I NOTE a brilliant analysis by Neil Mackay of the dilemma facing independence supporters who have lost faith with an incompetent and complacent SNP government ("I can't face voting SNP or Labour. So... what do I do?", The Herald, June 11). I've gone through the same soul-searching about where to place my cross come July 4 but have come to a different conclusion.

Unlike Mr Mackay, I don't think it matters that my Labour candidate is mindful and respectful that around half of the electorate supports independence. He or she will be ruled by a right-wing Labour government in Westminster that will have no truck with independence. Scotland's only hope is for independence supporters to vote for the only significant independence party, the SNP, perhaps holding their nose while doing so and trusting that John Swinney will provide some competent government, so that Westminster knows we look at the world differently. The two-child benefit cap, continuing austerity and under-funding of the NHS, abandoning green investment, ignoring genocide in Gaza, continuing the right-wing agenda of the rich getting richer and the poor and vulnerable being ignored, that's not what Scots stand for.

I don't understand how voting Labour can do anything else but inflict damage on the aspiration for an independent Scottish nation.

Sandy Slater, Stirling.

• ALTHOUGH I share Neil Mackay’s dilemma, and for pretty much the same reasons, I have decided that I will vote SNP.

My main argument for sticking with the SNP is that it is not so much a political party, in the traditional sense, as the national government in waiting of a future state. That future state, an independent Scotland, will inevitably contain a wide range of political views and it is therefore inevitable that the national government contains a wider range of beliefs than a traditional party. I am confident recent Scottish history demonstrates that once independent, the majority of Scottish voters will support politicians who strive for a fairer society.

Peter Martin, Perth.

Election that is not for us

WHILE younger generations of my family are heading off to watch our national team competing in the Euros I will have to content myself as a spectator at an English General Election campaign where the result is a foregone conclusion which will be unaffected by any votes cast in Scotland.

The prize for the winning Ukip tribute act in this most boring and uninspiring of contests will be the keys to 10 Downing Street where the keen-eyed among them may spot a small throwaway trophy labelled Scotlandshire on the mantlepiece. The inhabitants of Scotlandshire will remain shackled to the ball and chain of Brexit which they voted so emphatically to reject in 2016 and will be instantly branded as anti-Semitic if they question any of the actions of the US/Israel alliance.

Surely they should walk away now rather than have their national identity disrespected and suppressed for another five years.

Willie Maclean, Milngavie.

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These aren't Scotland's resources

I AM at a loss to understand why Stephen Flynn has had such a good press for his performance in the TV debate of the seven ("SNP's Westminster leader was the 'star' of BBC debate", The Herald, June 10). It is probably that the other performers, and the host, Mishal Husain, were not sufficiently au fait with Scottish politics to know when he was talking nonsense.

Still, one might have thought that they would register the daftness of him saying "It’s Scotland’s wind, it’s Scotland’s waves". No-one owns the wind and the waves, and "Scotland" certainly doesn’t. Private companies, mostly foreign-owned, are the proprietors of energy companies that utilise these resources.

The SNP likes to harp on about "Scotland’s resources". It isn’t "Scotland" or Scots who have invested in and exploited these resources, or made successful businesses based on them. It is a sad commentary on Scots that so many of them seem not to know that.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh.

Double standards

THE SNP sees fit to attack the mainstream parties on ''privatising the NHS'' and apparently the service will only be safe in Scotland with it. Is that right? Coincidentally, in the most hypocritical use of our money to date, it plans to spend £850 million on private health services. This is intended to ease pressure on existing NHS staff. That part of it is understandable.

However, at the same time it hyperventilates about the UK parties ''privatising'' the NHS when it does exactly the same thing.

Once again the irony meter is off the scale and the old SNP adage is there for all to see: accuse your opponents of that of which you are most guilty yourself.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh.

EU is still the home of freedom

DR Gerald Edwards (Letters, June 11) can’t count. The political centre still has an outright majority in the European Parliament.

The European Union remains the home of democratic peoples, and European citizenship is the greatest freedom any people ever had.

Liars and their fanbase squandered that freedom on behalf of UK citizens.

Cowards who used to be socialists, liberals and conservatives stand in the way of regaining European citizenship for the people.

That’s the challenge for the SNP, whose leadership must mature and coalesce around a powerful economy, an end to child poverty, and the restoration of working infrastructure. That means hard work, so all power to hard workers among that leadership.

They have about two years to get it right.

Tim Cox, Bern, Switzerland.

Campaigning for the millionaires

 CLEVER scam starts with a supposed simple comment or advice. Nigel Farage is the best example of this and he appeals to the right-wing populace, mainly white and English. The blame-immigrants-for-everything stance gives the Government an excuse for its many failures.

In the case of housing shortages it must be remembered that this situation existed long before the Middle East and Ukraine wars or Covid. What did not exist were material problems and costs due to Brexit. Mr Farage led the attack for Brexit.

Mr Farage openly supports privatisation of the NHS and said, during the BBC debate, that it is partly privatised already. Of course the well-off bigwigs who make fortunes in financial services - guess where Mr Farage earned his bread - can bypass the NHS at will anyway.

One undisputed fact during austerity and shortages, plus tax increases for lower and middle classes, is that the numbers of millionaires increased tenfold under these Tories, some of whom will support Reform.

JB Drummond, Kilmarnock.

Nigel FarageNigel Farage (Image: PA)

Why we need Nigel Farage

I AM happy to reassure John Jamieson and Trudy Duffy-Wigman (Letters, June 11) that I do not question the huge beneficial contribution that immigrants have made over the centuries, and I am proud to be descended from immigrants who fought their way in with the Norman conquest. Unexceptionally, I happily support with my custom a variety of foreign-originating culinary delights provided by others, Nardini’s being a particular favourite. The fact that they are of immigrant descent is irrelevant as they have all deliberately integrated into and become part of the indigenous population, to everyone’s benefit.

Similarly, all immigrants and their descendants can integrate to become part of the indigenous population. Of course the state has its part to play in facilitating that integration by growing the infrastructure to cope with the increase in numbers. Over my lifetime, the UK population has grown from 41 million to 68 million, and that growth does not appear to have been a problem until the huge annual increases in recent years, with over 700,000 (equivalent to the population of Glasgow) now arriving annually. Where, how and at what cost are such numbers to be housed, educated, employed and cared for?

The next government of whatever colour has the responsibility to address and deal with this massive growth, but as yet there is no indication from any of the parties that they have a clue as to what to do. Unless and until they do, on behalf of those like myself who are concerned at the possibility of unrest, who other than Nigel Farage will hound and harass them relentlessly?

Alan Fitzpatrick, Dunlop.