Send in the clowns: Westminster rabble is dysfunctional

The very real prospect of Scotland being dragged into the sewer of governance by a hard right party must surely convince all Scots that the only hope for us, and our children and grandchildren, is independence. Charlie Shaw, Rutherglen.[1] More letters...

SNP should have had its retread a decade ago. It's too late now[2] Johnson's crass remarks on the terror attack have dragged politics into the sewer[3]

Great Repeal Bill is where SNP should focus its energies[4] Politics: a dirty business Like most people, politics[5] is peripheral to the main interests in my life, though it's obviously important to the well-being of everyone.

However, over the last two decades or so, negativity and personal sniping at opponents has replaced what used to be more respectful interaction between senior politicians of both parties. Since the days of David Cameron, every Prime Minister has faced an avalanche of criticism, making the job extremely difficult. PMs are attacked by opponents, their own back benchers and virulent punditry from right and left.

The Tories burned through David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. Now we have Labour's Sir Keir Starmer[6] feeling the heat. On the day of the King's Speech, BBC Scotland[7]'s news should have been about the speech's relevance to Scotland (or not).

Instead, it was all about Labour Party leadership gossip, where the conversation had been stuck for days. Groundhog Day for what has become 'BBC North Britain'. Good luck justifying the licence fee in Scotland.

GR Weir, Ochiltree. Constitutional malaise Slowly but surely, people around the UK are waking up to the fact that Brexit Britain is indeed broken.

Some die-hard unionists continue to bury their heads in the sand, others refuse to face up to reality. That reality being that the advance of a hard right party is now headed towards running the next Westminster government. This is ringing alarm bells for those genuinely concerned about Britain's economic, social, democratic and moral decline.

Constitutional reform is a necessity for all those who are serious in wishing to see fundamental change across the UK, and sustained progress, without discrimination, for the peoples of these islands. Those who are still not convinced of the merits of independence need to attempt to construct a convincing case for federalism, or accept that self-determination is the only hope for future generations. Remaining silent about the UK's constitutional malaise will only serve the interests of those invested in Britain's demise.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian.[8] Why the poor don't vote The dramatic fall-off in voter turnout at the recent Holyrood[9] election tells us something.

This was the lowest participation rate in a decade. Leading commentators and pollsters suggest three main reasons: One: Dual Disillusionment.

Unlike previous years, where voters might punish an incumbent by supporting their rival, 2026 saw a notable decline in voter trust across the board. Two: Shifting Voter Priorities. The 'constitutional question' appeared to lose motivating power for the first time since the 2014 Referendum.

Cost of living and public service delivery were more important voter concerns, compounded by stay-at-home SNP[10] voters. This saw the SNP[11] vote-share fall by nearly 10%. Three: The Deprivation Gap.

Official numbers have still to be released, but provisional figures indicate 21 of the 73 constituencies saw voter turnout fall below the 50% threshold, some falling as low as 43%. The latter is particularly important. Why so?

1.25 million people live in 'Sub-50' constituencies. These are heavily concentrated in urban and post-industrial communities, characterised by high levels of deprivation, low incomes, high levels of economic inactivity, poor housing etc. Moreover, this pattern is shockingly consistent with many constituencies appearing in the 'bottom tier' in nearly every election since 1999.

The people there are also three times more likely to stay at home than those in the least deprived areas. Plainly, many of our fellow citizens feel their voice no longer matters because nothing changes. This remains a shameful indictment of our politicians.

'Must do better' no longer cuts it. Significant change is needed, with economic and social policies that are better designed, better focused, better integrated, and mutually reinforcing - at both the national and local level - and delivered through stable and effective partnership. The future health of our democracy depends on it.

Ewen Peters, Newton Mearns. Swinney's treatment of Reform questionable I read with interest the John Swinney[12] article ("Exclusive interview: John Swinney[13]'s first post-election sitdown, with Brian Taylor", The Herald, May 13).

The section where Mr Swinney describes his faith was most enlightening, when he says that he does not treat people any way, other than the way he would want to be treated. This is indeed a worthy moral compass. But would he be happy if Reform UK[14] excluded his party from discussions on collaboration across parliament?

I sincerely hope that Reform UK[15] don't form the next Westminster government. But if they do, it will be interesting to see what stance they might take with regard to the SNP. Willie Towers, Alford, Aberdeenshire.

Free handouts? Not really Catriona C Clark highlights the benefits to young people in Scotland provided by the devolved SNP Scottish Government[16] (Letters, May 14).

The adjective 'free' features frequently in her list. Perhaps the explanation for the ability of the SNP to provide all these 'free' policies is that, despite Scotland generating revenue of only ?91 billion in 2024/25, the Westminster Government had to contribute a further ?27 billion to cover Scotland's expenditure. In effect, the 'free' stuff is paid for by English taxpayers.

An independent Scotland would have to find that extra finance by either cutting public spending or increasing taxation. James Quinn, Lanark. Black hole in budget: what now?

Sir Tom Hunter may well speak on behalf of the business community in Scotland ("Sir Tom shines light on huge issue Scottish firms want Swinney to address", The Herald, May 14). But who is there to speak for the Scottish taxpayer over the problem of filling a ?5 billion black hole in the Holyrood[17] budget, when not a single party made reference to the debt in the recent hustings? Again, who will speak for the energy consumer when John Swinney cannot reply to the question of what will keep the lights on in Scotland when the wind fails to blow ?

Finally, is there anyone who will protect the electricity user when the SNP introduces floating wind turbines, with a strike price of ?213 per MWhr (Megawatt hour), i.e.

300% higher than the current offer of ?73 per MWhr for off-shore electricity ? Ian Moir, Castle Douglas. Farmers feel abandoned and voiceless

British farmers are increasingly being asked to do the impossible. We are expected to produce food to some of the highest welfare, environmental and traceability standards anywhere in the world, while simultaneously competing against imports produced under standards that would not be permitted here. Reports of substantial quantities of beef entering the UK from countries such as Uruguay have caused deep concern across the farming industry.

Many farmers question how imports potentially linked to growth hormones, blanket antibiotic use and weaker traceability requirements can be allowed to compete directly with British and Scottish beef. At the same time, farmgate beef prices have fallen sharply in recent weeks. Many producers have seen around 50p/kg disappear from deadweight prices in little more than a month -- roughly ?200 a head wiped out almost overnight.

Yet consumers are still paying historically high prices at supermarket shelves. Beef prices in shops do not appear to have fallen proportionally since January, raising serious questions about where value is actually being retained within the supply chain. The UK already has some of the cheapest food relative to income anywhere in Europe, reportedly among the cheapest in the world.

Consumers are not necessarily paying excessive prices, but primary producers are receiving an ever smaller share of the final retail price while carrying almost all of the financial risk. The central problem is that supermarkets now hold extraordinary power over the food chain, while virtually nobody appears willing or able to hold them to account. Farmers have no meaningful leverage whatsoever.

We are price takers when buying inputs and price takers when selling produce. Costs can rise overnight for feed, fertiliser, fuel and machinery, yet producers are simply expected to absorb the pressure when prices are driven down. Those further up the supply chain are able to protect their margins and pass costs on.

Primary producers cannot. The imbalance of power is staggering, and there is no realistic mechanism for farmers to challenge it. Politicians speak constantly about supporting domestic food production, rural communities and mental health in agriculture.

Yet the structure of the supply chain continues to push family farms closer to the edge. Many farmers increasingly feel abandoned and voiceless. The human cost is often overlooked.

Spring is already the busiest and most pressured time of year in agriculture, with farmers working from early morning until late at night through calving, lambing and sowing, while trying to keep businesses viable. It is no surprise that mental health pressures within farming continue to grow. There must now be a serious national discussion about supermarket power, food security and whether British farmers can realistically survive while being undercut by imports produced to lower standards.

If this continues, we risk losing not only family farms, but the long-term resilience and independence of domestic food production itself. William Barrie, Scottish Borders.[18] Provide homes, not roads

Glasgow City Council[19], like many councils, is under pressure, which comes as no surprise. The Herald reported that the council favours the demolition of the Woodside Viaduct stretch of motorway ("Council response favours demolition stretch of M8 motorway in Glasgow", The Herald, May 14). No doubt this will be seen as crazy by people who drive big cars and avoid public transport to get into the city.

There has also recently been the tragic story of care workers who have lost their jobs and face financial peril, through changes in UK immigration rules. This will, no doubt, exacerbate the city's homeless crisis, as it's likely to be at least seven years before this is resolved. The question, therefore, is where should money be spent in the city?

Repairing or rebuilding viaducts, so that people from outwith the city can drive into it without contributing to the city's finances for that privilege? Or on housing the many people - young and old, single and in families - in decent accommodation, rather than in crowded temporary accommodation, or in tents or sleeping bags on our streets? Common decency and respect for others demands the second option.

Patricia Fort, Glasgow. Facing the music: is Eurovision a serious competition? (Image: PA) Sing-y Swinney

As a good dance song, the UK's Eurovision Song Contest entry, Eins, Zwei Drei, has a real chance of winning. It reminds me of Mario Lanza's famous song in The Student Prince album. However, I won't be watching the show.

Not because of the Israel[20] protest, but because I never watch such Eurotrash. I'd rather listen to John Swinney singing the SNP manifesto. Dennis Forbes Grattan, Aberdeen.[21]

References

1. ^ Rutherglen (www.glasgowtimes.co.uk)
2. ^ SNP should have had its retread a decade ago.

   It's too late now (www.heraldscotland.com)

3. ^ Johnson's crass remarks on the terror attack have dragged politics into the sewer (www.heraldscotland.com)
4. ^ Great Repeal Bill is where SNP should focus its energies (www.heraldscotland.com)
5. ^ politics (www.heraldscotland.com)
6. ^ Keir Starmer (www.heraldscotland.com)
7. ^ BBC Scotland (www.heraldscotland.com)
8. ^ East Lothian (www.eastlothiancourier.com)
9. ^ Holyrood (www.heraldscotland.com)
10. ^ SNP (www.heraldscotland.com)
11. ^ SNP (www.heraldscotland.com)
12. ^ John Swinney (www.heraldscotland.com)
13. ^ John Swinney (www.heraldscotland.com)
14. ^ Reform UK (www.heraldscotland.com)
15. ^ Reform UK (www.heraldscotland.com)
16. ^ Scottish Government (www.heraldscotland.com)
17. ^ Holyrood (www.heraldscotland.com)
18. ^ Scottish Borders (www.bordertelegraph.com)
19. ^ Glasgow City Council (www.glasgowtimes.co.uk)
20. ^ Israel (www.heraldscotland.com)
21. ^ Aberdeen (www.heraldscotland.com)