Letters: May and the Tories are in far better shape than SNP and Labour

Dr Gerald Edwards,

Broom Road, Glasgow.

I SUSPECT that among those who cut their milk-teeth of political activism at the starving breast of the Anti Apartheid Movement I am not alone at feeling revulsion at the spectacle of a Tory Prime Minister endeavouring (in Capetown of all places) to persuade Africa to trade with us once she has had us flung out of Europe ("PM's Brexit vow as bank warns of no-deal 'crash'", The Herald, August 29). Apart altogether from the impertinence, given the appalling imperial legacy which the UK bestowed upon that unhappy continent, the hypocrisy is breathtaking.

This woman is the leader of a party which, for decades, fought tooth and nail to protect its white South African friends from any attack by the United Kingdom on their privileges under apartheid. Among her backbench colleagues in the Commons and the Lords are many identified with that retrograde struggle.

The Conservative Party, in its own self-interest, have placed us mid-Atlantic without sail, helm or course, and its leaders scramble among themselves to find a haven among our former colonies. In the forecastle Jeremy Corbyn and his mates are squabbling about which way the capstan turns.

Those of us left on deck are busy checking the lifeboat for stores and waiting for the right moment to cast off to safety.

KM Campbell,

Bank House, Doune.

WHILE I agree with Ruth Marr that it is rare for a party leader to be the victim of a witch-hunt by his own MPs, I fail to see how Jeremy Corbyn can be blamed for the fact that most of the Parliamentary Labour Part would rather have a Tory Government.

Ms Marr seems to view Mr Corbyn as some kind of Cromwellian usurper but his leadership has been endorsed by 300,000 Labour members and 13 million voters and his arbitrary removal would disenfranchise a considerable section of the British electorate. This country is one of the world's oldest democracies – unfortunately the current Parliament is a one-party state and if people like Ms Marr get their way it will remain so.

Sean Pigott,

Flat 2/L, 13 Wilson Street, Largs.

IF Tom Watson is worried about foreign powers meddling in the political affairs of other sovereign nations he should have probably thought twice about voting to intervene in Iraq ("Watson asks: Did Russia ‘steal’ the Brexit vote?", The Herald, August 28).

He voted with the Blair regime on every vote to go to war and in the aftermath of this disaster consistently voted to block any inquiries into the illegal war. In the first few days after the invasion thousands of young conscripts were slaughtered by the overwhelming violence and firepower of the British and Americans. As is now well known, this was just the start for Iraq as in the years after the invasion hundreds of thousands more died.

Nobody has died over Brexit except from boredom. According to Tom Watson it was all down to Russia and he demands an immediate public inquiry. In the unlikely event this happens and comes to the conclusion he wants then what next? He could maybe threaten the Russians with Trident which he voted to keep and upgrade. That would definitely teach them to stop all those alleged fake tweets.

Myles Cooney,

2 Central Court, Central Avenue, Cambuslang.

YOUR article on the machinations of the Department of Work and Pensions ("U-turn by DWP on disability car case", The Herald, August 28) demonstrates the incompetence of those responsible for disability assessments within the DWP and is just the tip of the iceberg. The DWP has spent more than £100m in reviews and appeals in the past two years, speaking volumes about the incompetence of the process. Since 2015, more than 87,000 Personal Independent Payments (PIP) claimants have had their decision overturned on appeal.

Disability benefits is not all about the financial implication to the country, large as it may be, but it has far wider costs to the individual claiming benefit, that of the tedious process of the applications coupled with the resulting stress, followed by the waiting game. If an appeal is required, this just adds to stress and concerns and in many cases aggravates the claimant’s condition. Many welfare powers are being devolved to Scotland and rightly so, allowing Scotland to take a fresh approach to welfare, an approach that earlier this year saw MSPs at Holyrood support the Scottish Government's Social Security Bill by 123 votes to zero. The Westminster Government has had control of welfare for decades, treating claimants with no respect or dignity. In contrast the new Scottish social security powers have dignity and respect at their core.

Catriona C Clark,

52 Hawthorn Drive,

Banknock, Falkirk.

I'M not sure which two Herald reports are the worst examples of Scotland's decline in the last decade,Tom Gordon's excellent debunking of Cybernat claims that Leslie Evans was formerly married to the head of MI5 ("Salmond investigation conspiracy theories are debunked", The Herald, August 28), or front page headlines about the shocking decline in numeracy even among our brightest pupils.

It's clear, however, that a significant number of people have either taken leave of their senses or their once world-renowned brains.

Allan Sutherland,

1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.

AS I read some of your correspondents attempting to undermine anything Scottish, especially the economy and at the same time vainly trying to justify the Brexit disaster I am reminded of the words of the outstanding wordsmith Terry Pratchett. His observation was straight to the point, namely: "You don't need to grind the faces of the poor if you teach them to do their own grinding."

Terry Pratchett wrote fantasy novels and I suspect some of your contributors feel comfortable in a fantasy world of their own creating.

David Stubley,

22 Templeton Crescent, Prestwick.