SNP dreamers

While I would certainly agree with Jim Sillars (Opinion, 10 May) that Alex Salmond's election campaign was both delusional and embarrassing

(the SNP TV broadcast featuring a smug young man being cheered on as he seeks out a hilltop from which to yell "Scotland!" – and Mr Salmond's irritating penchant for chuckling at his own imagined wit and wisdom in almost every TV interview – being the lowest points), I cannot agree that a lack of SNP progress can be blamed on a failure to push the case for independence.

And the reason for this should be obvious. The case for Scottish independence had collapsed in a heap long before our banks had to be bailed out by the rest of the UK and long before Mr Salmond's "arc of prosperity" turned into an "arc of insolvency".

Most of us simply do not want to see our nation become a Canada – or, more likely, Cuba – to England's America.

With a population smaller than London's on a landmass equal to the Czech Republic, almost a third of us now work in (taxpayer-funded) public sector jobs, and 600,000 of us are classed as "economically inactive."

We are now second in the world for obesity. Almost 8,000 criminals languish in our jails.

We have the highest percentage of smokers in the UK, are the eighth biggest drinkers of alcohol in the world (per head of population) and, according to a 2009 UN report, have somehow managed to become the drugs capital of Europe with more than 50,000 problem drug users.

It isn't just the banks that have been "bailed out" – and Alex Salmond knows it. Extremely tough measures will be required to try and sort this (Labour-bred) mess out, but if David Cameron's Conservatives ever get the opportunity to attempt any, they know full well that Alex Salmond will fight them every step of the way – still dreamily imagining that quitting Britain will somehow turn all of this around.

KEITH GILMOUR

Balmoral Drive

Bearsden, Glasgow

Lovely to see Jim Sillars involving himself in politics again (Opinion, 10 May). What a great talent with the written and spoken word.

Unfortunately, he is attacking Alex Salmond who, in my opinion, has been keeping the SNP together for the previous Scottish parliaments, and doing it well.

In politics we need patience as well as push and aggression.

The SNP will have its opportunity, as will Scotland. If we maintain our confidence and hold faith in the party and electorate it will happen.

ROY MUNN

South Guildry Street

Elgin

When Alex Salmond indicated he was staying around to "take this nation to freedom" did he have in mind the pimping of SNP MPs to one of the "London parties" he so despises?

LAWRENCE FRASER

Mayne Road

Elgin