In his outright refusal to consider any post-election arrangement with the SNP (Values – not the SNP – are key, 2 May), does Ed Miliband realise that most SNP supporters are former Labour voters? If he holds out any hope of attracting them back to the fold, he needs to treat them with a little more respect.
Dr John Davies
Kirkby in Cleveland, North Yorkshire
• Who could have predicted a time when there might be more pandas in Edinburgh Zoo than Labour MPs in Scotland?
San Cassimally
Edinburgh
• By saying he will cut taxes for 30 million people if returned to power (Tories pledge not to raise tax, 29 April) is Mr Cameron planning to turn us into a nation of benefit scroungers? No doubt all those lifted out of paying taxes will still expect to receive all the benefits of education, the NHS, police, fire service, roads etc. Who do they think will pay for it all?
Jack Mitchell
Cambridge
• Alex Orr (Letters, 29 April) mentions lack of growth and productivity as a root cause of our economic problems. None of the major parties truthfully wants the economy to grow with any vigour, as this would raise people’s expectations of a better future and would entail some redistribution of income; heaven forbid.
Paul Sturman
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
• When the new MPs are returned to parliament they will have job security for five years and know how much money will be coming in each month. I wonder how many of the much-vaunted “new jobs” claimed by George Osborne (Slow GDP growth puts pressure on Osborne, 27 April) will enjoy such security.
Maureen Tranter
Sheffield
• Still no sign of “keep it in the ground” commitments in the party manifestos with just one week to go (Fossil fuel divestment gives Earth a prayer of a chance, 2 May)
Roger Walker
Geoscan Research, Bradford
