I OFTEN feel like sending in my views on indyref2 but never get round to it, however with the awful – but not surprising – Supreme Court ruling, here’s my tuppence worth.

I thought it was right for us to take the initiative to find out what the legal position was before we had our referendum as it was a certainty the UK Government would kick us in the teeth with it after we had a Yes vote for Scotland returning to being an independent nation, with the resulting confusion.

I’ve always held the view we should peacefully go about our business to achieve our independence and show the world how our nation acts. The Supreme Court ruling is testing my ability to keep thinking peaceful thoughts when we keep hitting a brick wall of arrogant people telling us no-one in Scotland wants another referendum.

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It is more important than ever that our SNP MPs turn up at Westminster for the next phase of our campaign. Not only to keep the rest of the UK aware that Scotland exists, but so scholars of the future can read Hansard to find out how exasperating the journey was.

The media keeps looking for splits in the SNP, but I’m thinking the third-largest party in the UK Parliament with more than 100,000 members can’t all be thinking exactly the same way. They all, however, have the same goal, only have different thoughts of how to go about it.

Whether or not there were shenanigans with our Westminster MPs with the change of leadership, for me the really important thing is that our SNP MPs need to turn up at Westminster and start to bring up pertinent information/questions regarding Scotland’s contribution to the UK and refute all the misinformation the opposition parties throw at us. Getting a straight answer to the question asked should be made to happen by the Speaker, holding up proceedings till they do, or something along those lines!

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I personally was expecting a new phase to our campaign to start happening anyway, and one aspect of the new leadership is that they may bring on board the interest of younger people. I’m sorry, Ian Blackford, for saying this – I’m in my 70s and it hurts me to say so – but it is more their future than ours. Sorry again Ian, I know you are nowhere near your 70s. Thank you for your time as leader down there.

With independence we want to be an open, welcoming nation. Like every other country in the world we want to trade with other countries – England, Wales and Ireland included. I know the Northern Ireland agreement is still up in the air, but if Northern Ireland can have some sort of trading solution at the moment, I’m sure Scotland, without the legal technicality of the Northern Ireland agreement to deal with, after indyref2 will work something out. Borderers are rightly worried about this, but don’t tell me the Eurostar trains are running with empty seats to Paris just now!

One last thing. Whenever anyone says the SNP haven’t accepted the result of the 2014 referendum and keep going on about it rather than running the country, WE MUST reply with the facts: it was the thousands of ordinary people like me who had no interest in politics before the referendum, who couldn’t accept that it had been a fair contest, who joined the SNP and Green parties in droves.

Pat Bremner
via email

IT’S nonsense to claim that Scotland is in a voluntary union with England. In 1707 the people of Scotland were never consulted; it was the Scottish bourgeoisie and aristocracy, some of whom wanted to unite with England during an economic depression, some were bribed by England to join, and some wanted to share in England’s growing imperialism.

Colin Beattie
via email