Take a letter

SNP apologist, Mary Thomas’ logic appears as dodgy as her arithmetic (Letters, 9 January). After informing us unquestioningly that the SNP essentially is perfect in every respect, she tells us that because the SNP leads in opinion polls, the nationalists shouldn’t be held to account in The Scotsman’s letters pages. Extraordinary.

Ms Thomas will doubtless be aware that, regrettably, politics in Scotland is essentially about independence – you’re either for or against, and that principally determines how you vote.

Leaving aside the tiny Green party, the SNP attracts all separatist supporters. The prounion vote is split between the Tories, Labour and Libdems. So naturally the SNP win by highly effective divide and rule tactics.

Still, even such a stalwart SNP supporter as Ms Thomas must recognise that the compositionofholyrood,achieved via proportional representation and where Nicola Sturgeon leads merely a minority government, more closely represents the opinion of the people than Scotland’s 59 West- seats, won under a first past the post system.

And perhaps even more telling, on the issue of separatism – the beating heart of the SNP establishment – opinion polls have almost consistently, and for many, many decades, shown a clear majority opposing Ms Sturgeon’s UK break-up dreams.

MARTIN REDFERN Royal Circus, Edinburgh