Sir, – Nicola Sturgeon’s penchant for grandstanding tours reached its zenith when she addressed 150 students at California’s Stanford University, signed a meaningless climate agreement with a little-known state governor and was politely shown round a couple of factories.
She assured Americans that after independence Scotland would have the freedom to be an “equal partner with the other nations of the UK and Europe and with countries across the world”, though quite how this would be achieved by breaking up Britain and joining the EU was unclear.
Even if Scotland became independent and didn’t join the EU, massive debts, a continuing deficit and untried currency would certainly curtail any influence Scotland could wield possibly for decades or longer.
However, Ms Sturgeon still favours migration to Scotland, presumably so that migrants can experience our below-average education system, high taxation and failing infrastructure.
She would also like to encourage tourism presumably before the industrialisation of the countryside by windfarms.
Ms Sturgeon clearly has no reservations about the control multinationals and big politics would have over the lives of ordinary Scots, and this is disturbing.
Domestic politics, education, the NHS and the economy are clearly not a priority for the First Minister’s attention.
As far as she is concerned, the illusion engendered by striding across the world stage is far more attractive than getting on with the job she is paid to do.
Perhaps she should sit down and give the matter some consideration. It is the least she can do for Scots.
Iain G Richmond.
Guildy House,
Monikie.
Only the Tories can stop SNP
Sir, – Willie Rennie’s silence in your article about his misleading
letter to voters in north-east Fife speaks volumes.
He has neither apologised nor explained his self-serving deception that a Conservative vote risks letting the SNP in.
Tactical voting against the SNP makes no sense in council elections because these are not first-past-the-post elections.
Each ward will send three or four councillors to Fife House.
Should voters want to give Nicola Sturgeon the strongest possible
message that they do not want a second independence referendum, then a vote for the official opposition to the SNP, the Scottish Conservatives, is a no-brainer.
Scottish Labour continues to swither on independence and Willie Rennie said his MSPs and activists were free to support independence after the last referendum.
Fife voters tempted to vote Lib Dem as a
bulwark against the SNP should not forget that in 2007 they enabled the SNP to form an administration in Fife.
Only the Conservatives have ruled out any future coalition with the SNP at Fife Council.
Linda Holt.
Dreel House,
Pittenweem.
More nails in the unionist coffin
Sir, – The announcement by German MEP Elmer Brok that
Scotland would be able to rejoin the EU relatively quickly is yet another nail in the coffin of the unionist argument that Scotland would have to wait years to join the EU, forced to the back of some queue.
Brok is a close ally of Angela Merkel and former chairman of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
Scotland already satisfies the requirements of EU membership as it is already part of the EU.
This clearly puts it in a very different boat when compared with countries such as Montenegro, Serbia and Albania.
The Spanish foreign minister Alfonso Dastis put paid to another unionist myth when he confirmed his country would not veto an
independent Scotland’s entry to the EU.
A growing list of decision-makers across the continent are now making the case for Scotland’s seamless entry to the EU, refuting unionist allegations that an independent Scotland would find itself blocked from membership.
Each day another part of the unionist argument that an independent Scotland would be unable to join the EU, or be forced to wait years to do so, melts away.
Alex Orr.
77 Leamington
Terrace,
Edinburgh.
A fantasist for a First Minister
Sir, – Nicola Sturgeon’s UN speech shows her to be even more of a fantasist than some Scots apparently believe.
She seems to feel her party’s bid to break up the UK has been a positive experience for all of us and should be inspirational across the world.
The principal result of Ms Sturgeon’s ambition has not been to separate Scotland from its southern neighbours but to rip Scotland apart.
Ms Sturgeon says she doesn’t want “to break anything”.
Except the will of pro-UK supporters with your pursuit of neverendum, Ms Sturgeon?
Martin Redfern.
4 Royal Circus,
Edinburgh.
Only Lib Dems can stop SNP
Sir, – I’m surprised the local Conservatives are complaining about the Lib Dem claim to be best placed to beat the SNP.
Judging by the leaflet issued before the general election, when the Conservatives claimed only they could beat the SNP because the Lib Dems were polling at 3%, I thought that they heartily approved of such tactics.
Readers will remember that in the event, the Lib Dem share of the vote was 31%, more than 10 times as large, though sadly not enough to hold north-east Fife,and it was double that of the Conservatives.
Jane Ann Liston.
Scottish Lib Dems,
5 Whitehill Terrace,
St Andrews.
Let wisdom be a guide for youth
Sir, – I am perturbed by the contents of the letter, Let Young Choose Future (April1).
Yes, it is the privilege of the young to be adventurous and take risks.
It is also, however, the duty of elders to temper impetuosity
with experience and wisdom.
This has been the human way throughout history and is one of
the pillars of our democracy.
The argument that the young “have a greater investment” ignores our strong human desire to ensure our future generations prosper and the attempt to disenfranchise any selected social group in order to promote a
particular political agenda can only lead to further disunity within families and societies already riven by two damaging referenda.
Our country has suffered enough division in recent years. Let us not create more.
Roderick Stewart.
Dronley House,
Dronley,
Angus.