Don't follow a failed strategy

MURRAY Ritchie is correct to warn Tavish Scott, the Scottish Liberal Democrat's new leader, of the dangers of supinely following the failed anti-SNP strategy of his predecessor, Nicol Stephen ('It's time for the Lib Dems to get radical', Comment, August 31). Regrettably there is little prospect of this being heeded if the height of Tavish's ambition is simply "to oppose Alex Salmond and defend the Union".

Within a partisan SNP perspective, the good news is that the consequence of such a strategy is likely to be the loss of Lib Dem seats to the SNP at future elections.

Within a wider perspective, the bad news is that the reluctance to engage in constructive discussions with the SNP could result in preserving the constitutional status quo. This prompts the question of how genuine is the Lib Dem commitment to a federal or con-federal resolution of the 'national conversation' about Scotland's constitutional future.

Ian O Bayne, Glasgow