THE enduring chasm in infrastructure spending between “the North” (read Manchester) and “the South” (read London) is clear evidence of a fatally broken Union. Incredibly it appears that only on witnessing the current financial catastrophe that is HS2 have Labour, LibDem and some Tory politicians woken up to the fact that jobs and prosperity follow major investment, while unemployment and economic decline follow a lack of major investment.
Regrettably this reflects the same economic naivety exhibited by those who every year assert that a notional current deficit in the Far North (read Scotland), where there has been a lack of proportionate UK infrastructure investment within this unequal Union for decades, indicates that a Scotland free of this constitutional and economic straitjacket cannot be prosperous. Such views are seen to be even more ridiculous when one considers that the prosperity of the south has been fuelled by Scotland’s enormous energy resources and the supply, over generations, of able young people.
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Unless intending to distract or deceive, it is simply absurd that some spend their time complaining about every pound they perceive to be unwisely spent by the Scottish Government while the UK Government negligently splurges hundreds of billions of pounds of borrowings and taxes gathered from across the UK on white elephants such as HS2, a failed track-and-track service and bonfired PPE, in addition to hastily written-off fraud.
Those who wish to help convince more than 50% of the electorate to vote for an SNP candidate (or an alternative candidate if it can be proved that that candidate has a greater prospect of winning more votes) in the next General Election should perhaps resist becoming distracted by personal perspectives on the best route to independence and focus their efforts on the message that, as neighbouring countries have clearly demonstrated, it is not that Scotland cannot afford to be independent, the reality is that Scotland can no longer afford to continue to provide life support to a Union in which constitutional, economic, democratic, social and moral standards have declined relative to widely accepted international aspirations, and which is now terminally debilitated.
Stan Grodynski
Longniddry, East Lothian
THE long letter from Steve Arnott (Sep 27) suggests that if the independence-supporting parties cannot work together we are not worthy of freedom. If they do, what is to stop the Unionist parties working in the same way either formally or informally? As Brian Lawson writes in the same edition, their supporters are reputed to be a majority and cannot be ignored.
The first poll on the horizon is the General Election. The benefit of using the Westminster system to declare a mandate is that if the SNP have a majority of Scottish seats they can use this as a trigger to resile from the Treaty of Union and its associated laws. The election will soon be on us and is not confused by domestic policy issues because the doings of Westminster will only bring harm to Scotland, as SNP voters know. So it can be used as a single-issue vote, though this would be tested by the alien English law.
READ MORE: Jim Fairlie: Abstentionism may be the only route left to a referendum
If the Scottish election is used in the same way, many other factors come into play. For instance in the independence-supporting parties there are differing policies on the EU and the extraction of oil. These would create problems for a coalition when dealing with Perfidious Albion. The temptation is to let the SNP carry on as best it can. However, the climate crisis will increase the Green support in Scotland. Meanwhile England will sink under the weight of its own history.
In Scotland we must go the way of democracy and referendums. This will tell us accurately where we are and break the grasp of the duplicitous foreign media, though they would work as usual to influence the outcome. But these polls are used all over the world by forward-looking countries. it would be under our own control. We can use them in due course to decide the many relationships we will have to make. Perhaps we could lead our neighbours into more sensible ways as well.
Iain WD Forde
Scotlandwell
CONGRATULATIONS to the Scottish women’s national team, who scored a deserved last-minute equaliser against Belgium in the Nations League.
However, unfortunately they were let down by coverage in Tuesday’s copy of The National. There were no articles covering the build-up to the game, no photographs, not a mention.
Even the “Sport on TV” failed to mention the game was on BBC Scotland but had clear information that the England game was on ITV4, and the Wales game was on BBC One Wales. The TV schedules failed to mention the game was being broadcast live, instead indicating The Disasters that Shocked Scotland was on followed by Scotland – The New Wild.
I’m sure The National wants to support and enhance the women’s game and our national team. As a paper you must up your game and improve your performance.
Gordon Ferrie
South Ayrshire
ON Tuesday, the Scotland Womens International team were playing Belgium at Hampden Park, so that morning I got The National and headed for the sports pages to see what the news there was concerning the team which ran England so close on Friday night. What did I find? Nothing!!
I think maybe I got the date wrong, so go to the sports page that tells us all matches that are being televised that night. What do I find regarding Scotland? Nothing!!
Come on National, surely someone should at least check to see that our interests are covered?
Robert Fergus
via email
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