UNIONIST commentators repeatedly postulate all manner of technical difficulties that an independent Scotland would face, the implication being that the whole process would be just too difficult and not worth doing. Quite why this would be more difficult than the Nightmare on Brexit Street has been, and continues to be, is never made clear.

Since the turn of the 20th century, in Europe alone some 22 countries have become independent. (Iceland, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Ireland; probably we should also include Armenia and Azerbaijan).

More than 60 countries have gained independence from the British Empire since 1781.

So it’s clear that achieving national sovereignty is well understood and perfectly possible.

Specifically as to currency, the Irish Free State/Republic operated possible answers: fix the currency to the pound sterling (with your own currency notes and coin if wanted); adopt the Euro at a sensible conversion rate (ie not over-valued); or adopt your own currency replacing the previous colonial currency (USA dollar, Polish złoty, Czechoslovak Crown – an almost endless list). As we know there is such a thing as a Scottish pound. (Come back, British Linen Bank – all is forgiven!).

The UK has the experience of the dissolution of the British Empire, so clearly the technical procedures are well documented and perfectly capable of being implemented should the people of Scotland decide it’s time to go their own way.

Duncan Stewart
Denbighshire, Wales

ENGLAND is an economically powerful, successful nation making up 85% of the UK population. The media and the politicians have for years subsumed English with British, careful to ensure that the population dominance of England does not overwhelm the identities of the smaller UK nations. However, this has come at some expense. Rarely for instance do you hear the BBC news make reference to English explorer, English scientist or English rock ban. Instead, the catch-all phrase “British” is employed.

An England free from the ties of the Union could celebrate their success as a nation without fear of alienating their smaller neighbours. There is no great desire to retain the Union among the population that make up the UK state. Indeed, figures from a recent YouGov poll (September 2020) found that “less than half the English population want Scotland to remain part of the UK”, while other surveys have shown that most people south of the Border are ambivalent to the Union. Yet the state administrators, the Westminster government, fail to recognise or indeed accept this, terrified of the impact on the status of the UK if Scotland chose to leave.

MPs are elected to represent their constituents. Might I suggest English MPs look to their constituents and campaign for English independence? Let Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland stand on their own two feet.

Stuart Smith
Aberdeen

WITH 119 deaths added to Tuesday’s figure of 138 (corrected number), the total number of lives tragically lost to Covid-19 in the UK, registered within 28 days of a reported positive test, reached 130,000. BBC news programmes did not report this horrific milestone which makes one wonder how high the total needs to reach before our public broadcaster ceases deflecting from the incompetence of this immoral and corrupt UK Government.

In fairness to BBC Scotland, at least on this occasion Glenn Campbell attempted to get some straight answers from the Prime Minister on his latest propaganda visit, but serious questions were again only met with more “bluff and bluster” from Boris Johnson. When all fatalities directly or indirectly associated with this coronavirus pandemic are considered, the overall total is now approaching 200,000. In April last year, Sir Patrick Vallance stated that if the number of UK deaths were kept below 20,000 (i.e. one tenth of this total which is still rising) it would be a “good outcome”.

The time is already overdue for a full coronavirus public inquiry across the “four nations” to begin – but should the BBC continue to assist the Prime Minister in dodging accountability for the extent of this UK public health catastrophe, then more blood will stain the hands of the corporation’s bosses.

Stan Grodynski
Longniddry, East Lothian

YOU would think we should be getting used to this by now, but during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Scotland and to the Tulliallan Police Training College, we seemed to reach a new theatrical low.

We were faced with the site of young police officers in training, putting on a co-ordinated series of exercises reminiscent perhaps of the Women’s League of Health and Beauty of years gone by! And while the police cadets were pretending to do routine training exercises, the Prime Minister was pretending to listen, learn, and perhaps to be entertained.

And yes, there were lots of cameras around. I wonder if the Prime Minister would have noticed that?

The only things missing perhaps were the customary hi-vis jacket and the safety hard hat, but I don’t suppose you can have everything, can you!

Alex Leggatt
Edinburgh

LAND reform for Scotland has been on a slow burner since long before the Scottish Parliament rose again from its ashes, before Roseanna Cunningham hailed its significance in the ‘90s, then came, helped stoke it as you would a struggling November campfire on a cold, wet West Highland night, then went.

The need for land reform is as clear as day throughout all urban and rural areas of our country. Two weel-kent faces – Andy Wightman (below), surely our greatest loss to our democratic scene in May 2021, and the irrepressible Lesley Riddoch – have been actively espousing the needs, benefits and ways ahead for land reform for 40 years, yet not much more has changed of positive public benefit beyond right to roam. Aye, you can walk all day in the countryside, but you canny bide there for life! Well, of course you can if luck is on your side, you can afford to or if the government gives a big enough uncapped handout on a regular basis.

The National:

Now we have the proposed one-off £50,000 handouts for 100 people, available to those tempted toward a challenging island lifestyle, a proposal so eloquently laid bare by Ms Riddoch in August 6’s National.

Meanwhile, for decades governments have supported farmers and landowners on the basis of the more you have, the more you receive, be it livestock or land itself, and on an annual basis would you believe? Rural depopulation is consequently rife throughout the country. Yes, you can find a tidy new house in the countryside among others parachuted in from suburbia in replacement of a farm steading, again by government handouts to the increasing minority to build a new steading to replace the old, meanwhile picking up a tidy sum on the development site.

As Lesley says, go figure.

All families lived rural lives at one time. What is and always has been required to counter the stimulation of rural depopulation throughout Scotland is disincentive to use land as a luxury, an investment, a tax haven even.

Stop taxing those who don’t own Scotland and let those who do bear a hefty share of the burden borne by those who don’t.

Tom Gray
Braco

WHEN we look back at how the nation of Scotland regained its independence, I think one feature will stand out. The Unionists were expected to respond with democracy. They did not. They had no intention of respecting democracy and at the same time wanted to destroy ours.

WJ Graham
East Kilbride

WHERE on earth does Boris dredge up the garbage he spouts?

For a start, he should ask the men who lost their jobs in the mines – at Ravenscraig, etc – how they feel about being what Boris would regard as pioneers of green energy. Or perhaps ask their families if they are still living in poverty because the men died without ever working again.

Then there is the mirage of wind turbines I must have been seeing much longer ago than six years. There was also the carbon-capture pilot that was blocked, the subsequent competition for it which was cancelled when only a Scottish option was left standing and our potential world-lead in that given away.

Now he talks of the “fantastic transition” to green energy. Would that not be helped immensely if the promise made by David Cameron to “sort out” the punitive rates charged for

connecting to the grid had been honoured? Does he even know that Scotland pays excessive charges to send renewable energy south, whereas such power produced in the south-east receives a subsidy? And the now-planned subsea cable from Peterhead to Yorkshire – will we still pay to use it for exports to England?

It’s high time an independent Scotland was SELLING what we produce to cover England’s shortfall.

L McGregor
Falkirk