I CANNOT understand why Theresa May seems so determined to alienate such a large proportion of those living in Scotland (“Sturgeon obsession is harming Scotland, says May”, The Herald, March 3). The Prime Minister never misses a chance to reject any request that our special interests should at least be recognised, and to ignore the clear wishes of the electorate here as expressed in the 2015 election. Of course her party is currently narrowly in second place at Holyrood, thanks mainly to the vagaries of the two-part electoral system currently imposed for Holyrood elections. But she must also know that only one of the 59 MPs representing Scotland at Westminster is from her party, and that by a very small majority. But perhaps Mrs May thinks that one Scottish MP like David Mundell is quite enough.

I do not dispute that the EU referendum was a UK one, but Mrs May cannot deny that the vote on Scotland by a very clear majority was to remain in the European Union, with all the benefits that that would have ensured for the whole nation. Yet she constantly goes out of her way to refuse to contemplate even the slightest attempt to protect the specific interests of Scotland in matters such as tourism, agriculture and fishing, and our universities’ international relationships. Because of our declining and ageing population, Scotland needs more, not fewer, immigrants to boost our economy. Why won’t she listen?

Of course the Prime Minister knows that, even with only a small majority, her reign at Westminster is secure for years to come because of the total disintegration of Labour under Jeremy Corbyn. But if she continues to pursue a hard Brexit simply to allow her to claim that she had a successful negotiation, she will severely damage the economy of the United Kingdom. It will take at least 10 years for a wide range of international trade deals to be negotiated.

When Margaret Thatcher showed similar contempt for Scotland by using us as a trial run for the hated poll tax, she lost all Scottish Conservative representation for over a decade. She is now running the risk that Scotland will finally have the courage to say “Thanks, but no thanks” and decide to stand on its own feet. The sooner the better.

Iain AD Mann,

7 Kelvin Court, Glasgow.

THE parrot-like "getting on with the day job" jibe towards Nicola Sturgeon is ill repeated by Theresa May, who with the English police service, prisons and NHS in crisis, should clearly be getting on with her own day job. It is a bit rich of Mrs May to accuse the SNP of having an obsession with independence, considering it was her party's obsession with the EU which led to last year's referendum and the situation in which Scotland now finds itself, and for which it didn't vote.

Mrs May should read the 2016 SNP manifesto which declared that "the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold a second independence referendum if there is a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will". That is what gives Scotland's democratically elected First Minister the mandate to call another referendum on independence, and Mrs May, whose Conservative party has been rejected by the Scottish electorate for more than half a century, and who has only one MP in Scotland, has no mandate to dictate otherwise.

Ruth Marr,

99 Grampian Road, Stirling.

IT is perhaps not surprising that the politician who is determinedly leading Britain into almost certain economic and social disaster should wish to demonise the only person who offers any thought through hope of a way to avoid the forthcoming catastrophe. Whatever your views on her person or politics, Nicola Sturgeon is the only person in Britain who has put forward realistic proposals to reduce the adverse impact of Brexit or avoid them altogether.

Hugh Boyd,

65 Antonine Road, Bearsden.

DR Gerald Edwards (Letters, March 3) makes a contradictory statement. He writes: “A confident Theresa May has a firm hand on the tiller and is steering the United Kingdom (hopefully) into a new era”. He contrasts this with Nicola Sturgeon having navigated herself into a dilemma.

In his next paragraph he start: “Without knowing exactly where the UK stands, how can the Scottish voter know whether to go or stay?” – thereby admitting that the UK Government does not know where it stands.

Mrs May does indeed have a firm hand on the tiller, steering remorselessly to starboard (hard right to us landlubbers), and has the UK going round in circles.

Jim Lynch,

42 Corstrophine Hill Crescent, Edinburgh.

THE Prime Minister was correct when she mentioned that the SNP has “tunnel vision” with regard to independence. This “tunnel vision” has been a millstone round all our necks, whether we acknowledge it or not, regardless of our political choices.

I travel to work on a train that pre-dates the Scottish Parliament by 10 years. My workplace is still not providing the living wage, despite the SNP stating that this should have been paid from October, 2016.

Improve transport infrastructure, directly intervene and give us the living wage, work within the existing system and drop the grievance politics.

I desperately want the SNP to do its day job, drop the independence rhetoric and actually use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to make life better for Scotland and all its people.

David Bone,

1 Ailsa Street West, Girvan.