LETTER: Scottish memory

From Mr Tom Fulton

Sir: Dr Winnie Ewing, president of the Scottish National Party, in her letter today, quite correctly blamed Margaret Thatcher's government for killing off the Scotland Act.

She omitted, however, to mention the fact that this might not have happened if, on the occasion of the vote of confidence in the Callaghan government in March 1979, the 11 Nationalist MPs at that time had abstained instead of voting with the Tories and the Liberals to bring down the Labour government by a single vote.

The Labour Party remains committed to a policy of a Scottish assembly in Edinburgh and Tony Blair has confirmed, many times, that this will have legislative priority when he gets the authority to form a government.

Yours faithfully,

Tom Fulton

Dalrymple,

Ayrshire

6 September