Tory poll defeat

John Mclellan’s attempt to gloss over the Conservatives’ poor showing in Thursday’s Leith Walk council by-election (13 April) doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

The Tories threw everything into the campaign with leaflets repeating their tired old mantra of “No to a second independence referendum” together with a large picture of Ruth Davidson urging voters to support “her candidate” plus graphs showing “only the Tories can beat the SNP” and attacking council plans for a tram line down Leith Walk.

A sure-fire winner? Not so, as they finished in fourth place with a 2.5 per cent swing away from the Tories to the SNP. Even worse from a Unionist perspective, the two main pro-independence parties gathered 61 per cent of the first preference votes.

Labour fared very badly indeed as despite fielding a well-known former councillor, their share of the vote fell by 7 per cent with a 4 per cent swing towards the SNP.

After 12 years in power at Holyrood with constant attacks on SNP performance in government and on the local council, it was an impressive win for Rob Munn and the SNP whose share of the vote increased. Something tells me there won’t be a general election anytime soon.

FRASER GRANT Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh

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As the Brexit fiasco continues, Conservatives are debating the merits of replacing Theresa May as Prime Minister and Nicola Sturgeon is soon expected to clarify her plans for a second referendum on

independence. If Boris Johnson becomes leader of the Conservative Party (and possibly Prime Minister), a majority of Scots (including many who are not SNP supporters) may well vote in support of independence, even though they are not nationalists by conviction.

He represents qualities that most Scots dislike: public school/oxbridge arrogance; a deep sense of entitlement deriving from inherited wealth and access to powerful networks; ignorance of, and indifference to, most parts of Britain beyond the south-east

of England; and a psychological profile that is disturbingly like that of Donald Trump.

Despite Johnson’s substantial failings, many right-wing Conservatives seem intent on pressing the self-destruct button. Scotland’s First Minister must be rubbing her hands in anticipation.

WALTER HUMES Buchanan Drive, Newton Mearns