Sir, As your readers reach out for non-politically biased guidance over the likely outcome of a yes vote for independence, may I suggest they consider the experience of Czechoslovakia and their Velvet revolution.
This is perhaps the closest possible comparison, where the Czech side resembles England and Slovakia Scotland.
Despite a successful economy, they recognised that there were significant cultural and aspirational differences between them and separated in 1992. Once separation was agreed in principle, all aspects for mutual independence legal, financial, pensions, natural resources and land, defence, etc. were agreed within 12 months.
Neither side claimed to be a “successor state” and both were recognised internationally and had separate seats at the United Nations within three months.
Initially, they shared the koruna and, over the years, as the economies diverged, they separated it into Czech and Slovakian korunas, until Slovakia decided to enter the euro. There were no (and still are not) borders or passport controls. All citizens could apply for dual nationality, this only being dropped recently, as demand ceased.
In a September 1992 poll, only 37% of Slovaks and 36% of Czechs favoured dissolution, but it was agreed in December 1992. As far as I can gauge, neither side regrets the separation. Indeed it is unlikely many citizens of Ireland, Iceland, Finland or any of the new European nations would turn the clock back.
W. J. Harris. 18 Queen Street, Carnoustie.
Holyrood and the force farce
Sir, Being a retired police officer, I read with interest the letter in Saturday’sCourier regarding Police Scotland. Whilst agreeing with the correspondent, J. Harley, I would go further and demand the Scottish public be informed of the reality and shambles that is Police Scotland.
This Scottish Parliament have taken eight competent and efficient police forces and made them one, large mess.
The argument given by our politicians is that it is more practicable and logical to have one police force for the whole of Scotland rather than eight. I don’t suppose it has anything to do with the millions of pounds the government will save.
Thousands of civilian staff are to lose their jobs and 250-plus officers resigned last year as the working conditions are now appalling, with morale being at its lowest in recent memory.
Apparently, 20-oddofficers resigned from the Scottish Police College at the end of last year. In Fife, the Contact Centre that cost the taxpayer £2.5 million is to close after only 10 years.
Police officers are moved about like an idiotic game of chess to fill in gaps and holes not with any real interest in actual policing, more to justify the existence of the senior ranks and satisfy government statistics, targets and financial restrictions.
The most worrying aspect of this whole debacle is, if the Scottish Government can do this to the Scottish Police Force, what on Earth can they do to the country?
Alan Kennedy. 8 Shepherds Park, Methil.
Mr Brown on wrong road
Sir, SNP transport minister Keith Brown is simplistic and wrong to criticise previous governments’ work on improving the A9 as inaction (Saturday’s Courier).
I’ve been a regular user of the A9 since 1956 and the dualling, bridges, causeways and junction improvements etc. undertaken on the A9 before he and his nationalist government took office cannot be described as inaction.
When the first Labour/Liberal Scottish Government took office, the vociferous clamouring of the local and national SNP representatives in this area was for the major capital programme to be committed to the Perth/Dundee roadway.
And it was the late Bob Scott who, as Perth and Kinross Council’s convener of roads and transportation, secured the commitment of that government to the Bankfoot junction major improvement scheme.
Joan McEwen. Hospital Street, Perth.
We must dual A9 as priority
Sir, I see some people are still pursuing a direct rail link between Perth and Edinburgh. To save some 15-20 minutes?
The reasoning behind this defeats me entirely. There’s nothing wrong with the present service. The top transport priority in Courier country should surely be the dualling of the A9.
W. Graham Watson. 20 Spoutwells Drive, Perth.
Residents left in the sidings
Sir, Transform Scotland’s call for a rail revolution seeks a range of improvements for faster and greener rail transport, including measures to cut key journey times.
What the Inter-City Express Campaign is missing is the vital ingredient of connectivity and thus their argument risks repeating some of the mistakes of both Beeching’s rationalisation and the case for HS2.
Here in Levenmouth, despite the presence of a high-standard, mothballed line of under five miles between Thornton and Leven, our 37,000 population, plus 15,000 in the nearby East Neuk, enjoy no immediate access to the national rail network, while Scotland’s largest distillery, open cast coal mines and Fife Energy Park (along its route) are among the compelling arguments for freight use.
Feasibility studies conducted in 2008 gave a positive assessment of a reopened line’s viability (at a 2015 cost of £78 million).
Surely one pressing priority for Transform and Transport Scotland in any rail revolution should be to reconnect larger communities close to existing lines.
Dr Allen Armstrong. Levenmouth Rail Campaign, 36 College Street, Buckhaven.
Sean’s address is out of line
Sir, I am writing to you about Sean Connery’s comments in Monday’s Courier. If he wants to comment about the independence vote, he should come and stay in Scotland and not be a tax exile.
People who are Scottish and don’t stay in Scotland should not be telling us how to vote.
D. A. Black. 20 Glendevon Road, Perth.
Home truths for a Scot abroad
Sir, I refer to the recent comment from Sir Sean Connery regarding Scottish independence and how it would catch the attention of the world. Would it not be better that instead of pontificating from his luxurious Carribean hideaway, Sir Sean actually visited Scotland and actively campaigned for the yes vote? He could even combine it with a round of golf.
It is easy to make the typical Hollywood soundbite. As a patriotic Scotsman, it would be so much better if he put himself where his mouth is.
J. M. Young. Coldstream Crescent, Leven.
MEP should look at Europe
Sir, I received a mailing from two Scottish MEPs, one of whom was David Martin, who is based in Edinburgh.
One of the activities he mentions specifically is his stand on trade at the European Parliament and states he “voted to reject a trade upgrade with Israel … while it continues to flout international law over the settlements.” By that I take it he means Jewish settlements in Palestine.
Israel occupies areas of Palestine as “the spoils of war” and has troops as an occupying force to help stem the launch of rockets into Israel from Gaza. I do not see a great deal of difference from Great Britain and the United States having troops in Germany.
The Allies have had “occupying forces” in Germany since 1945 yet I do not see David Martin saying we should not be trading with Germany, despite the fact most of this “trade” is one way from Germany to the UK. We now import all Ford vehicles from Germany, all Vauxhall vehicles except the Astra and 90% of our small, medium and large goods vehicles also come from there.
The German motor industry is subsidised by the German government through grants and incentives to manufacture there, against EU competition law. Despite this, Angela Merkel’s government tried to do a deal with the UK so it would not vote for the introduction of caps on carbon dioxide emissions that would harm Mercedes, Volkswagen and BMW, in exchange for voting down a financialtransaction tax that might hit the City of London.
Maybe Mr Martin should concentrate on what is happening on his own doorstep, in Europe, rather than poke his nose into Middle Eastern affairs, where Israel is surrounded by rogue nations all hell-bent on her destruction.
K. J. MacDougall. 3 Logie Avenue, Dundee.
Subversion as foreign policy
Sir, During the Second World War, 20 million Soviet citizens lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis.
In 1989, after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, George Bush assured Mikhail Gorbachev that Nato would not look to expand east and encroach on the Russian border.
It is in this context that Putin has sent his forces into Crimea. The fascist coup in Ukraine was sponsored by Germany and the USA. America has spent $5 billion building up the so-called opposition. This has nothing to do with democracy and everything to do with ensuring Ukraine follows the diktats of the IMF and the World Bank.
The call by US Secretary of State John Kerry for Russia to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine is a joke. In the last 30 years America has overthrown the governments of Grenada, Panama, Honduras, Iraq, Somalia, Serbia, Libya, Afghanistan, Sudan, Haiti, Pakistan and Yemen.
The blame for the crisis in Ukraine lies squarely with the USA. Barack Obama has followed a reckless foreign policy that has included supporting Islamists in Syria and building up US forces to confront China.
Alan Hinnrichs. 2 Gillespie Terrace, Dundee.