I was unsure of the date when I saw your headline, “Sturgeon’s universal income plan is costed at £ 12.3 bill i on” ( 18 Octo - ber). Surely an April Fool’s Day joke? But, no. This is reality in the SNP state.
In their pursuit of the Jeremy Corbynvote,t he SN Pisin a race to the very bottom politically with this plan. Just as they hope to buy votes with free prescription sand the rest, this is surely taking the Mickey, to use a politer turn of phrase than the one that initially comes to mind.
However, reality is not a big deal with the nationalists. They live in their own world and, just as Co mr adeJezza thinks that he can spend lots of money that the country does not have, so Nicola Sturgeon, hanging desperately onto his socialist coattails, is endeavouring to outflank him by doing something even more bonkers.
To those thinking that this is a wonderful idea, I would urge caution.Those of you who think you would benefit, especially the young, think again. You are the ones who will end up paying for it for the rest of your days.
ANDREW HN GRAY Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh I enjoyed your Perspective column in which Bill Jamie - son rightly asks why the Scottish Government asked for an analysis of a policy like the universal citizens’ income that would almost certainly be hugely expensive ( 19 October). He goes on to give a long list of potential reasons, the most convincing of which is that ministers have probably just taken leave of their senses.
Butthere is an additional Machiavellian possibility for all this. The Citizens’ Income is a key policy of the Green Party. With the SNP under pressure, they may fear an exodus of their more left wing followers to the Greens at the next election, those who cannot bring themselves to vote for the prounion Labour Party.
Perhaps this analysis is simply a slap down for their Green colleagues, making their policy look unviable in public, and ensuring that it doesn’t come back into the policy debate in the near future. The SNP never do anything without good reason, and what they do do is almost always about securing their voting base, which isn’t actually left wing, but somewhat to the right of there. Slapping down those on your left wing therefore makes strate - gic sense, as many of them will probably still vote for you anyway, so long as they don’t have a credible pro- independence alternative to go to. This analysis undermines the credibility of the Scottish Greens. VICTOR CLEMENTS
Taybridge Terrace Aberfeldy, Perthshire