LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters from Mrs Winifred M. Ewing, John Bright-Holmes, Pro- fessor Stanislav Andreski, Hugh Berrington, Gerald Sparrow and others.
Nationalists
Sir: Hugh MacPherson sees the 'odd glint of hope' for Scotland in its present state. It could be that one of the glints he had in mind was from the twinkling eyes of Donald Stewart, sole Scot- tish Nationalist Member of Parlia- ment. He is the first Scottish Na- tional party member returned at a general election. His presence in the Chamber will remind both Labour and Tory MPS of the ever present threat to their seats. My party's performance at the general election last year and also at this year's municipal elections was disappointing but, given the present climate of political opinion in Scotland, inevitable. Out of the seventy-one Parliamentary seats in Scotland there were returned forty-four Labour M Ps at last year's general election. In Glasgow, thir- teen out of the fifteen Parliamen- tary seats were represented by Labour MPS. If Parliamentary de- mocracy means anything in Scot- land it would seem at the present time, they have indicated in the only democratic ways available to them that they do not want a Tory government. But they are landed with one.
It might be thought that the loudest opposition to this frustrat- ing state of affairs would come from the so-called Scottish Labour party. Not so. Their present chair- man is on record as having con- fessed that 'Even the possibility of a Conservative government ever ruling Britain again would be pre- ferable to complete independence for Scotland'.
I consider it likely that last week's municipal election results will possibly cause Mr Heath to accelerate the implementation of his proposed Scottish Assembly if for no other reason than to relieve the dangerous. frustration building up in the Scottish electorate.
Winifred Al. Ewing Vice President. Scottish National Party, 52 Queen's Drive, Glasgow s2
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