Is he so blind?

Kenny Macaskill (Perspective, 22 November) tells us that Scottish MPS at Westminster are an insignificant bunch, making up about 10 per cent of the total, with Scotland being one of four nations that make up the UK, with England being the largest (although with a government without a clear majority, I would have thought these MPS have an excellent opportunity to make themselves felt ).

So far so logical, but what, then, of the SNP policy to take us out of the UK, and rejoin the EU? We would then be only one of nearly 30 countries, in a union dominated by France and Germany, along with other large countries. If our representatives are insignificant now they will be even more so in the EU! Does he not see this? WILLIAM BALLANTINE

Dean Road, Bo’ness, West Lothian

Kenny Macaskill seems to think Scottish MPS are “insignificant” at Westminster, but a quick online search will confirm that the following positions of influence at a UK level have been held by Scots-born or educated politicians since Margaret Thatcher departed the scene as Prime Minister in 1990.

Two Prime Ministers, two Chancellors of the Exchequer, three Chief Secretaries to the Treasury, one Secretary of State for Justice, two Lord Chancellors, two Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, two Secretaries for Work and Pensions, four Defence Secretaries, one Home Secretary, one Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, one Health Secretary, one Leader of the House of Commons, three Secretaries of State for Transport, one Foreign Secretary, one Secretary of State for International Development, one Leader of the House of Lords and one Equalities Minister.

There have been others, like Michael Gove (Education Secretary and now Environment Secretary) who is Scots but does not represent a Scottish constituency, and people like John Reid and Ian Mccartney, who chaired the Labour Party while it was in power, and others like David Cameron with obvious recent Scottish ancestry.

Oh, and Michael Martin MP was Speaker, and goodness knows how many Scots have chaired important committees. Finally, in every Cabinet, we have had a Secretary of State for Scotland sitting there.

We do have a problem at the moment, however, in that our SNP MPS are effectively gagged by their party, and so cannot contribute fully to the debate. Traditionally, our MPS have been elected to represent their constituents, who happen to be Scots. Now, 35 of them represent only the views of their party leader. In such circumstances, democracy suffers, and the potential for influencing policy at a UK level greatly diminishes.

Scottish mps, even in opposition, can influence the debate if they are allowed to speak freely. Tam Dalyell would be an excellent example of that. At present, it is only our Scottish Conservative, Labour and Liberal MPS who can properly represent us at Westminster. The others are insignificant by their own making.

VICTOR CLEMENTS

Taybridge Terrace, Aberfeldy, Perthshire