Would your old headmaster vote for you? And why?

Krystyna Ost, Edinburgh

Probably. A few years back, I appeared on a radio programme, Old School Ties, (pun intended) when I went back to Linlithgow Academy.

I was surprised about how favourable the teachers were to SNP politics, because I had never got that impression from them previously. But times change, and often for the better.

Why did you come back to succeed John Swinney?

Jean McClure, Maryhill

I thought that working together with Nicola Sturgeon we could provide the joint leadership needed to take first the SNP, then Scotland forward.

Does the route to independence lie in appealing to the heart and soul of the population, rather than focusing on economic arguments?

Tony Devlin, Edinburgh

The argument for independence should appeal to both the heart and the head.

Certainly, Scotland would be better off independent, but that is not the fundamental argument for freedom.

The essential argument is that the natural state for a nation is to be self-governing, co-operating with other states on an equal basis.

Were Scotland to gain independence, which party would form the first administration?

David McCann, Alloa

That would be entirely the choice of the Scottish people, through the ballot box under a fair and proportionate electoral system. I do think, though, that the SNP would be in with a fair shout.

Will you be prepared to reconsider your stance on nuclear power if circumstances change?

Dick Winchester, Aberdeenshire

I can't conceive of these circumstances. Scotland has a huge natural advantage in a whole range of renewable energy resources, in particular offshore wind and clean carbon technology.

We are the best placed country in Europe to exploit this advantage. Scotland has no such advantage in developing nuclear power, or for dealing with its dangerous by-product of radioactive waste.

Do you have plans for voting reform?

Martyn McDonald, Glasgow

Firstly, we would extend the franchise to the age of 16, and we would also reform the list system for the Scottish Parliament to introduce single transferable vote, where the people have a direct say in choosing the individual candidate they wish to represent them on a more proportionate basis.

Will you have the courage to amend the 1918 Education Act Scotland (and abolish denomimational schools)?

Alan Cairnduff

It is not a question of courage; it is a question of what is right and wrong.

It would be wrong to end an agreement which was entered into in 1918 to bring Catholic schools into the public school system without the full consent of the Catholic community. It is right to celebrate the considerable success of both Catholic schools and the Scottish education system in achieving results which rank it third in educational achievement within the OECD.

I think that the parties which seek to substantially alter the structure of the Scottish education system run the risk of undermining something which, thanks to the efforts of the teaching community, is a considerable success story.

Should the British government pay compensation and apologise to servicemen who witnessed nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean and Australia between 1952 and 1967?

John Johnstone, Beith

Yes. The treatment of exservicemen, both in this matter and in other areas such as the mishandling of those suffering from Gulf war syndrome, is a national scandal.

I can't help thinking that those politicians who are keenest to send our soldiers into combat are those most reluctant to provide the help and support needed when they return home.

Which of the other main party leaders do you rate most highly?

William Henderson, Inverness

Charles Kennedy is a very likeable person, but my views on both Tony Blair and Michael Howard are coloured by the poll tax and the war in Iraq. I would rate most highly my Plaid Cymru colleague Elfyn Llwyd, who is a determined and passionate advocate for Wales.

When, one day, your obituary appears in The Herald, how would you like to be remembered?

Donald Hunter, Ayr

Maybe a political equivalent of the Robert W Service poem:

I have no doubt at all the Devil grins, As seas of ink I spatter.

Ye gods, forgive my "literary" sins . . .

The other kind don't matter.

Alternatively, He picked a few winners.

Do you have questions for the other party leaders, Michael Howard, Charles Kennedy and Tony Blair?

Send them as soon as possible to:

election@theherald. co. uk