Our Letters Pages are now in full General Election mode, with readers keen to air their views in the run-up to July 4.

On Saturday, John Swinney and the SNP were in the line of fire.

Read those letters here 👈

Today, however, a reader argues that voting SNP could be good for Britain in the long term.

Get the Letter of the Day straight to your inbox.

The Herald:

Alastair Grant​ of Elgin writes:

"When one remembers that Scotland hasn’t voted Conservative since 1959, 65 years ago, it is understandable that the Scottish voting public are keen to help vote out the Tory government on July 4.

"Like Belarus, the only other European state using it, the UK has a first-past-the-post voting system at Westminster. Thus the only party likely to oust the Conservatives will be Labour, fuelling the temptation across the whole of the UK to vote Labour, the party with a history of socialism, including the formation of our beloved but under-threat NHS.

"The knowledge that in 2024 the Labour Party in common with the Tories, include MPs, indeed Shadow Cabinet members who have shares in private health-care (and also receive funds from pro-Israel lobby groups) is shocking, to say the least.

"The electoral assumption is that, in spite of the above, there will be a large swing to Labour in England and Wales, as voters have little other choice if they want to get rid of the current government.

"In Scotland, voters are being persuaded to join in this movement and help by returning Labour MPs from north of the border, on the premise that a few more Labour MPs will swing the election.

"This may result in a Labour government with a small majority (and probably for a few years only), which appears to be planning to broadly continue many of the policies of the current Conservative one.

"Compare this to the effect that maintaining the SNP vote and representation at Westminster will have.

"Sitting alongside the Labour Party (not in coalition) there would then be a large left-wing majority consisting of Labour and SNP, now prepared to legislate policies for the benefit of the whole British public, who have been experiencing a declining NHS, widespread poverty, and food banks, all starved of resources because of poor economic growth since the time of Thatcherism.

"The Scottish collaboration in this arrangement would help put Britain back on the road to being Great again, the decline in Britain having risen as the influence of Scotland has waned, due in part at least to the first-past-the-post system, which made voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland largely irrelevant to the balance of power situation in Westminster.

"The SNP could then negotiate with the Labour Party to change the UK voting system to a proportional voting system, like the rest of Europe; to apply to re-enter the E.U.; and to agree the nation of Scotland should have the ability to hold referendums on self-government at any time they wish."

📨 Read more in our Letters page

Letters should not exceed 500 words. We reserve the right to edit submissions.