Having a laugh

Well, it appears myself and Councillor Gordon Clark have something in common.

I too love the adventures of Del and Rodney on Only Fools and Horses, and I’m sure like Cllr Clark, they bring much needed light relief to a fellow longsuffering Cambuslang Rangers fan.

My favourite moment involving the Trotters is when they unwittingly send a priceless chandelier crashing to the floor - which is a very apt analogy, as that’s pretty much what’s happened to the SNP’s arguments for independence over the past few weeks.

I note Cllr Clark dismisses any suggestion of a conspiracy on oil.... by hinting at a media conspiracy. This conspiracy is so secret that Cllr Clark is able to quote figures. Again, MI5 really need to get their finger out.

As it is, I’ve never used oil in my argument against separation, I was merely using it as an example to the depths some members of the Yes campaign will stoop to in order to spread uncertainty among the Scottish electorate. Oil is a good thing, and I’ve been critical of the Better Together campaign in how they play down its importance.

The Yes scaremongering on the NHS has already been shot to pieces. It really is the lowest of the low, but to be expected given the depths they’ve plumbed. In his letter Cllr Clark claims I want Scots to pay more for their NHS than the rest of the UK. This is simply not true. I don’t think people with long-term medical needs or those on benefits should pay for prescriptions, but that those of us who can afford the odd prescription for antibiotics should make a contribution.

I myself actually benefit from free prescription charges, but I would have no hesitation in handing over some of my hard earned in order to help support the NHS.

As for raising taxes, I thought Cllr Clark would be enthused by the idea. After all, the chairman of Yes Scotland, Dennis Canavan, has already told us Scots would be delighted to pay more in tax to fund their dream.

I’m intrigue to know how the SNP are going to follow through with their pledge to increase public spending by three per cent. It won’t be big businesses, because corporation tax is set to be cut, and it won’t be the rich because they won’t commit to 50p rate in the pound for the highest-earner, so who is it going to be? I’m guessing it will be the working and middle classes. John Swinney reckons we’ll borrow the money, but given recent utterings from the SNP, we may need to go to Wonga for that, which brings me on to the issue of currency.

I’m not sure why this argument is still going on. Better Together have won the currency debate in every way imaginable, yet still we keep coming back to it.

The people of Scotland deserve to know that a couple of quid on a prescription will be a drop in the ocean compared to what we can expect if the SNP go through with their ludicrous threat to default on our share of the national debt if there is no currency union - not to mention the potential effects of sterlingisation.

The impartial Institute for Fiscal Studies have already warned an iScotland would need to make cuts, beyond anything proposed from Westminster, or raise tax - probably both - in the event of separation. That’s without the added problem of having defaulted on our liabilities before tying our own pound to the currency of a foreign nation while having no reserves and no lender of last resort to guarantee your savings.

Mr Salmond is a smart man, so I can only assume he knows fine well the implications. I’m also going to assume he’s well aware that the pound is not an asset.

Voters need to be absolutely clear on the currency issue. Only 10 per cent of UK trade is with Scotland, but 70 per cent of Scottish trade is with the rest of the UK. Transaction costs for the UK will be a tiny price to pay over the risk of having to bail out an iScotland if the need comes about. A Currency Union is not to the benefit of the rest of the UK.

Sterlingisation is favoured only by those whose economic views are further to the right than Thatcher. Holding sufficient reserves to hold a Scottish pound 1:1 with sterling, as is done in Gibraltar, would cost a fortune. We should be told how this would be paid for. In Denmark, where the krone is tied to the Euro, people are pulling their savings out of banks due to negative interest.

I stand by my comments on some sections of the Yes Campaign. Cllr Clark also doesn’t dispute my comments. Perhaps he agrees with the Yes Campaigners I’ve seen online this week who have said that all no voters are “traitors”, with some going as far as to suggest high profile members of the Better Together campaign should be executed. We’re constantly told Yes is a grassroots campaign, so can I safely assume Cllr Clark is happy with these grassroots views? I’m happy to provide the evidence.

I actually happen to think Scotland could make it on its own, I just also believe we stand taller and stronger alongside those who have stood with us for 300 years and I have no intention of deserting our friends in the rest of the UK to chase Salmond’s pipedream. I’ve never used the term “too wee, too poor, too stupid,” in fact, the only people I have heard use that saying are nationalists.

But the SNP have not offered a coherent or workable vision. They have been blinded by their own ambition and have backed themselves into a corner with their foolishly optimistic timetable for breaking away. They have had 80 years to prepare for this moment and still don’t have the answers.

Perhaps the SNP could come up with a better argument than “this time next year, we’ll be millionaires”. John Maxwell Name and address supplied