Plainsailing?

The final leaders' debate was astonishing. Glenn Campbell devoted precious minutes to the topic of a new yacht! At no time in more than an hour was there a single mention of the SNP'S record in government! Is it not mandatory in an election campaign to expect a sitting government to be questioned about its performance over the previous five years?

Nicola Sturgeon has not been shy in switching attention away from Indyref2, knowing a huge majority of voters do not want it any time soon, and preening herself on her handling of the pandemic. It remains to be seen even how well she has done in that context, given that mistakes have been made and acknowledged. But what about her "experienced leadership" over the whole term. Was this not a topic for debate under any circumstances, but especially since she explicitly asked to be judged on her record in education in 2016?

Labour’s Anas Sarwar did well in previous debates in highlighting failures in the health service, and under questioning from Douglas Ross, Ms Sturgeon had no option but to admit to taking her eye off the ball in relation to drug deaths. Mr Campbell omitted such topics.

And why were there no questions on the handling of the economy?the catastrophic failures in relation to Bifab, Ferguson Marine and Prestwick airport, for example, confirm that Scottish taxpayers' money has been woefully managed by the SNP.

That anyone would vote for the SNP because of their supposedcompetencedefiescomprehension. But certainly the lady who told Mr Campbell she intends to vote for Nicola Sturgeon but will be disappointed if she pushes for another referendum is going to be, well, disappointed.

The First Minister’s claims that this election is not about independence have become increasingly shrill – and increasingly disingenuous.

COLIN HAMILTON Braid Hills Avenue, Edinburgh