Scottish Nationalists
Sir: I agree with Mrs Ewing (Letters. December 1), though I think Mayo McDonald's personal merits as a candidate also has something to do with the Govan result.
It might be worth adding that the SNP is not a minor party, it is a major party operating in a small country, where it appears to have 30 per cent average support at present, on the basis of the four by-elections it has contested since 1970.
The four constitutuencies, taken together, showed less than the national average support.' for theparty, viz. 9 per cent as against 11 per cent inclusive in both cases of seats not contested. Ignoring decimal points the increase in support is as follows:
Stirling 15 to 35 per cent, Dundee East 9 to 30 per cent, Govan 10 to 41 per cent, Edinburgh North 0 to 19 per cent.
On this sort of performance the SNP should be close to 900,000 votes and thirty-five seats if Mr Heath panics and calls a winter election: the 'Who overns Britain?' issue will not cut much ice here, as we have the alternative, which the English do not have, of opting out of the UK altogether.
Anthony J. C. Kerr 52 Castlegate, Jedburgh, Scotland
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