Sir, In his letter of May 14, Andrew Dundas seeks to frighten Scots into voting No in September by raising the spectre of an ageing population and its future affordability in an independent Scotland.
He cites Scotland’s poor population growth under the union as evidence of this gloomy projection’s inevitability, while Better Together’s solution is to simply accept it and rely on English taxpayers to bail Scotland out.
This is a depressingly negative view of Scotland’s future and hardly an inspiring reason to vote No. There is, however, an alternative.
Devolution saw Scotland’s population decline put into sharp reverse as policies were tailored to Scotland’s needs making it an attractive place to live and do business.
Taking some control of our own destiny saw the flight of people and businesses that had characterised post war Scotland under the union halted. Devolution is not enough, though. A reliance on the shrinking Westminster block grant will inevitably make funding Scotland’s different priorities impossible and decline will again become the norm.
With the full powers of independence, and its favourable financial position, Scotland can maintain funding its specific priorities free of Westminster constraints and continue making Scotland an attractive place for people and investment.
The increased revenue that will then accrue will make an ageing population far less of a challenge for an independent Scotland than one that remains under the union.
Surely this is a more positive and empowering vision of Scotland’s future?
Stuart Allan. 8 Nelson Street, Dundee.
Be careful what you vote for…
Sir, Your report that a Pitlochry resident will be voting Yes in order to force the Westminster government to devolve more powers to Scotland reflects a view that is not as uncommon as you might think (Union voter is voting Yes, May 15).
There are a lot of people out there who are voting Yes because they think that will give a them a “more federal Scotland”.
It is all very well to assume that we probably won’t get a Yes vote, and therefore giving them a helping hand to get as close to 50% as possible can only be a good thing. The problem is that if all those who wanted more powers did this then we would end up with an independent Scotland, the very thing most people say they do not want.
Imagine trying to tell your children or grandchildren that you voted for something you didn’t want, in the expectation of getting something else.
The only way to get what you want is to campaign for it and vote for it. The vote in September is about independence, not a more devolved or federal Scotland within the UK. That discussion has to wait for another day and then we can vote for it in 2015 at the General Election if we wish to do so. At least two parties have said that it will be in their manifesto and the third is likely to follow.
Victor Clements. Mamie’s Cottage, Aberfeldy.
Shame on the First Minister
Sir, It is beyond disappointment that the Scottish Government even now cannot bring itself to provide a fully balanced presentation to the Scottish people of the pros and cons of the independence question.
It is clear from The Courier poll that there are many people who feel uninformed, misinformed and downright confused over the many issues that collectively determine whether independence will be a success or disaster.
Unfortunately for all of us, the SNP in Government has decided to hijack what should be a non-political referendum for its own purposes and to treat the referendum in the same way as a party-political hustings.
Shame on the First Minister of Scotland for abandoning his responsibilities for balanced governance in favour of party-political campaigning.
We don’t need a “campaign” and we don’t need “activists” on either side if we could simply receive an honest warts and all balanced view on the independence question.
The published white paper was simply a lightweight propaganda exercise, heavily biased towards the SNP position and replete with concepts in place of facts.
Scotland deserves better than this woeful performance from its present leaders.
Derek Farmer. Knightsward Farm, Anstruther.
Point made by Farage
Sir, The SNP has admitted that EU rules mean they cannot stipulate that bidders for government procurement contracts must pay the minimum wage.
They quoted a letter from 2012 written by EU Commissioner Michel Barnier setting out the rules.
This is exactly the point that Nigel Farage made in Edinburgh recently when he said that the Scottish Government’s argument for independence is flawed because we have to cede a lot of sovereignty to the EU.
It is, however, refreshing to see the SNP quoting EU correspondence in support of its arguments, something it was reluctant to do on the question of having to re-apply for membership in the event of a “yes” vote.
Allan Sutherland. 1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Complete ignorance
Sir, As well as consigning unsolicited election literature to the bin unread, why doesn’t your correspondent G E Muir (letters, May 14) also stop reading newspapers and looking at television? In this way his total ignorance would be assured.
Malcolm Parkin. 15 Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood, Kinross.