DURING this fraught time, it was intriguing to see yesterday’s National’s headline “75% of Scots would vote for independence with the right economic case”. I must confess that this was beginning to feel like a good start to the day.

Then further into the article it reads: “54% prefer keeping the pound in the long term ... and another 19% switching to a new Scottish currency when economic tests have been met,” currently SNP policy.

I am quite sure that the majority of Scots who support independence will admit that the Salmond/Darling debate on currency in the referendum in 2014 was a disaster from which the Yes campaign could not recover. The Ashcroft Poll analysing the referendum outcome had “the pound” as a key factor that influenced 57% of No voters.

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The need for further work to be done on the currency of a new Scotland has encouraged action by many campaigners like Ronnie Morrison and Andy Anderson of the Clean Scottish Currency Campaign; George Kerevan; Professor Richard Murphy; Tim Rideout; and Dr Craig Dalzell of Commonweal.

In my opinion what is required to bring about a substantial shift in the perception of the No voters is for our SNP politicians and Yes activists to become more informed on currency and banking issues. We must be able to demonstrate to the majority of people in Scotland that an independent Scotland will be fairer, more innovative and more prosperous.

Perhaps The National would consider a debate on our future economy, giving space in its pages as it has for Scottish history and culture.

What we need to ensure in the next referendum campaign is a confident display of knowledge and expertise about our future economy, regulated banking and honest fiscal and financial systems.

What we don’t want is to be held to ransom by the Westminster government and the reckless banking that brought us to our knees in 2008.

Maggie Chetty
Glasgow

THE Progress Scotland survey which found that 54% prefer keeping the pound in the long term made for very dismal reading. It demonstrates the urgent need for the SNP and then the wider electorate to learn that if you do not issue your own currency you are not truly independent. You cannot control interest rates, which in turn impacts on policy decisions you might want to make, and, worst of all, you have to borrow in other people’s currency, which leaves you wide open to the sharks of currency speculation.

Andrew M Fraser
Inverness

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AS the latest poll on independence indicates 58% for and 42% against, Jim Taylor (Letters, October 14) writes, “the drive for independence is withering on the vine”.

Douglas Turner
Edinburgh

YET again there seems to be general rejoicing that a small, Scottish video games business has been absorbed into a large company (International giant buys Scots video game company, October 14). Have the last 10-15 years taught us nothing?

Look back at the banking crisis, when the bigger the bank, the harder it fell, to the detriment of both our economy and the general public. Look back at the collapse of Carillion and the disaster that was for the economy and the general public. Look at the big companies that are currently going to the wall as a result of this crisis. The list is endless – all too big to adjust to sudden changes of circumstances, or even, eventually, to start up again.

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It has often been reported in the last few years that small and medium-sized companies and new, small, niche ones are the backbone of the Scottish economy.

Our family have direct experience of the damage of small, successful companies being swallowed up by larger ones. An excellent small travel company which had traded very successfully for more than 30 years, with a huge, loyal customer base, was bought over by a larger one with a range of international arms. Within two years it was dead, when the umbrella company failed spectacularly.

So why on earth are we still following the mantra that big is beautiful? Surely Scotland’s future prosperity rests on retaining these smaller companies, and their ownership, in Scotland?

P Davidson
Falkirk

WILLIE Rennie is unapologetic about canvassing without wearing a mask and not adhering to social distancing (Rennie ‘out canvassing without a mask on’, October 14).

This is the man who frequently speaks of mental health issues, but here he is adding to the stress of people by putting unnecessary leaflets through their letter boxes, and knocking their door obviously expecting someone to answer.

READ MORE: Covid: Willie Rennie under fire for canvassing without a mask mid-pandemic

We are only allowed contact with one other household – how does he know if these persons have had contact with another household that day, or if they are expecting a friend to come to their garden at some time in the day but now they could be breaking the contact rules?

This is not the action of someone who cares about people’s mental health, but rather of someone who adds to the mental distress of people trying to follow all the rules.

Winifred McCartney
Paisley

IT comes as no surprise to hear that LibDem leader Willie Rennie is out canvassing for support while breaching Covid guidance. As usual, when he is caught out he is quick to blame it on the SNP and attempts to blame them for trying to turn the Covid crisis into a political act. Rennie is yet another BritNat who believes the rules don’t apply to him and that he can freely criticise the Scottish Government on its Covid response while ignoring the very guidance that is meant to protect us all.

Cllr Kenny MacLaren
Paisley