Sir, The first duty of a government is the defence of the nation.
The ScottishGovernment apparently has adopted a nave and contradictory approach to their defence responsibilities, should independence be achieved. They want to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons, but join NATO and accept their nuclear umbrella. The Scottish Defence Force they propose is, of necessity, limited in capability.
It is based on procured UK MoD assets which they hope to sustain at the same level of readiness currently achieved, but on a much-reduced defence budget. Ludicrous!
Eschewing nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction is a noble cause, unfortunately civilisationhas not yet developedsufficiently to achieve international disarmament. The Western Alliance, therefore, must remain alert.
Russia and China, both nuclear armed, are aggressively expanding theirmilitary capability primarily to coerce lesser nations and dominate internationalpolitics; especially exploiting weaknesses exposed by the Western allies. Governments of this ilk will only respond to reason if they are opposed by an equally powerful armed force.
This stance can only be achieved by a United Kingdom within NATO and the EU. The current Russian incursion into Crimea and Ukraine, and China’s adventures in Africa and the Pacific, clearly expose their intentions.
Scotland’s interests, I submit, would best be served by remaining within the UK. The Scottish Government should defer powers like foreign affairs, defence and immigration to the UK Government while demanding a significantly enhanced portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet for the Scottish Secretary of State. In all other respects the Scottish Government could be self-sufficient.
Harry Davey. 12 Dores Drive, Broughty Ferry, Dundee.
No one will be happy after a “yes” vote
Sir, If Scotland votes “yes” on September 18 no-one is going to be happy. There will be millions who, like me, will feel our proud British nationality and history has been ripped from us.
The disadvantaged will be outraged and potentially violent when they find out the promised £5000 of benefits and other electoral bribes will disappear with the cuts to balance the books.
The rUK will be incandescent at the arrogance and theft of a country refusing its £130bn share of UK debt; meat and drink to the Johnsons, Farages and English nationalists who will force the next rUK Government to drive a very hard bargain.
The only ones who will never admit their shame, guilt and bewilderment will be the deluded far left intellectuals and blame and entitlement zealots who represent the crazy core of whipped-up nationalism poisoning my country.
The same thrawn inferiority complex fuelled the disastrous Darien project which drove us into the arms of England and ironically gave us the best 300 years of our history. We are facing another Darien, but John Bull won’t pick up the pieces this time.
Allan Sutherland. 1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.
United we stand…
Sir, Perhaps some readers have yet to make up their minds about what to vote for in the referendum.
My father, and thousands like him, fought in the Second World War. They were in Scottish regiments which were part of the United Kingdom and we should honour the part they played in the Great Britain which we all belong to.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Dina MacKay. 57 Rossie Avenue, Broughty Ferry, Dundee.
What about embassies?
Sir, Does Alex Salmond have any answers to a simple question: What will happen to our British consular services abroad if we are no longer part of the UK?
Will it be necessary to set up new embassies (probably at significant cost) or will it be possible to piggy-back on other countries’ embassies?
What about diplomatic personnel from other countries having a place to conduct their business in Scotland?
No doubt there will be other hidden difficulties that haven’t been thought of which will inevitably cause significant financial outlays which haven’t been accounted for in his (decidedly vague) budget.
Sally Atkinson. Drumgell, Kilry, Blairgowrie.
Don’t be conned
Sir, The SNP claim that those living in Scotland pay more tax per head than those living south of the border is a phoney tale, an attempt to infer that the UK favours one group more than another.
There is no way that the HM tax offices issue different tax codes to different locations and the tax-free thresholds and tax deduction rates are exactly the same across the length and breadth of the country. So a man with a tax code of say 200 earning £500 a week in Glasgow will pay exactly the same as a man in Birmingham with the same tax code, earning the same amount.
Now if we start to apply other influences and say the Glasgow guy goes to the pub two nights a week and smokes 40 cigarettes a day whilst Brummie guy doesn’t, then, yes, the Scots guy will be paying more into treasury funds , but that is from a life- style choice.
Do not be conned by the SNP, or anyone else, that should we go over the independence cliff then alcohol and tobacco duties will be reduced. In fact, the total opposite is a likely scenario.
Colin Cookson. 37 Hatton Green, Glenrothes.
Master of chicanery
Sir, Alex Salmond is a master of chicanery. We remember his rebranding of the SNP as “Alex Salmond for First Minister” to achieve the top spot on the ballot paper.
He (and David Cameron) have bypassed the constitution by allowing votes for 16 and 17-year-olds without the appropriate legislation. Scottish servicemen and women are also deprived of a vote. It is unfortunate for the SNP that No comes before Yes in the alphabet. Will this be reversed by diktat onSeptember 18?
Ian Strachan. Golf Course Road, Blairgowrie.
Patriotism and nationalism
Sir, As the date of the referendum approaches may I add the following statement which is based on quotations by George Orwell: “Patriotism is the love of your country, nationalism is the hatred of another.”
I think MrSalmond and others may have got the two somewhat mixed up.
Willie Robertson. Grianan, Lynton, Stanley, Perthshire.
We’ll all suffer after “yes” vote
Sir, As an active campaigner for Better Together, I have listened to debates, read letters and, more importantly, talked to hundreds of voters on their doorsteps.
I have an Irish father, been brought up in various parts of England, spent more than two years in Continental Europe, and lived more than half my life in Fife and I can understand the resentment of many Scottish people about England, and London in particular.
However, I believe the world, not just the UK, would be all the poorer if Scotland leaves and Scotland will suffer too. It is difficult for ordinary mortals such as myself, to calculate the economic consequences of independence; but my main concern is that the UK as a whole has played, and still plays, an enormously important role for good in the world.
At a time of nationalistic conflicts in many regions, it would be sad if the UK’s opportunity to support peace and justice were to be diminished. Scotland on its own, will lose its influence.
From a purely parochial viewpoint, recent devolution has already given Scotland much more autonomy, and the three UK parties are committed to giving more if the union survives.
We are all better together.
Anthony Garrett. 1 Royal Terrace, Falkland.
The fear is in staying
Sir, Why on earth would anyone vote “no” in the referendum?
Successive Westminster governments, both Conservative and Labour, have taken this country into either unnecessary or illegal wars, decimated our mining and industrial base, vandalised our public services, sold off public assets to their cronies in the City of London and unashamedly pursued a policy of cutting welfare to those who are in need.
Wayward bankers remain unpunished, global companies and wealthy individuals continue to avoid paying their due taxes and corruption and self-interest are still prevalent in Westminster.
Despite the threats and bullying tactics of the No campaign all Westminster parties recognise that an independent Scotland would be a prosperous and successful nation. It is surely time to reject Westminster and with independence elect representatives who will answer directly to the Scottish people. There is no fear in leaving the so-called union,the fear lies in remaining with it!
Ian Cameron. 50 Fergus Square, Arbroath.
No explanation ever offered
Sir, Why has no UK party pledged to return to Scotland the 6,000 square miles of Scottish territorial waters, rich in oil, gas and fishing stocks, stretching from Berwick to Carnoustie, generously transferred to England by the last Labour government (six oil fields were included)? No explanation has ever been offered to Scots by Westminster for an unprecedented annexation, shrouded in secrecy. Does this revert to Scotland after independence?
James Stevenson. Drummond Avenue, Auchterarder.
The hypocrisy is staggering
Sir, I note that Tory list MSP Alex Johnstone has complained to Scottish Heritage about the “political” use of Arbroath Abbey after Alex Salmond’s visit. He has a short memory.
I have a cutting from The Courier of 17/11/05 which depicts Mr Johnstone in the abbey surrounded by two men dressed as mediaeval knights, one holding the saltire, the other the Lion Rampant. He was then calling for the abbey to be made a world heritage site “because of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320”.
To the best of my memory that declaration stated we refused to be ruled by the English. How curious, then, that last Tuesday Mr Johnstone was in Montrose High Street together with Jim Murphy, an unholy alliance advocating that Scotland should continue to be ruled by the English.
The hypocrisy is staggering.
Jim Robertson. 194 High Street, Montrose.
This is simply not true
Sir, We all deplore the egg-throwing incident, but I am concerned that the underlying cause is being misrepresented in the press. Kirkcaldy is a loyal Labour stronghold but over the years even the most ardent supporters have started to realise that the Labour Party is no longer a social democratic party and has embraced unfettered capitalism in search of English votes.
They feel betrayed by the party they have voted for all their lives.
In increasing numbers, Labour supporters are realising that a “yes” vote is the only way to get their party back. Therefore, they see politicians supporting Westminster rule as people who are trying to stop the Labour Party in Scotland from returning to its core principles.
This is adding insult to injury and it is not surprising that they are very angry.
Many people see the Westminster parliament as the “English” parliament both because of its geographical location and because it is entirely focused on London and the south east.
The dislike of this “English” parliament is deliberately being misrepresented by the No campaign as a dislike of English people.
As an Englishman in the Yes campaign I know this is simply not true.
Andrew Collins. Skinners Steps, Cupar.
Why did this happen?
Sir, The unionists use the recent banking crisis to scare Scots into remaining an appendage of the London state by citing the near collapse of HBOS and RBS and its rescue by the UK treasury.
But HBOS and RBS ceased to be Scottish banks a long time ago. One wonders why this was allowed to happen under chancellor Darling fear of a “Darien 2 scenario” perhaps.
By far the majority of UK customers were in England. In fact, go to a branch of HBOS in England and all you will see is Halifax.
Graham Young. 37 Polepark Road, Dundee.