MUNRO Ross (“Be realistic about how many constituency seats the SNP can win in May”, January 19) is correct that there is no guarantee of 70 constituency seats for the SNP. It is a poll prediction, one pretty much in line with other recent polls, but nothing is ever guaranteed (though see below!).

I don’t know where Mr Ross derives the information that the Greens are going to stand in “a large number” of seats, or what he takes to be a large number, but it is possible, as he does, to look at individual constituencies one by one and take a worst-case view of each of them, coloured by what he plainly calls distrust.

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But his foreboding of disaster here and there would have the SNP performing worse than in 2016, and far below current predictions. If that is to be the outcome at this stage in the independence movement, then what on earth are we all about, and is the SNP up to the mark?

I do not regard it as sensible to assume that asking SNP constituency voters to give the party their list vote too is going to work any better than last time, notwithstanding the guarantee of “an independence referendum later this year” that Mr Ross divines in it.

Call me a spoilsport, but somehow I don’t accept that guarantee. And I will want to see the manifesto before pronouncing on its contents.

It remains the case that the voting system makes SNP list seats cost many more indy votes than other indy seats, and voting SNP on the lists prevents the election of many more indy candidates. That depresses the total indy weight of the parliament and obstructs the possibility of building an indy super-majority. Allowing ourselves to be victims instead of masters of the system, we are shooting ourselves in the foot, for party reasons, and out of distrust and fear.

Alan Crocket
Motherwell

MUNRO Ross has summed up the constituency vote problems very accurately, and like him I share concerns about gains from LibDems and Tories.

However, in several regions, for example Central Scotland, we only need to hold onto our nine constituency seats – and if we can’t do that we can forget independence. That leaves us with only 10% of the list votes counting, and we would need nearer 60% of the list vote here to get a seat.

Due to the nature of list voting that would be difficult, if not impossible, and it would still be only one seat at best. If the SNP did not stand on the list in this region but told their voters to vote for other indy parties they would be likely to get four list seats. This could leave either Monica Lennon or Richard Leonard not certain to be elected.

I do appreciate that “both votes SNP” is a simple message and without it people may get confused when looking at the list ballot paper, and even vote Labour as they had previously been Labour voters. However, as the polls currently stand and until I see the SNP manifesto I am planning to give my list vote, here in central region, to the Greens.

Ian Roberts
via thenational.scot