Readers' letters: Election timing could be good for Lib Dems

The council elections in Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland on Thursday are likely to be interesting.

There is widespread disappointment with the last 10 years of the SNP/Labour coalition and the state of Edinburgh after the abject failure to sort out potholes or address the litter problem.

It seems that Labour may suffer more than SNP, although some voters may prefer the Starmer/Sarwar leadership compared to Corbyn/Leonard.

The majority of SNP voters will vote regardless of performance of their politicians Depressingly SNP and Tories have constantly tried to bring in their respective views of the independence debate when the elections are about electing councillors to look after local issues.

Tories seem a bit rattled with the current leader mired in sleaze and Partygate. They will be bracing themselves for a significant loss in council numbers all over the UK.

The current situation is perfect timing for the Lib Dems. The combination of a shambolic SNP/Labour regime for the past 10 years, Tories imploding and a positive perception of the existing Edinburgh Lib Dem councillors as hardworking and engaging with their constituents, should lead to an increased Lib Dem group.

The Greens have run a low-key campaign and few in the electorate will be aware that they have been supportive of the council regime on most things for the past decade. As some voters may be concerned with global warming and the environment (quite rightly), they may feel voting in more Green councillors in Edinburgh might somehow save the planet. Accordingly the Greens are likely to at least maintain their current numbers.

All in all, it will be fascinating to see how the various parties fare.

M Gray, Edinburgh.

Scrap Clyde ferries and just start again

SNP government promised two new Clyde ferries, with the date now so far behind and the build in such a mess that it seems better to scrap them and start again.

More work for Turkish shipyards, no doub,t who received a recent £105m contract from Scotland. The Norwegian government have ordered an identical ferry from the same yard for 50 per cent of the cost.

The two locally built ferries are over budget by about £300m, before the cost of liquid gas storage and issues like ferries not fitting in the ports is added.

Paperwork explaining why the contract was incorrect has gone missing, apart from an email blaming Derek McKay. Those formerly employed and involved in the contract with Fergus Marine are signed up to gagging orders on the instruction of the SNP government.

We must not forget a promise by John Swinney of 12 new island ferries by now for £250m. Even Thatcher’s government launched more CalMac ships than the SNP have managed over 15 years of trying and counting.

Alastair Murray, Edinburgh.

We can be heroes

Andrew Gray (Letters, 29 April) makes excellent comment on poor education about Scotland and "How others see us in film".

‘Local Hero’ would be a good film. The English perception of Scotland also needs some upgrading.

I recently read the special effects (FX) instruction in a radio script, to denote the action moving to Glasgow. It said....”Glasgow: FX Bagpipes and breaking glass.”

On a London comedy show they were suggesting wedding presents to reflect the national culture of the recipients. For Scotland the choice was a frying pan and a Stanley Knife.

Rab C Nesbit is funny to us, but some actually believe it.

Malcolm Parkin, Kinross.

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