NOW let’s make this clear, Russia is an autocratically run dictatorship that will stand no-one speaking out against the way it is run, no foreign governments no citizen.

If you wish to see a taste of the kind of people that are hoping to become president in three weeks time just look in on their televised leadership debates, these men and they are on the whole men bar one woman, who was reduced to tears on stage with the foul-mouthed abuse hurled at her from her opponents.

READ MORE: Letters: SNP should avoid following Tory and right-wing media herd

These men would be the last people you would want to run your country. So there is no way I will be speaking up on behalf of the Russian leadership. That said, the UK is supposed to be a democracy, yet speak out against May and her reaction to the hideous crime of a gas attack and you saw the result at FMQs yesterday. Listen carefully to the words from Trump and our own First Minister; no-one is sticking their head on a block.

Lubov Chernukhin, a Russian donor who has given the Tories £253,950, bid £20,000 to have lunch with Ruth Davidson at an auction at the UK party’s Black and White fundraiser ball earlier this year. Ruth Davidson is the leader of the Scottish Tories, who carries considerable influence at Westminster. Ruth received a substantial donation from the wife of a Russian oligarch who was Vladimir Putin’s deputy finance minister and chair of the Russian state-controlled bank.

The Tories have received £826,100 in Russian money since Theresa May became PM, So Davidson can snuggle up to Putin’s cronies, yet has the brass neck to stand up at FMQs and call RT the mouthpiece for Putin, streaming propaganda into the countries homes.

We know who’s name she is trying to blacken, a no-longer elected politician with no power or influence who produces his own programme without interference from Putin or anyone else in Russia and only shown in this country under strict British guidelines (Salmond says he’s no ‘useful idiot’ for Putin, The National, March 16). Strange therefore that the Scottish media did not press Davidson on such donations or bothered to ask who really is the Kremlin stooge, Salmond or Davidson – then again why ask the question when you already know the answer.

The Alex Salmond Show was a breath of fresh air taking the heat out and replacing it with some light. Interviewing a former MI5 member who was clear and correct when she said we should be looking at what this former British spy has been up to since he came to Britain after the exchange.

We know there are many Russians oligarchs in London they have massive wealth mostly looted from Russia after the break up of the Soviet Union. We should be looking at what they are up to and whether there is any connection here, was Sergei Lavrov part of a circle, possibly a falling out, a deal that has gone bad, who knows, and that is the point, we don’t know, unless we are allowed to have a grown-up debate, other than that of the Tory government telling us how to think, otherwise are we any better as a country than the Russian dictatorship, should we be swallowing everything the Government tells us?

Tony Blair’s WMD would be a good example of how wrong that can be. This is not about RT being a mouthpiece of the Kremlin it is about RT being outwith their control, unlike the BBC that simply reiterating press releases from the Tory party. So instead of the Scottish media obsessing about The Alex Salmond Show, let’s hear more from them on the Tory unilateral power grab and destruction of the devolution settlement.
Walter Hamilton
St Andrews

THE state-funded British Nationalist Corporation in full propaganda mode has been taking pop shots at the state-funded RT.

In BBC Scotlandshire who better to put their opinion forward than Ruth herself, easily swatting aside a question about the grubby Russian money for Tories and left in peace to harangue RT and Alex Salmond at will. It doesn’t take a genius to work out the committed agenda of both these parties however the BBC needs to be careful for what it wishes for. If Ofcom bans RT the BBC will be banned in Russia and possibly their allies.

The irony is that not one single journalist has declared support for the freedom of RT to broadcast whatever it wishes as long as it abides by Ofcom’s rules. What happened to the cries of freedom of the press. British nationalism is a far greater threat than RT.
Mike Herd
via email

WHAT has happened and is continuing to happen to our country? Once we were at the forefront of freedom of expression.

Anyone who has met Alex Salmond or has listened in to his show will know without fear of contradiction that he could in no way be supportive either of the actions of the perpetrators of the Salisbury incident or of the Russians who are accused of orchestrating the appalling occurrence.

The personal attack are no more than the manifestation of the tribal hatred of the SNP. Independence and Scotland itself are subjected regularly to the antagonism of media outlets, and his show is one of the few which is not so inclined, while the show itself avoids any suggestion of political bias.

In contrast one can consider the performance of other commentators and could be forgiven for concluding that they are at the very least transparently influenced by a desire to promote Downing Street’s propaganda.
John Hamilton
Bearsden