Principles first

When Suzanne Evans of UKIP enthusiastically welcomed Theresa May’s Brexit speech on the Daily Politics show on Tuesday it was clear, if it was ever in doubt, that the Toryled Westminster government is intent on fulfilling UKIP’S dreams. So where does that leave people in Scotland, in particular those with any semblance of a social conscience?

While no doubt the chameleon that is the leader of the Conservative party in Scotland will now find arguments as to why Scotland should no longer be a member (directly or indirectly) of the EU Single Market, in spite of the economic turmoil this will bring to Scotland according to her own previous analysis, others with more principles should seriously assess what values they consider important for the country in which they wish to live along with their children and grandchildren.

Should the First Minister offer the voters of Scotland the opportunity to pursue self-determination through a second Scottish referendum, along with an SNP commitment on independence to participate in the European Internal Market either directly through the EU or through EFTA, then it will also be clear that Scotland can pursue a different path to that advocated by UKIP and the Tories. It might require a further referendum to determine whether any terms offered by the EU for Scotland to succeed the UK in sustaining membership of the EU meet the aspirations of the Scottish people, but this would be a small price to pay for progressing the fair, cohesive society on which we wish to build Scotland’s future prosperity.

STAN GRODYNSKI Longniddry, East Lothian