I'm so glad the Greens are gone. They won't be missed

The sting in the tail for them was the humiliation of being dumped instead of being the dumpers.

The Greens stirred up controversy with their particular kind of power-sharing holding the Government to ransom. It was a joke really, considering they only managed to scrape a few votes to just about become MSPs in the first place. Their unfathomable steadfast support of the insane headlong rush into over-deployment of unreliable wind energy to enrich global investment companies to the detriment of communities, the environment and energy security helped give their party a new slogan: Green is the new Blackout.

I don’t predict happy times ahead in Holyrood for the nationalist party as a minority government but there is something Humza Yousaf has a chance to do to endear himself to his rural communities. He might even claw back some lost votes.

First Minister, you’ve ditched one serious hazard to your Government; now ditch another. You have a golden opportunity that you would be advised not to ignore. You have the perfect fall guys: the Greens. Tell communities “it was the Greens that made me do it” and tell SSEN to go away and think again and that there will be no more overhead lines or massive substations in Scotland’s iconic landscapes.

Lyndsey Ward, Spokeswoman for Communities B4 Power Companies, Beauly.

Puppets tied with their own strings

I DON'T actually think the collapse of the Green-SNP coalition is quite as dramatic as is being reported: even though I'm no fan of Huzma Yousaf, I fully expect him to survive his confidence vote and believe that we'll be back to business as usual very quickly.

It's the usual problem run up against by Greens, along with lots of others on the radical left who define themselves by sanctimonious moral posturing and a pathological hatred of Conservatives. Most of them would swear blind that up is down and day is night just so they don't have to be seen as agreeing with Conservatives, so they are ideologically incapable of reaching across the aisle and have closed down their own room to manoeuvre.

By irritating their senior coalition partners to be the point where the SNP itself has dissolved the partnership, the Greens are essentially puppets that have tied themselves with their own strings; they have given up their influence on the Government but will still have to follow its policy; they have no option other than to dance to Humza Yousaf's tune. I mean, if they ever tried to oppose the SNP, what do we expect the Greens to do? Vote Tory?

Robert Frazer, Dundee.

FM will survive the vote

HOLYROOD is a parliament of minorities, given the voting system. What would happen if the SNP lost a vote of no confidence and resigned, but a majority refused to vote through an election? Would we then see a “British Patriotic Grand Coalition” between the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems, and who would be FM?

Given the “fabulous” bluster from these parties about staffing levels and wage rises, council funding and decentralisation, tax cuts and endless spending commitments, the reality of these Chuckle Brothers in government would be highly droll (but disastrous for us). Nope, I think the Red, Blue and Yellow Tories will somehow manage to lose their no-confidence vote.

GR Weir, Ochiltree.

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Masterclass from Douglas Ross

HUMZA Yousaf's back is against the wall. Douglas Ross's call of a vote of no confidence in Mr Yousaf was a masterclass in politics. No-one can foresee any positive votes from the Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats or even Alba. Even amongst the SNP itself some MSPs may well be tempted to abstain or even vote with the opposition. That only leaves the Greens to come to the iFrst Minister's rescue but if they vote to save him they lose whatever credibility they have left and given their undiluted anger at his betrayal of the Bute House Agreement that help is unlikely to materialise.

Mr Yousaf looks doomed.

Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.

SNP will pay a heavy price

AS the SNP/Green divorce proceeds, who will get custody of the children? The Greens will.

In a staggering blunder, the SNP has turned most Scottish schools into Green Party indoctrination camps. The curriculum and the Green manifesto are often indistinguishable. A generation of Green voters is being churned out, one year group at a time.

Of course, the SNP intended to manufacture hordes of mini-SNP supporters, but, in its evangelistic zeal, it overshot. The indoctrination was too extreme.

The SNP will now pay dearly for its incompetence as the Greens mount a formidable challenge to it at every election at every level.

Richard Lucas, Scottish Family Party, Glasgow.

Saying it in song

WHERE to now for the survivors of the SNP/Greens marriage of inconvenience?

We are spoiled for choice for musical metaphors for an SNP and Greens greatest hits compilation: Yesterday; It's Over; D.I.V.O.R.C.E ; Suspicious Minds; You're So Vain; It's All Over Now; Go Your Own Way; With or Without You; Crying. But perhaps the most appropriate song lyrics for many Scots is Send in the Clowns. Actually, don't bother, they're here.

Allan Thompson, Bearsden.

Will Humza Yousaf survive the vote of confidence? (Image: PA)

The constraints Scotland faces

IN reply to Neil Stewart (Letters, April 25), I didn't mention the ferries and his other complaints in my letter of April 24 because I know I can always rely on unionists to do that for me. I didn't bring up A&E waiting times, which show an improvement, nor did I point out that it was the SNP who saved Ayr and Monklands A&E departments from closure.

I would direct Mr Stewart to the points made by Stan Grodynski in his excellent letter (April 24) regarding the NHS and education. I have a grandchild currently receiving free nursery education and four others who are enjoying a far more rounded and imaginative education than the one I got. The situation regarding the ferries is certainly not acceptable, but the other side of the coin is a yard open, people in work, apprentices learning, and the local economy benefiting.

We'd all love to fix the potholes, but until we become a normal independent country with the economic levers to grow our economy, the Scottish government (and councils) will always be constrained to work with what we get from Westminster and with one arm tied behind its back.

Ruth Marr, Stirling.

Tactical voting made easy

TACTICAL voting in Westminster elections has become something to which I, as an eco socialist in favour of self-determination, have almost become accustomed.

This is made easier this year because here in the Borders we have Tory MPs who are happy to vote to actively participate in the mass murder of children and Palestinian civilians. This is the real state terrorism that results from selling weapons made in Scotland to Israel.

Norman Lockhart, Innerleithen.

Shame on Angela Rayner

THERE was a time when one could expect moderate, yet cutting, language in the Mother of Parliaments but now it seems acceptable for gutter speak such as that from Angela Rayner when she referred to our PM as "a pint-sized loser" and previously that all Tories are "scum" (" Deputy Rayner aims ‘pint-sized loser’ jibe at Sunak in PMQS exchange", The Herald, April 25). If we are to allow such insults across the floor (were she in Scotland) she'd be referred to as a "girder gob".

Stan Hogarth, Strathaven.

Problems with the defence spend

RISHI Sunak has announced an extra £75 billion defence spending over the next six years, mentioning “an axis of authoritarian states” as possible threats. Before anyone starts waving the flags of war we should remind ourselves what happened when Germany announced an extra €100bn in defence spending in 2022. Much of that money sat idle for too long and estimated interest payments rose to €13bn. On top of that, €17-37bn will go on VAT and inflation. And a sizeable minority of the money left for purchasing actual equipment was earmarked to foreign arms companies.

I'm sick of living in interesting times.

Geoff Moore, Alness.