Now can we put to bed the myth that Scotland is better than England?

The IFS shows that in both countries NHS performance is lower than it was before Covid, but that whereas in England it is showing improvement, in Scotland it is worsening. Instead of attempted grandstanding about alleged Scottish achievement in this area, we need improved performance and higher productivity. But I doubt many of us will be surprised if, come Budget day, all the SNP does is to throw yet more money at the Scottish NHS without requiring any meaningful reform.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh.

SNP not focused on collective good

THE ongoing debate over the Scottish Government’s Budget highlights the fragile state of governance in Holyrood. As the SNP urges opposition parties to back its budget for “the collective good”, it is worth reflecting on whether this Government is prioritising political gamesmanship over genuine fiscal responsibility.

John Swinney’s warning of “a lot of disruption” if the Budget is not passed ("Unions in ‘challenging’ talks with ministers as Swinney warns of disruption", The Herald, November 28) raises legitimate concerns for public services. However, the SNP’s insistence on maintaining independence spending, even as critical services face potential cuts, is troubling. A government truly focused on “the collective good” would prioritise the NHS, education, and local government over divisive and partisan goals.

The situation calls to mind the wisdom of Cicero, who said: “The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt.” While the context may differ, the principle of fiscal responsibility is timeless.

Similarly, Benjamin Disraeli emphasised the importance of sound governance and the public's trust in government accountability. For the SNP to secure such trust, it must craft a Budget that unites Scotland, addresses its pressing challenges, and places public services above political aspirations.

Alastair Majury, Dunblane.

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The only way for Tories to succeed is to defect to Reform

The Holyrood system has now been exposed as rotten

No return for Sturgeon

NEIL Mackay, only “half jokingly”, suggests the return to power of Nicola Sturgeon to save the floundering SNP ("Could Nicola Sturgeon return to save the SNP?", The Herald November 29), comparing her to Ozymandias, King of Kings in a Percy Shelley poem, but now a ruined statue, “two vast and trunkless legs of stone,” and “on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage”. “What hubris. What a fall,” reports Neil.

Ozymandias, in his time the most powerful leader on Earth, is now a colossal wreck. Not unlike the fall of the once-revered St Nicola, I’m afraid. Too broken to be put back together.

Tom Fullerton, Glasgow.

• NEIL Mackay misses the point about Nicola Sturgeon. She delivered promises that were unfulfilled, like the rest of her party.

Time for the SNP to go before more damage is done.

Bill Eadie, Giffnock.

Yet more pain from Brexit

UNBEKNOWNST to many, the latest chapter in the economic disaster that is Brexit opens next month.

As of December 13, some businesses in Great Britain will be forced to stop selling to customers in Northern Ireland and the EU, because of new EU product safety rules.

The EU’s new General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) will apply in Northern Ireland, as well as the EU, due to the fact that Northern Ireland effectively remained in the EU’s single market for goods after Brexit.

These regulations update existing rules and aim to give better protection for consumers when shopping online and improving product recalls. This includes creating new requirements for businesses in Great Britain selling to Northern Ireland or the EU, including the need for a "responsible person", which is effectively a compliance agent.

This individual is required for goods which are manufactured outside the EU or Northern Ireland and must be based in the EU or Northern Ireland. They are effectively an official point of contact for product compliance and safety issues.

Some service providers are starting to provide responsible person apps, but these come at a cost, with different fees and categories for each product, alongside the added bureaucracy of new labelling requirements.

Such increased burdens are by their nature putting off many businesses from exporting, and as we approach the festive season, Brexit really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Alex Orr, Edinburgh.

Overhaul all our taxes

IF Kenneth Fraser (Letters, November 27) was taught "that a simple tax system would not be fair, whereas a fair one would not be simple", does it follow that, with the world’s longest and most complex tax rules, the UK must also have the most fair of systems? I think not. Perhaps the tuition he received explains why the advice of economic experts, who notoriously disagree, has made such a mess of the system over the past 60 years.

I suspect that simplifying our tax system fairly may be complicated. Perhaps that is why no-one has really tried? Every little tweak just makes it more complex. What's really needed is a root and branch overhaul, including land/council tax and more, which would be far too onerous and controversial for any government as there would likely be big winners and losers in the short term. And a multitude of overpaid advisors would have to find alternative productive employment.

David Bruce, Troon.

Save us from this vandalism

I AM in complete agreement regarding the need to produce our energy in a way that will cause least damage to our precious Earth and slow, if not stop, any further deterioration of our climate. However, in Britain and especially Scotland, at what cost?

I live directly on the proposed Kintore to Tealing section of the proposed overhead line. The UK and Scottish governments proposed this line. There are multiple booklets regarding “consultation”, with landowners, the impact on the environment, positive community benefits etc. They are full of smiling people hanging over gates. I have no experience of anyone smiling at what is proposed.

What is proposed are monster pylons marching across our land and that of our neighbours, 170 metres from our house. Also, the lines will cross closer than that, over people’s houses. Our home will be dwarfed by these monstrous towers.

We are told to object after the planning stage. Guess what: objections are heard in Scotland by the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit. After all the money invested getting the proposed line to planning, I don’t believe that objections will be successful.

If by some miracle, our objections are upheld, the UK Government can still override that decision.

Scotland’s beautiful countryside, which people from across the world come to visit, is to be totally destroyed. It is nothing short of vandalism. Even ancient scheduled monuments are to be adversely affected.

All this when there is no need. Alternative methods are available, such as undergrounding the cables or putting them subsea. The cost would not be that much greater, especially taking into consideration the revenue lost from tourism and the decimation of the hospitality industry in the affected areas.

SSEN, the UK and Scottish Governments, aren’t listening to anyone. They are determined to push this line and others through, despite our protests and alternatives being available. Not in the least democratic.

Sheila M Mather, Brechin.

Could there be a comeback for Nicola Sturheon? (Image: PA)

Do they feel guilt?

IN the early autumn of 1940 British fighter pilots fought to defend the UK from the Luftwaffe who provided deadly opposition, resulting in many deaths of UK and other pilots who flew with the RAF.

These were brave heroes who must have wondered in their beds each night, "what will tomorrow bring, will I return from my next flight?".

By contrast, recently the Israeli government released a picture of one of its pilots climbing aboard an ultra-modern jet to defend his country by going out on a bombing raid against no opposition to his flight.

I don't think he needed to worry about "what tomorrow would bring". In fact I hope he felt some guilt in bombing and probably killing many helpless, undefended women and children as well as the alleged targets. A brave hero indeed!

John Taylor, Dunlop.