WHILE recognising Alex Salmond’s feat of gaining a referendum, Kenny MacLaren (Letters, Mar 27) is not recognising the full picture. At the time there was a SNP Holyrood seat majority, and fundamentally David Cameron didn’t think we could win.
This time when Nicola asked, the prime ministers were fully aware of the better odds in our favour and refused a Section 30 order. If granting that is in the gift of one person then no amount of argument will sway that decision if they don’t want to concede.
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Alex didn’t have any magic wand other than Cameron’s possible naivety. What didn’t help, which the Unionists seized on to back up their latest refusals, was the throwaway comment that it was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity, coupled with lack of clarity over currency.
Subsequent events undermined Alex’s position, and his defence of attacking his previous allies and colleagues did further damage. Gaining a referendum in the face of Unionist antagonism and blanket refusal is not down to one individual but all of us getting behind the cause and demonstrating a clear democratic public demand to hold one.
Nick Cole
Meigle, Perthshire
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