Take some air

A more pleasant and relaxing weekend might be needed by your regular columnists and contributors on Mondays, such is the intemperate tone.

Brian Monteith’s comments about the First Minister, not for the first time, have me wondering if he has suffered some personal slight at her hand or, if not, whether the grossly exaggerated references to feet-stamping, histrionics and grievance-mongering would apply if the FM was male?

On the Letters page, there is another oft-repeated rant against Nicola Sturgeon for daring to step out and engage with the big, political issues of the day. It seems she should be indoors, dealing with domestic issues.

Also, the overwhelming expert opinion that a Brexit “no-deal” would be bad for the country is condemned as witchcraft by Doug Clark – “risible accounts of the plagues of boils and toads”.

A long Sunday walk and some connection with nature might be advised as, when roused to write, these gentlemen do allow a slight whiff of misogyny to escape. ROBERT FARQUHARSON

Lee Crescent, Edinburgh