FOLLOWING the comments in Dr James Young's letter (February 26), I wonder whether it is time for history to reappraise the legacy of Ramsay Macdonald. Dr Young expresses justifiable misgivings about Gordon Brown aspiring to become "another Tony Blair", but directs the main thrust of his letter at the even more horrific prospect of Brown emerging as "another Ramsay Macdonald". Yes, history has shown that Macdonald sacrificed his early ideals and principles and is demonised as a result, but surely Blair's political sins and basic dishonesty have far exceeded those of Macdonald or any other leading figure in the history of the Labour Party.
Alex Simpson, 42 Whiteshaw Drive, Carluke TEN years of Blair's presidential posing - allied to an invertebrate Cabinet and a near-supine Westminster parliament - have shown us how disastrous it is to encourage a party leader to believe he is the sole cause of a vote for his party. The possibility that the ballot papers for election to the Scottish Parliament should highlight the leader ("Why Salmond and Cameron might follow Sheridan's example") should be resisted strongly. If the leader's policies don't pass muster, neither does he.
Christopher Frew, 320 Leith Walk, Edinburgh IS IT too much to ask that The Herald desists from pushing the myth that Tommy Sheridan's name appeared beside the SSP on ballot forms at the 2003 Scottish Parliament elections? A perusal of the Electoral Commission website shows that the party description for all eight regional lists was "Scottish Socialist Party" (additionally in Gaelic for the Highlands and Islands). Given that two-thirds or more of the SSP membership has remained with the party, it should be evident that if there was ever a "cult of the personality" within the SSP, then the cult followers were a minority and have moved on to pastures new.
David Stevenson, 47 Cairns Road, Cambuslang
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