I RECENTLY returned from Sweden and, once again, was struck – and depressed – by the difference between that country (and others across the North Sea) and Scotland.

Clean streets and roadside verges (didn’t see ANY litter); no potholes; well-designed, pleasant houses and towns; delicious food, and so on.

READ MORE: SNP’s current policy for the General Election is entirely misconceived

That country is not without its problems, of course, but the contrast with the UK, and Scotland’s imprisonment within that benighted, on-the-skids state, is depressing. We are being dragged down the road to general crapness by Brengland, and only independence, and the chance to to use our fantastic resources to make a better country, can unlock our potential.

The current widespread despair amongst indy supporters that the SNP should have been smarter in power does not mean we should withdraw our support. On the contrary, if you believe we can make Scotland a better country when independent, vote SNP – warts and all – straight down the line. If we do not, our “enemies” will rejoice and it will take much longer to achieve it.

When we do – and it will come – you then have the luxury of voting for any party of your choice.

David Roche
Blairgowrie

I ATTENDED a screening of Lesley Riddoch’s film on Denmark. Great piece of work highlighting that running and developing a successful country can be achieved in different ways.

Throughout the film I was struck by the level of cooperation that permeates throughout Danish society. There are differences that need sorting, but that is achieved through working together for the good of their country.

In contrast, watching FMQs at Holyrood you see and hear division, resentment, vindictiveness, point-scoring – and it’s not for the benefit of Scotland. We have our SNP government continually attacked by two branch offices of Labour and Tories that represent Westminster interests first, with Scotland a mere second.

READ MORE: Scotland has only a few weeks to seize this independence opportunity

To read newspapers, watch TV news or listen to the news on the radio, you never hear about what Scotland is achieving – there is always a put-down and a negative about anything Scottish.

The establishment cannot allow the idea that Scotland is doing things better or different in any area of public life – their mantra is “don’t give Scotland air and she will sit back down”.

Folks, we need to stand up for our democracy – as an independent country we can have full powers to allow communities throughout Scotland to have a voice and work to build a better and happier future for Scotland.

Westminster governments red or blue will always prioritise the 55 million in England/Wales with Scotland and her folks coming in a very poor second.

We can do better for ourselves and for future generations. Be brave, Scotland – we can do this.

Jan Ferrie
Ayrshire

WHAT exactly is “net zero” and how can it ever save the planet? If the politicians who impose net-zero policies on us don’t know, how can we?

Renewable energy projects, which are meant to help us reach this ambiguous net-zero target, are extremely carbon-emitting. That is besides the preliminaries, ie the sourcing of the materials in developing countries where regulations are slack; the dirty production of turbines and solar panels in foreign countries where pollution control is woefully inadequate and slave labour is used; the transportation across the world on ships not powered by wind but by diesel.

READ MORE: Scotland’s energy potential ‘impacted by limits of devolution’

Once these “green products” hit our shores, the real joke of “carbon neutral” begins. Peatlands and heather moorland are dug up to allow for tens of thousands of tonnes of rebar and concrete to be poured into the land for the turbine towers.

Service tracks of quarried stone and tarmac are constructed, covering once-pristine wild land. Forests are felled to make space for turbines, pylons and overhead lines. The sea bed is churned and pummelled by pile driving and the anchoring of offshore turbines. Prime agricultural land is covered in solar panels, substations, and battery storage units.

Peatlands, moorland, forests and sea beds are some of the greatest carbon stores we have. When we destroy agricultural land for heavy industry we limit even more what we can grow to feed ourselves, resulting in needing to import food, which results in a serious accumulation of unnecessary food miles.

I wonder if the renewable energy industry knows that to keep the money coming in you have to keep emitting CO2, and the best way to do that is to destroy the very things in nature that control it. That way, net zero can never be reached and the industry can keep on growing, never really cleaning up the planet, just making billions off the back of the environment it is pretending to save – just like every other big dirty industry has in history.

Denise Davis
Communities B4 Power Companies
Taigh Dubh