SO now we have had the visit of the Prime Minister to the Scottish Grand Committee, held in Dumfries on July 5.

What a momentous occasion. He came to Scotland like some ancient explorer, bringing beads for the natives.

He then proceeded to lecture the Scottish people on what is best for them. What he had to say was nothing more than a xenophobic diatribe of narrow English nationalism aimed more at saving the Tories at a General Election than addressing the issue of the lack of democracy in Scotland. I only wish he had the guts to call an election now, instead of us having to listen to Tory rants over the next few months.

People in Scotland have heard it all before and understand that the only way to have their democratic wishes is to have a Scottish parliament that is representative of the people, and not the status quo that only reflects Tory dogma.

There is no end to the contempt the Tories have for democracy. Now they are threatening to use their majority in the House of Lords to frustrate the will of the people. It reminds me of the great plague - we will be seeing Forsyth and Major scurrying around shouting ``bring out your dead''.

The sooner this Government goes the better, not only for Scotland but for the rest of the country too.

David Stark,

Chair,

Scottish Labour Party,

c/o TGWU,

290 Bath Street,

Glasgow.