Don’t have go at Jo

Lesley Riddoch (“Are the Lib De ms Tory- li te or truly radical ?”, Perspective ,3 June ), seems to be one of several female media commentators who are keen to undermine Liberal Democrat leadership hopeful Jo Swinson MP.

Normally these “progressive” types would be all for supporting and analysing properly a woman who has genuine political ability and exp erience and a mind of her own. She is young, energetic, articulate, able and Scottish – but it appears that because she does not read from the same script as others, she constitutes a threat. Her par t y’s coalition with the Tories makes her tarnished in their eyes and, of course, she is not on the same page as them with regards to independence, and that will just not do.

Jo Swinson is in many ways what politics in Scotland needs, namely someone who is capable of changing the tune and making life uncomfortable for the current political and commentary establishment. I notice that everyone has complained about her raising the issue of poor educational standards, but not one of these people have been able to say that the statistics she used were wrong. Indeed, the message from all those speaking out against her has been: “Well, she might be right, but ...” Scottish what about erya tits finest.

No one handed Jo Swinson her seat as an MP on a plate. She went out and earned it on her own merits and she made her position as UK Equalities Minister her own as well. Surely this is the t yp e of woman we ought to b e giving some encouragement to? She is on the right side of this particular argument and her timing is perfect as well. Everyone else is just reading carefully controlled press releases from the same old sources and repeating them as they are telt. A different tune from a younger entrant is exactly what we need at present.

VICTOR CLEMENTS

Aberfeldy, Perthshire

In the European elections, my wife and I voted for the Lib De ms precisely because we wanted to avoid Brexit. We are lifelong Conservative voters but wanted to register disapproval at the way the Brexit imbroglio has develop ed. We voted for the Lib De ms precisely because we did not agree with everything the party stood for and because the pro-independence S NP keeps saying Scotland wants to remain in the EU. Funny we never hear about the million or so voters in Scotland who opted for Brexit! Our inclinations are absolutely Unionist. We voted for the Lib Dems precisely because they were “a one trick anti-brexit pony” (Lesley Riddoch).

DONALD THOMSON, Salisbury Terrace, Aberdeen