Readers' Letters: Scottish independence gets ever closer

Ahead of the last referendum, before campaigning began in earnest, polling indicated independence was supported by around 25 per cent of the electorate, but on the day, in spite of an extensively hostile media and the last-minute duplicitous Vow, 45 per cent of a record electorate turnout supported independence. With the UK in economic and social turmoil following Brexit and recent polling of 50 per cent, and more, for independence (without a serious referendum campaign), independence is clearly within reach so every opportunity, no matter how tenuous, is desperately grasped at by those opposed to self-determination and genuine democracy.

Even as we approach a new political generation of voters some are still clinging to the constitutional context of the time of the 2014 referendum, expressed as “once in a generation”. Others continue to misleadingly peddle the claim that notional GERS figures, which even with the Barnett formula failing to return all of Scotland’s tax revenues to the Scottish government for spending according to its priorities, indicate how the Scottish economy would perform if Scotland were actually independent.

Some even scurrilously insinuate that if you work in the UK and move to Spain the UK government has a legal obligation to pay you a pension but if you live in, or move to, an independent Scotland, the UK’s statutory obligation through years of receiving National Insurance payments will magically disappear.

As the leaders of the political parties in government in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have stated, “Westminster’s time is coming to an end” and the sooner this is accepted by those clinging to a terminal constitutional status quo the sooner the independent governments of these islands can better serve their nations and bring the prosperity that their people’s desire.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

Big majority

The three leaders of the ruling parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have made a call for a right to hold an independence referendum.

This is entirely reasonable as long as any proposal requires a 75 per cent majority voting in favour of any resolution. This is standard practice in business when a major constitutional change is proposed. As was demonstrated with the EU Referendum, this cannot just be a protest vote, leaving the electorate to repent at leisure, when an ill-thought-out case was presented and scraped through with a tiny majority.

David Jerdan, Crail, Fife

Think carefully

Vladimir Putin and the Ayatollah must have thought all their dreams had come true when they saw the broadcast by the three leaders who said their aim was independence within the UK. Putin knows if he sends his jets to bomb Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh they can because Scotland will have no army. The Ayatollah can tell all their young men living here to attack the people and take over all councils and the Scottish Parliament.

As our fighting services are the King’s and the SNP will reject the monarchy, so rejecting the Forces, we as an independent country will be defenceless. Hopefully the UK government and the people of Scotland consider carefully what independence could really mean.

Elizabeth Hands, Armadale, West Lothian

Slippery slope

Labour wants to backdate its, as yet passed, law regarding party political donations. This is a really dangerous tactic. Labour are obviously terrified that the £72 million, or more, going into Reform UK's bank account will negatively affect it.

Labour may well be right; however, its own stance that somehow union donations are exempt is pushing the boundaries of reality. There is a deeper disquiet here. Backdating any law can be manipulated to catch the innocent.

This is a slippery slope. Labour has started something that will come back to haunt it. This is now spreading as John Swinney has entered into a pact with Sinn Fein. This will not help his cause of independence. It will more likely kill it off entirely.

Once again we are being governed by politicians who only think rather short term. The real consequences bypass them completely.

No wonder few of the public still trust politicians.

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Address burden

It is unfortunate that Grant Frazer (Letters, 15 September) had not remembered the warning made by Andrew Wilson in 2018 that “an independent Scotland faced difficult times in the early years” – Editorial, same day). Just analyse the financial difficulties. There is a £5 billion black hole that means a cut of 140,000 public sector jobs or a tax hike of around £2,000 a year for taxpayers. Note the deafening silence from Bute House.

Then there is the warning of an £8bn a year debt made by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) to energy consumers. The break-up of the UK grid means an annual increase in household bills of £2,600. Will the SNP still introduce a 33 per cent cut to energy bills, and who underwrites the outstanding sum?

There will also be a Scottish debt arising from a redistribution of the £3 trillion UK national debt. A 10 per cent share is a debt of £300bn. The 150 per cent debt to GDP figure for the Scottish economy precludes any application for EU membership until the figure falls to 3 per cent of GDP! It is surely time for the SNP to fix the financial burden before making moves on IndyRef2.

Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway

Start drilling

What an outstanding article: “North Sea bosses urge PM to unlock 111 pending projects” (Scotsman, 15 September). David Bol and those others involved deserve our thanks and admiration. The Greens and some politicians will not be happy.

North Sea chiefs have called on Andy Burnham to turn “supportive language into policy decisions”. Many will be surprised to read that there are 111 pending oil and gas projects which could be opened up and provide secure jobs and energy security in this volatile world and generate more than £70 billion for the UK economy. What's not to like?

Some of the other figures The Scotsman article revealed are worth repeating. 40 per cent of UK energy needs have to be imported. The UK spent £84 billion on imported oil, gas and electricity in 2025. Drilling will provide an additional £15bn in tax receipts,

Andy Burnham needs to show strength and face down devious politicians and green critics and allow the North Sea to give up the wealth below our feet.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Travelling blight

My eyes were immediately drawn to your article “Firms blame each other for lengthy waits at Edinburgh baggage reclaim” (15 September). Yesterday my wife and I flew in to Edinburgh from Paris. We waited one hour before finally receiving our baggage. Delivery of baggage from our Air France flight commenced 45 minutes from landing. Some ten minutes later the delivery information board flashed that delivery of the baggage from our flight was completed. None of our baggage had appeared.

I spoke to the office for baggage problems. The personnel were polite and told me to give it a few more minutes. At the tail end of the delivery of baggage from a Delta Airlines flight our baggage appeared – a total of one hour from our flight landing. According to the men in the office this is a frequent occurrence, the baggage handlers get excited and press the “baggage delivered” button too early. Not just delay but confusion. Baggage delivery has long a been an issue at the airport. It is pathetic, but sums up airport management perfectly. They blame the service provider (Swiss Air), who in turn blame airport management. Swiss Air are a service provider and should be set service delivery targets in their contract and ensure they are kept.

I suppose, though, that senior management at the airport are too busy working on yet another wheeze to squeeze money out of the public.

John B Gorrie, Edinburgh

Sex matters

Tim Hopkins (Letters, 15 September) presents the Supreme Court decision in For Women Scotland as if it overturned some settled, humane compromise on the treatment of trans-identifying people. That is not what the Court held.

The issue was one of statutory interpretation. The Court held that “sex”, “man” and “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 mean biological sex and, importantly, contrary to what Mr Hopkins suggests, were always intended to mean biological sex. The alternative “certificated sex” interpretation, it found, rendered important parts of the Act incoherent or unworkable, including provisions concerning pregnancy, sexual orientation, associations, single-sex services and sport. There has never been a 25-year legal rule of the kind Mr Hopkins describes, requiring people to be treated according to their “lived gender identity”. British law protects gender reassignment, the Gender Recognition Act giving a Gender Recognition Certificate important legal effects. Mr Hopkins describes something different.

His toilets example is also misleading. The law does not decree that a “transgender man” may use neither men’s nor women’s facilities. Indeed, the High Court has since upheld guidance expressly stating that trans-identifying people must not be left without access to suitable facilities.

Brian Forsyth, Edinburgh

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