THE rats now jumping overboard from HMS Boris ("Boris would have to resign to himself – he should accept it", The Herald, December 10) encapsulates the malaise that affects UK politics.

When one looks dispassionately at Boris Johnson’s time on Earth it’s difficult to understand how he became Prime Minister. From his headmaster’s report at Eton College through various jobs to his current performance it’s predominantly negative. Max Hastings, who sacked him for lying amongst other things, wrote one of the worst critiques one can read. Mr Johnson is on video record as Mayor of London saying that Brexit would be disastrous for the UK, yet he turns up leading the idiotic campaign to achieve Brexit. I wonder why he suddenly changed his mind? He then becomes Prime Minister with the fulsome support of the Conservative Party and its hierarchy despite his known flaws and dalliances.

It is difficult not to draw the conclusion that many weel-kent Conservative politicians aligned themselves with and endorsed him in his meteoric rise motivated by self-interest and now the same venal reason is behind the rats deserting a sinking ship.

David Crawford, Glasgow.

A TALENT FOR OWN GOALS

BORIS Johnson has a remarkable talent for own goals. Far too often he tries to laugh things off, leaving a trail of doubt and suspicion, then distrust and condemnation, and finally outright disbelief in whatever he says – about straightforward things for which there should be no doubt whatever, whether it’s the number of his offspring, who paid for his Caribbean holiday or refurbishing No 10, and latterly his “car crashes” over MPs’ standards and (whatever full facts may emerge) an alleged Downing Street party.

His staff’s PR presentation skills, and his own, are abysmal – from Huawei to HS2 to Covid and others – and why on earth does he think photo-op visits to hospitals, schools and a police drug-busting break-in help his public image? I’m sure most of us think them a waste of his and his hosts’ time which would be better spent running proper cabinet government in No. 10.

Finally, why does an apparently professional and high-flying experienced publicity officer on £125k pa require several “rehearsals” to tell us what the Government has done each day?

John Birkett, St Andrews.

THE POT AND THE KETTLE

IAN Blackford has called for the resignation of the Prime Minister over an alleged Christmas party last year ("‘None of this is defensible’: PM under fire over Christmas party", The Herald, December 9). The language he uses may be described at best as blustering, at worst as bullying.

Perhaps his memory is short, but the same Mr Blackford travelled from London to Skye after the first lockdown was imposed, when Covid-19 cases in London were high and cases in Skye were zero. Within four weeks Skye had its first serious outbreak. I am unaware if a connection has been or can be ruled out.

Is Mr Blackford likely to lead the way with his resignation?

Keith Smith, Glasgow.

THE STURGEON MANOEUVRE

MUCH coverage again in The Herald (December 10) of the well-aired woes of a beleaguered Boris Johnson. I suggest Number 10 could put an end to all of this once and for all by deploying the tried and tested defence known to many as the “Sturgeon Manoeuvre", which was adopted recently and successfully also by one Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. This amounts simply to putting it all down to memory lapse. Perfectly understandable as from time to time we all have these, don’t we?

Alan Fitzpatrick, Dunlop.

* I AM amazed that both Nicola Sturgeon and Ian Blackford seem intent on getting rid of Boris Johnson. He is, after all, the SNP’s best recruiting sergeant.

Iain MacDonald, Kilmacolm.

SHIFTING BLAME TO COUNCIL TAX

KATE Forbes's Budget was not the success she claimed it to be ("Scots facing biggest rise in council tax for a generation", The Herald, December 10). It simply shifted the blame for the next tax rise on to council tax as well as the usual stealth income tax rises, whilst claiming to be the lowest-taxed part of the UK.

The SNP is not brave enough to tell the public why income is being overtaken by expenditure. Lower income tax receipts ought to be a warning. Now we hear the Cambo oil field is unlikely to be used. Another blow to the beleaguered Scottish oil and gas industry for which the blame must lie to a great extent with Nicola Sturgeon. The picture is perfectly clear. Independence is financially unviable. but will Ms Sturgeon tell us that or will Indyref2 in 2023 quietly slip by yet again?

Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.

NO NEED TO REIN IN PLANS

YOU report that Lord (George) Foulkes is urging the Westminster Government “to 'rein in' Holyrood’s spending in reserved areas”, as, he asserts the Scottish Government is “using public funds… to promote independence” (" Labour peer calls for UK Government to ‘rein in’ SNP over spending agenda", The Herald, December 10).

I cannot imagine for a moment that Lord Foulkes has forgotten that independence is the raison d’etre of the Scottish National Party. If it is advancing the cause of independence, is this not a decision for the party which not only won more seats than any other last May but took a larger percentage of the constituency vote than Conservatives and Labour combined? Lord Foulkes is at liberty to disagree with this, but to speak as he did suggests he considers he knows better than those of the Scottish electorate who voted SNP in May (in the constituency section almost 48% of those voting).

The Scotland Act 1998 (and amendments) includes lists of matters that are devolved (for example health), and retained (for example defence). Lord Foulkes’ problem is with activity by the Scottish Government in retained matters. While the legislation is clear the Scottish Government cannot legislate in retained areas, it does not, however, put them "out of bounds".

A specific example he cites is the use of civil service time to “[publish] documents and arguing the case for independence", claiming that “using public money is not right”. Yet, as I pointed out in an earlier letter, an independence referendum is an SNP manifesto commitment, and it is not only normal for civil servants to support government (any government) in seeking to implement its manifesto commitments, it would be highly abnormal for them not to. Has the Union sunk to this level? Perhaps it is an instance of Ruth Davidson’s fear “that those of us who support the continuation of our United Kingdom are at risk of doing the Scottish nationalists’ job for them”.

Lastly, it might interest Lord Foulkes to know that the cost of the “network of eight offices worldwide” of which he complains is a vanishingly small proportion of one per cent of the Scottish Government budget for 2022/3. Could it be the real problem is as Lord Foulkes observed in 2008, that "they are doing it deliberately"?

Alasdair Galloway, Dumbarton.

WE DON'T NEED A SCOTTISH LABEL

I MUST disagree with your correspondent Ken MacKay (Letters, December 8) as I have never been concerned that most of the world refers to Britain as England.

When studying in the United States in the 1970s I visited Raleigh, the state capital of North Carolina, and fell into conversation with a young American couple. When they asked where I was from, I made the assumption that Lochaber may be a bit off their radar and said Edinburgh. As I received no sign of recognition I then said Scotland, soon followed by Britain. Faced with ongoing mystification I then said England and they happily indicated they now knew where I was from and we carried on with a very fine chat that I still remember to this day. As Scots, confidence in ourselves does not require a label, just an open mind.

Michael J Laggan, Newton of Balcanquhal, Perthshire.

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO GET POTHOLES FIXED

I SEE the perennial issue of potholes in Glasgow roads has raised it ugly head again with the usual claims from Glasgow city roads department that its roads are in a "consistently better condition than the rest of Scotland" and claims it takes a "risk-based approach" to maintenance, and roads were in a "fundamentally sound condition" and “durable repairs are completed at the first time of asking” ("City faces £96m bill for road repairs", The Herald, December 6).

Not my experience at all, as many potholes reported are not repaired and a couple in particular were the subject of a damage claim by myself where the council admitted it was aware of the potholes five weeks before I hit them, damaging two tyres. Now, if, as claimed by the council, 12 inspections a year are done on that road that would suggest these potholes should have been spotted a second time yet the council denies any responsibility for damage and refuses to accept my claim.

Print and social media are awash with examples of the poor state of roads in Glasgow and elsewhere, yet getting them fixed and any form of compensation for damage caused by lack of action borders on impossible.

Douglas Jardine, Bishopbriggs.

IS THIS AD BARKING MAD?

I'M an Aldi shopper. I switched after having a row with the manager of my local Lidl where I'd shopped for more than a decade when, after telling me I would not be forced to use the human-free tills, I was.

But the Aldi mag had me mad today. In among the unavoidable Christmas tat was something that made me blink, my heart sink, my brain shrink. An ad for a dog sofa retailing at £59.

And yes, I know other shops will have similar and it's there because despite global poverty and 1.4 billion climate change refugees and food banks and economic crises and homelessness yada yada yada, many many people will buy it.

I'm just saying...

Amanda Baker, Edinburgh.

NO SWEAT

I NOTE Rose Ayling-Ellis’s aversion to Strictly dance partner Giovanni Pernice's hidrosis ("Strictly star in ‘sweaty Gio’ joke", The Herald, December 10). And rightly so. All civilised society know that men sweat, whereas ladies politely perspire.

R Russell Smith, Largs.

Read more: Johnson is angry because he has been found out. He won't last much longer