I LAUGHED when I heard the Tories were claiming to be the party of the working class and promising much greater workers’ rights (“Parties go for workers’ vote as May offers raft of rights”, The Herald, May 15). It’s a pity that for the past 50 years they been doing exactly the opposite.

When I was an MEP from 1994 to 1999 I was on the Employment Committee of the European Parliament and in charge of important directives such as the Acquired Rights Directive, better known in Britain as TUPE, which protected workers’ rights when their firm was taken over or privatised. I had to fight the British Government every inch of the way under the Tories, who in the words of the then British ambassador Sir John Kerr wanted me “to seriously weaken the directive”.

Of course, I did exactly the opposite and made it stronger, including protecting pension rights, only to have these removed by the incoming Labour Government under Tony Blair. Indeed it’s worth recalling that Labour had 13 years under Mr Blair and Gordon Brown to repeal the Tory anti-trade union legislation and they never did it.

I do believe that Jeremy Corbyn does want to improve workers’ rights and that is one of the reasons he is getting such a hard time from a Tory press owned by offshore tax exiles and a supine BBC run by ex-Tory journalists. He of course won’t win the election and will be dumped soon after by the same Blairite MPs who failed to repeal the Tory anti trade union laws when they were in power.

So don’t believe the Tories when they talk about workers’ rights – they are after all the party of big business – and be sceptical of Labour’s commitment to change. In the end workers can only rely on their trade unions and their own strength to resist attacks on their wages and conditions.

Hugh Kerr,

Wharton Square, Edinburgh.

RUTH Davidson has declared that a referendum on Scottish independence should be deferred for a full generation, which she defines as 35 years, before we are allowed to change our minds.

Might I suggest, in view of her change of mind on both the risks of Brexit and prescription charges (“Davidson in U-turn as Conservatives ditch opposition to free prescriptions in Scotland”, The Herald, May 15), that she and her party also pledge not to change their principles and promises, as stated in manifestos, for the same length of time? That would surely prevent uncertainty and give us “strong and stable government”.

Or are “changes in circumstances” an acceptable reason for only Tories to change their minds?

P Davidson,

Gartcows Road, Falkirk.

ANENT John Hamilton’s letter (May 15), I registered my democratic decision to oppose independence in the 2014 referendum and have no feeling of being denied the right to register yet another democratic decision. Your correspondent must know that it is the right of the UK Government to decide whether or not to sanction a section 30 order extending further devolution, including the holding of an independence referendum. That is the law of the land.

David Miller,

80 Prestonfield, Milngavie.

THE Green Party is to be congratulated on its strategy for the forthcoming election.

Few, if any parties play the long game but like all the anti-Tory parties, they must realise the only hope there is of protecting Scotland from Theresa May’s austerity policies and of being able to shape Scotland’s future to reflect the aspirations of the majority is for Scotland first to gain independence.

I was therefore surprised to see David Collie’s exhortation for those who would have voted Green to vote for the Labour Party instead (Letters, May 13).

I think it is flawed on three bases.

First, a vote for Labour in Scotland now is a wasted vote.

It has no chance of mounting any challenge to the Tories and will not form a government.

Secondly, even if it did gain a significant number of seats to be meaningful, under Jeremy Corbyn, unfortunately, it cannot mount an effective opposition – and he has ruled out any sort of pact with other parties, notably the SNP.

Lastly, love them or loathe them, a vote for the SNP is the only way to have any hope of an independent Scotland – a basic foundation of Green Party policy in Scotland. A switch of a Green vote to a Unionist vote would consign the Green Party to further decades of being little more than a pressure group with a perceived narrow agenda.

Therefore, the only way not to undermine all their brave work is for Green Party voters to take a deep breath, close their eyes, cross their fingers and vote for the SNP.

William Thomson,

25 Lithgow Place, Denny.

ON at least three occasions David Torrance (“Time to think about ditching the state pension triple lock”, The Herald, May 15) refers to the old age pension as a benefit. In my case l have paid into this “benefit” on a compulsory basis for 49 years and have just been told the princely sum of £750 per month is the end result, which is among the lowest state pensions in the developed world. As an investment deal the return is catastrophic and for Mr Torrance to aver that the “baby boomers” have somehow short-changed their children is even more insulting as the facts simply don’t support this. It’s hardly the fault of individuals that successive governments of all hues are fiscally incompetent and spend the “benefit” money on other things.

l will not starve as l have made other private arrangements, but in that l am a lot more fortunate than others l know. Mr Torrance also descends with glee on the fact that pensions are not devolved, therefore the SNP is somehow being frivolous in bringing up the triple lock. There is no humour in any of the current arrangements for an awful lot of people.

Kenneth Macaulay,

9 Glenlivet Road, Neilston.