In possibly its most cynical move to date, the SNP Government makes overtures to act as some kind of mediator between Spain and Catalonia ("SNP offer to mediate in Catalonian power crisis", The Herald, September 29). The SNP are fully aware their offer will not be taken up, as a nationalist mediator could not provide any kind of credible neutral intervention. Instead the SNP see a chance to score cheap political points on the back of another country’s dilemma.

Once again the SNP repeat their line about what a great example last year’s Scottish referendum was. Really? Scotland was thrown into a divisive and often bad tempered debate, creating uncertainty that hung over its people and economy for the number of years that the Nationalists decided to take to try to persuade the people of Scotland by any means possible. This included dressing up fantasy economics as an official White Paper, so much of which has since been discredited, not least by real world developments. Then, with a result that did not suit them, the SNP dismiss it within a year as they start to warm us up for a re-run. Talk of once-in-a-generation is treated as simple campaign rhetoric. Let us all hope Spain and Catalonia manage to find a suitable way forward.

Keith Howell

White Moss,

West Linton,

Peeblesshire.

I suspect that I was not alone with my thoughts when reading the front page story concerning the SNP offering to mediate between Spain and Catalonia.

My reaction was to consider that, if the SNP have spare resources to bring into play on matters of moment, they should be utilising them toward the solution of Scotland’s well-documented problems associated with the NHS, Police Scotland, and education. That ,of course, would include trips to places more prosaic than Madrid and Barcelona.

Ian W Thomson,

38 Kirkintilloch Road,

Lenzie.

The notion of the SNP acting as mediator in the Catalonian separatist debate is as preposterous as it is offensive to the citizens of both Spain and Scotland. Quite simply, it has no place interfering in the constitutional affairs of other, larger countries and should mind its own business.

The Scottish Government's primary task, irrespective of its political make-up, is to manage the affairs of Scotland for the benefit of its citizens. In their eight years in power the SNP have presided over falling performance in education, health and policing and have created an irreconcilable tension between the 45 per cent of the population who wish to break up the United Kingdom and the 55 per cent of us who are horrified at the prospect.

The First Minister's recent conciliatory tone towards the UK is most welcome but she must concentrate her Government's efforts on the day-to-day job in hand and stop her ministers from launching flights of fancy.

Derek Miller,

Westbank,

West Balgrochan Road,

Torrance.