CONGRATULATIONS on your “Shameful” front page on Tuesday. When I picked up my copy from my local store I was so proud of how you had exposed the appalling leadership shown by the Tory government.

Amber Rudd’s disgraceful failure to rectify the injustices handed out to the Windrush generation showed the extreme right-wing policies being carried out by the Home Office. Policies created by the previous Home Secretary, Theresa May.

Mrs May, like so many of her predecessors, couldn’t resist trying to be a major global player and using her military might by carrying out air strikes in Syria without parliamentary support. The hypocrisy of selling billions of pounds of weaponry to Saudi Arabia to knock the hell out of Yemen and sit back and retreat in a cocoon of “humanitarian – aid to refugee camps” excuses to allow hundreds of thousands to die in Syria is shameful. Every effort should be concentrated on peace, not making a fortune from war and suffering.

And on the same day, Esther McVey stunned our MSPs by justifying the Tory rape clause as an “opportunity” for women.

The Tory government is making people’s lives a misery.

The litany of shame is relentless and the people of Scotland now have a duty to make an overwhelming case that an independent Scotland would be a country and society built on fairness and equality in which everyone, both home and abroad, would be valued and cared for.

I hope thousands come out to join the March for Independence on May 5.

Gordon Ferrie
Straiton

THERE is no argument that the rape clause is a shameful and indefensible provision. Sometimes, however, I think we tend to overlook the equally disgraceful provision from which it stems, namely the cap on claiming for more than two children.

When I was working in the headquarters of the Department of Health and Social Security in the 1980s, it was an article of faith among many right-wing Tories that people in receipt of benefit had children in order to increase the amount they received. There was little evidence beyond anecdote to support this, and it was certainly not happening on any scale.

It took 30 years before a sufficiently right-wing Tory Chancellor, in the shape of George Osborne, had the nerve to introduce a cap on benefit entitlement to meet this alleged problem. It has to be remembered that he was helped in this by the hardening of attitudes towards benefits in general by the scaremongering of the tabloid press, poverty-porn documentaries and, it must be added, the actions of Labour under Blair and Brown.

The Tories cannot defend the rape clause on three grounds. Firstly, it is indefensible. Secondly, they actually believe this is something that softens the impact of their draconian benefit limit. Finally, it is a policy introduced on the basis of prejudice, not evidence. It is what happens when we have a government and society that has lost sight of the true purpose of the welfare state.

Gavin Brown
Linlithgow

THE “Windrush generation” came from Commonwealth countries in the 50s and 60s to help build and run our public services like the NHS. After decades of living and working in the UK, thousands of people have been wrongly told they are here illegally – and some may even have been deported. Who will be next?

The Westminster Government have already alienated our European friends with veiled threats to their future in this country. Again people who are working in our NHS, the soft fruit sector, in hotels, cafes etc, who have made this country their home and contributed to our economy.

Where will this stop?

Will it extend to the Welsh, Northern Irish and Scots, with the powers of their respective devolved administrations stripped of any meaningful powers, and dictated to from Westminster?

Are we going to just sit back and let the Tory government do their worst, or is it time to make our case for a separate path for Scotland?

Graham Smith
Arbroath

I WILL be flabbergasted if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the Scottish and Welsh Governments – after all, it is merely a tool of Westminster and loaded with only one opinion. I doubt we are ever going to learn the lessons of history from British rule across the world. Playing the game their way by using established agencies such as those mentioned will only end in frustration.

These agencies are there for the purpose of protecting an establishment that has existed for centuries. It would not be in their interest to uphold democracy in favour of those who seek to challenge it. Time to rethink the strategy I think.

Bryan Auchterlonie
Perthshire

I CHORTLED all the way to Glasgow this morning – and am still snorting and giggling at the images described in Kevin McKenna’s piece today (Thank god for the compassionate Tories – finally a party that cares, April 18). Thank you Kevin. It was an excellent counter to my yells at the wireless earlier when Fluffy was erm urr was erm endeavouring to erm justify erm urr taking Scottish Government/Parliament to court over the Continuity Bill!

Alison Duncan
Address supplied

WELL done Nicola for securing employment for the BiFab employees at Methil, Arnish and Burntisland. Pity Jackie Baillie could only attribute the success of securing the business to the workers. No mention of SNP government involvement. Same response from Wullie Rennie and no comment from the Colonel.

N Henderson
Clydebank