Sir, Having heard all about Alex Salmond’s comments re Vladimir Putin I decided to read the article myself to see what the fuss was all about and can only say I was underwhelmed.
To say that the response from unionists has been a touch melodramatic would be an understatement.
That is why Ken MacDougall’s letter (May 5) was a trifle bizarre. One can only presume that he has not read the article and has fallen for the spin.
If he has read the article then we must take his letter with a pinch of salt. Either way, I think he owes the First Minister an apology.
I cannot recommend enough that people read the article for themselves and make their own mind up.
As for the rest of Mr MacDougall’s letter it says it all about the mentality of unionists that they think it is somehow wrong that Scotland should receive a fair share of the UK’s assests.
After all it is now conceded that Scotland not only pays its way but actually contributes more to the economy of the UK than every other part of the country bar London and the South East of England.
As for oil, Mr MacDougall’s attempt to grab the oil for the rUK after independence shows a lack of knowledge of international law. I suggest he reads up on that and then he will realise just how ludicrous his suggestion is.
It does, however, say a lot that unionists, after independence, want to ensure the worst possible outcome for Scotland even if it goes against international law, common sense and common decency.
Stewart Hunter. 61 Greenlee Drive, Dundee.
Pensioner figures not “a fact”
Sir, I have to take issue with the assertion by many in the No campaign that Scotland will have a higher proportion of pensioners in its population than the rUK within two to three decades, making the provision of services less affordable here.
They claim this to be a “fact”. It is not a “fact”; it is a projection. If we do nothing over the coming decades, then that projection will be validated. However, who is to say nothing will change?
In the late 1990s, it was projected that Scotland’s population would fall far below five million. This was considered unavoidable but things changed with the coming of devolution and instead of falling it has risen by around 300,000.
By claiming the projection concerning pensioners is unavoidable fact, the No campaign is effectively telling us they will do nothing to remedy the situation in the event of a “no” vote but not to worry, the English taxpayer will see us alright.
To me, that is neither acceptable nor a given. If devolution can help turn around a dwindling population, independence offers us the opportunity to build on that success and make decisions in our own best interests to address the challenge of an aging population.
Scotland has the wealth and expertise to do this despite what No campaigners would have us believe.
Stuart Allan. 8 Nelson Street, Dundee.
Urgent review is needed
Sir, I find the report on the Metropolitan Police (Tuesday’s Courier) disturbing and indeed alarming.
Sir Robert Mark, who became the Commissioner of the Met from 1967 to 1977 tried very hard to clear up corruption but admitted, that having come from the Leicester force, he felt a bit like the leper attending the Colonial Governor’s garden party as he did not know who to trust.
One of the problems is the fact that the force is too big to control and it would appear from recent events, that discipline is relatively non-existent. A review is urgently required as respect and trust are primary factors.
John McDonald. 14 Rosebery Court, Kirkcaldy.
Don’t make same mistake
Sir, “No” voters often revert to the wonderful union within Britain that has worked for Scots over the past 300 years.
The way in which that union was forged was in a dingy ale house in Edinburgh, by those often referred to as a “parcel o’ rogues” who sold their enslaved Scottish nation to a corrupt Westminster Government for a few favours and for their own benefit.
There was no referendum for those Scots to decide what they wanted for themselves. The decision was taken for them by these few corrupt landowners and lairds.
In September, after 300 years of subservience to the Westminster establishment, Scots will have this right to decide their future, a future that was denied them all those years ago.
Many of our older generation, myself included, will be persuaded, again by the wolves of London, with scare stories to their pensions and threats of being returned to uncertainty and poverty, if they decide to vote “yes”.
In the hope that they will now start to see through the London lies, and knowing that our time to shuffle off this mortal coil is always approaching, have we the right to deny our offspring the opportunity to make up their own minds,and learn from those denied democracy three centuries ago?
If we do not curtail our own selfishness we may stand to be accused of being a “parcel o’ rogues” from the 21st century.
Bob Harper. 63a Pittenweem Road, Anstruther.