ALF Young's analysis (November 11) of Jim Mather's recent letter focuses on the key question of what our competitive edge should be. For Mr Mather, as for the rest of the SNP and Tories, our competitive advantage must be established through a lower rate of business taxes than the rest of the UK. However, this is directly at odds with any understanding that it is impossible and indeed undesirable for Scotland to compete on cost. If we accept that our competitive edge will come from upskilling our workforce, investing in research and development and in both our virtual and physical infrastructure, any logic in Mr Mather's plan to reduce funding in these essential areas proves hard to detect.

But Mr Mather knows this already. This is the same argument he's been peddling for two years or more, and time and again it has been discredited, yet he presses on. He is not a stupid man, so we have to conclude that his motivation in continuing to promote a scheme that is demonstrably unworkable is unconnected to any desire to improve our economic performance, but is just another demonstration of the SNP's propensity to place their own narrow political concerns before the good of the Scottish people.

I would be fascinated to hear Mr Mather comment on how, as a member of the Scottish Parliament, he intends to use the powers of that body to work towards the common good. If, as I suspect, he merely intends to spend his time carping about what he feels he cannot achieve, it seems disingenuous for him to continue to collect a salary as an MSP, and, as a taxpayer, I would urge him to consider his position and perhaps stand aside for someone who does intend to do the job he was elected to do.

Judith Begg,

67 Raeburn Place, Edinburgh.