Scotland Matters Letters

One of your recent correspondents opined that Humza Yousaf had no idea of politics. I beg to differ. Checking his resume he has been nothing but a politician since school. He has a degree in politics from Glasgow University and went from there straight into SNP politics as an adviser to a number of MSPs before becoming an MSP himself He is a pure politico, with no experience of anything else. As such he will always seek the politically correct answer (for himself or the party) rather than the right answer for the county I’m afraid that he is very like many of his SNP comrades who other than being councillors have done little in the way of real-life experience before entering politics. Mike Salter, Banchory.

The SNP leadership contest has sunk to the lowest common denominator: independence. It was never going to be far from the candidates’ thoughts but it is light years from voters’ priorities. It is time for the SNP to seek a new mandate – not on independence but on its running of everyday life in Scotland. If it really has done such a wonderful job what has it got to lose? Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.

So in the light of a complete operational and financial failure to deliver the ferry contract – five years late and over budget by 300 per cent – six senior managers at Ferguson Marine have shared bonuses of £87k in the last financial year! In what other private or public sector organisation could this ridiculous scenario actually come to pass? It truly beggars belief. Surely the Scottish government, as the majority shareholder, has a representative on the board of directors? That representative would automatically be a member of the remuneration committee which minutes and approves’ all adjustments and award of any bonus payments in line with previous remuneration committee schemes, surely? But the Scottish government is now ‘concerned’ about this situation and this ‘failure of governance. Really? It is their responsibility as part. owners to oversee such governance. However, it also shows the incompetence of the senior management of Ferguson Marine. The senior managers in that company should know that bonus payments have to be signed off by a remuneration committee before being awarded and paid, so they are equally incompetent. Gordon Presly, Kilmarnock.

The three SNP leadership candidates agree that their goal is to achieve independence within five years. The reality is the SNP has failed to demonstrate that it can govern Scotland after such a vast range of failures m devolved matters. Dennis Forbes Grattan, Aberdeen.

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