Sturgeon must ditch her dream and advance the nation’s future
LETTERS
AS I lie in hospital being treated for acute leukaemia, I have had time to reflect on many things – including the whole independence debate.
When it was first mooted, I had an open mind: if accredited independent economic think-tanks could consistently forecast that as a nation we could flourish economically, I would, with some emotional reluctance, have supported independence.
The first debates were not promising, the think-tanks’ pronouncements ambivalent and the long-awaited White Paper seemed to base our prosperity on oil, extra child care provision, reduced airport taxes (any comment Green Party?) and vague metaphors of “fiscal levers”, which mysteriously were lying waiting to be released after independence.
September 2014 came and the SNP saltires had the wind at their backs: oil prices high, youthful enthusiasm, beautiful weather and even an 11th hour Yes endorsement coaxed out of Andy Murray. The No vote won by a significant majority.
Today, we now should focus on what really matters: the welfare of our people and economic stability and progress. Nicola Sturgeon, to her credit, says she “will do whatever is for the good of Scotland”. I firmly now believe that if she is going to be true to her words that involves ditching full independence and advancing Scotland’s prospects, perhaps under a federal set-up, with our saltire proudly linked to the other flags of the UK.
My survival is of little consequence in this grand debate, nor do I expect to see how it all pans out, but I do worry about my children and grandchildren in an independent Scotland where (rather like Ireland) the main export for 50 years could be our young and talented.
From my present perspective (mostly horizontal) the National Health Service is still a magnificent creation and oldies like myself (pensioned and mortgage free) should be prepared to put out some of our silver to ensure its survival and improvement – and all under one flag.
Douglas J Cotter, c/o Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock Road, Crosshouse.
WILLIAM McKissock (Letters, June 30) talks much sense regarding our emergency services having to pay VAT and it is ridiculous
Theresa May can in essence say “I told you, so don’t blame me”. It demonstrates the puerile childish attitudes oh so evident in our parliamentary politics and the fact that some of our politicians should not be allowed to run a sweetieshop never mind a country.
It seems Nicola Sturgeon is always looking for excuses to irritate Mrs May, who could ask for a better cause over which to poke the nationalist stick through the bars of her cage. The people of Scotland are penalised £23 million each year because of administrative red tape at the same time as Northern Ireland gets a £1.5 billion bung to squander on the likes of stockpiles of wood-pellets that nobody intends to burn. Ms Sturgeon should simply stop paying the VAT and stand well back.
What would London do? Take us to court, send in the bailiffs, cut the block grant, suspend the Scottish Government, send the tanks in again?
David J Crawford,
Flat 3/3 131 Shuna Street, Glasgow.
IN recent days, the word “grubby” has been done to death in describing the use of the British taxpayer’s money to secure a deal with the DUP that props up Theresa May’s Tory Government.
Time may well reveal the real seediness involved, was not in the payment of an honest to goodness multi-million pound bribe. Rather it was in a wink, wink, nudge, nudge approach to contentious Northern Irish matters such as flag flying and the sometimes controversial decisions of the Parades Commission.
Tom O’Neill,
Levengrove Court, Dumbarton.
THE UK deficit is reported to be around £52 billion. Consequently, claims there is a “black hole” of £15bn in the Scottish economy amount to the proposition the
8.5 per cent of the UK population north of the Border is uniquely responsible for nearly 30 per cent of the total UK deficit. How credible are these claims?
Dr Bruce Crichton, 6 Birchfield Road, Hamilton.
NICOLA Sturgeon was wise to put her plans for a referendum on the back burner. The recent experience of the referendum to either stay in or leave the EU has given referendums a bad name. The position is not helped by the fact that negotiations have started and we still only have a very sketchy idea of what those who voted to leave the EU have actually voted for.
Ironically for Theresa May, in her capacity as defender of the United Kingdom, a successful outcome to the Brexit negotiations will give many people the reassurance that meaningful discussions can take place following a decision to leave. Whereas if it all ends in chaos there will be many who will argue that the same fate will apply if Scotland leaves the UK.
The best course of action for the Scottish Government would be to get on with the task of implementing the devolved powers in such a way as effectively makes Scotland a semi-independent country within the United Kingdom. If Ms Sturgeon can start by setting and collecting our own distinctive Scottish taxes and paying out our own social security benefits then that would give the Scottish people the faith that Holyrood could take over from Westminster.
Sandy Gemmill, 40 Warriston Gardens, Edinburgh.
I HAVE a wee quibble with Ian Lakin (Letters, June 30) when he concludes the SNP has lost the economic argument over independence.
Did it have a coherent one to lose to begin with?
Certainly, since the fall in the price of North Sea oil it has been denial, wishful thinking and pie in the sky economics.
R Russell Smith, 96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie.
DAVID Mundell is facing charges of being no more than an empty jacket, a yes-man, toadying to his boss and forgetting his day job.
Surely, in the interests of fairness, we should list the good things Mr Mundell must have achieved in his seven years in the Scottish Office: he should, given his position, have made many announcements of positive economic, industrial and social news for our small country.
I’ll go first. Eh, um, er...
GR Weir, 17 Mill Street, Ochiltree.