WELL done to The Herald for exposing the hypocrisy of Alex Salmond on the issue of party funding. His letter in your pages on Saturday was a disgrace: ''Yes we'll be open and transparent . . . but not yet''. Old politics or new, I think we expect better from the Leader of the Opposition.

You're right too, to point out that many of the SNP's difficulties arise from it being a one-man band. Mr Salmond is a skilful politician, but he does have an alarming propensity to put his foot in it at key moments. His comments on Kosovo, the pledge to increase income tax, and now this. The Nationalist performance is beginning to look like a production of Alex in Blunderland.

Doug Maughan,

52 Menteith View, Dunblane.

July 12.