GORDON McIntyre-Kemp hits the nail on the head in his article (Dismantling of devolution will be straw that breaks the Union’s back, Jul 21) when he states that Brexit was about the acquisition of power, no more, no less.
We have already seen many examples of this in action and I am sure that we will see many more as the Westminster-based politicians attempt to dismantle devolution brick by brick.
My primary reason for supporting independence many years ago was quite simple: Scotland has less than 10% of the seats at Westminster and virtually none in the House of Lords; indeed we have fewer MPs than London. And, as the primary responsibility of each MP is to serve his or her constituents, they would not be doing their job if they didn’t put the interests of England ahead of Scotland.
I don’t blame them for this, in fact I fully understand why this happens. What I don’t understand is why so many of the people of Scotland are blind to this fact. The only reason why intelligent Scots would support this situation can only be because they are putting personal interests ahead of those of the country (enter the Baroness of Lundin Links). Echoes of 1707.
My extensive business experience tells me that things work better when control and accountability is placed near the action. Businesses that are run in a highly centralised fashion with minimal authority devolved to remote operations eventually fail or operate sub-optimally as the interests of those at head office come first.
Running a country is no different. Why on earth would you give a body that does not have your interests at heart, located 500 miles away, the power of the purse? It’s like giving your wages to a cousin living 500 miles away and letting them decide what to do with that income (as well as letting them park their toxic waste dump in your front yard). It’s crazy.
Another item that caught my eye was the call for all independence-supporting people to work together rather than against each other (Letters, Jul 22). When Scotland fought to win its independence in the 13th and 14th centuries, Robert the Bruce clearly had learned this lesson, bringing previous foes into the tent of an independent Scotland rather than seeking to discard or subdue them. He understood that he had to remove the power of the Comyns because they were ready to become vassals of Edward, but he also knew that Scotland would never become a truly sovereign nation unless a significant majority of the people (and the church) supported him. History is a great teacher. A house divided falls. Hopefully, common sense will prevail.
An independent Scotland is likely to become one of the most prosperous countries in the world per capita, and the longer we wait for independence the worse it will be for the people of Scotland. It really is time to act.
David Cairns
Finavon
IT is entirely consistent with his contempt for Holyrood that Stephen Kerr should attack a colleague for pointing out to foreign visitors that Scotland is not England. Unionists do not like to be told this. That the Tory Chief Whip under wee D Ross should attack a colleague for suggesting that English visitors here should respect Scots law offends the office he holds as a member of the Scottish Parliament.
It would be nice, if extraordinary, if Mr Kerr would once in a while come up with some suggestion for the improvement of the Scottish circumstance rather than his tiresome nonsense. He is, God help us, a senior member of the opposition (for as Chief Whip Kerr is entitled to that status) and as such should be striving to uphold Scots law rather than criticising those who point out its existence to ignorant tourists travelling by LNER. He is a disgrace to the Scottish Parliament.
KM Campbell
Doune
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