THAT former Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander resigned in 2008 over what now seems a trifling matter of accepting an inappropriate £950 donation should be instructive for Nicola Sturgeon.

The current First Minister was at the time among the more vociferous insisting Ms Alexander should stand down. The possibility of a ministerial code breach by Ms Sturgeon in relation to the Alex Salmond alleged sexual abuse case is an altogether a more serious issue ("Sturgeon refers herself to ethics panel over Salmond case", The Herald, January 14).

We must hope the investigation into the SNP leader's conduct will be genuinely independent and, if Ms Sturgeon's behaviour is found lacking, she will behave as honourably as Ms Alexander,

Martin Redfern,

Woodcroft Road, Edinburgh.

KEITH Howell (Letters, January 12) asserts politicisation of the civil service during the 2014 referendum. Sir Nicolas Macpherson, the Treasury Permanent Secretary, after being criticised by the Public Administration Select Committee for compromising civil service impartiality by releasing “information for partisan purposes” declared that civil service impartiality guidelines “do not apply” to “extreme” cases such as the Scottish independence referendum. Her Majesty's Treasury, he asserted, is by its nature a “Unionist institution”. That being the case, all Whitehall advice should be filed under “Unionist agitprop” in any future Scottish independence referendum.

If we have an enquiry into the First Minister’s handling of the Salmond case, then as witnesses we could have Theresa May and ask her about her contacts with Damian Green while he was being similarly investigated over allegations of sexual harassment. He remained in her Cabinet for some seven weeks – presumably all contact and conversations (daily?) were reported to Sue Gray, the investigating ethics chief?

Or the Labour Party could explain where they are with the Monica Lennon harassment case? Perhaps held up in the queue behind all the racist and anti-Semitic accusations Labour has on its plate?

I think all this hoo-ha is a nonsense, when so many cases of sexual harassment have been sat on at Westminster. The alleged victims certainly deserve to be heard and should have been at the time, though sadly with these cases it tends to descend into a “he said, she said” lawyer fest and no one wins.

GR Weir,

17 Mill Street, Ochiltree.

THE Conservative Party is in turmoil, torn asunder over Brexit, and Labour's Brexit policy is about as clear as mud, so it is understandable that supporters of these parties should try to make capital out of the current situation within the SNP. However, as an SNP member, it strikes me that the SNP's "civil war" must be the most civil war in history; my inbox is full of enthusiastic invitations to join my fellow members in campaigning activities all over Scotland, and I detect no infighting, division, distraction, and debilitation. In truth, all I detect is affection and respect for both Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond, and compassion and understanding for everyone concerned in this very sad and upsetting ordeal.

Ruth Marr,

99 Grampian Road, Stirling.