Painful split

the SNP government wants Scotland to remain in the eu. this could be achieved only after Scots voted to separate from the uK.

In any referendum campaign, one could legitimately expect the SNP to tell voters the truth about what eu membership would mean for Scotland. We know, from the recent experience of countries in southern europe, that the eu insists on its members reducing a high deficit, and that that entails severe pain for the inhabitants of these countries.

Scotland’s deficit stands at 9.5 per cent — higher than that of any eu country, including greece. reducing Scotland’s deficit would mean severe cuts to public spending — far beyond anything we have experienced or are likely to experience with Brexit.

the surest way to inflict pain on Scots is for us to vote for separation and then seek admission to the eu.

Beyond that, Scotland in the eu would not receive the benefits that the uK has enjoyed. the thatcher rebate will disappear with Brexit: the eu would not offer a proportion of it to an iScotland. Vat would be chargeable on items currently zero-rated.

New eu member may choose ‘one or two’ items to have at zero or 5 per cent. everything else has to be rated at 15 per cent Vat or above. Currently, as part of the uK, Scots enjoy zerorating on 54 categories of goods, including food, kids’ clothes and shoes and newspapers. Fuel and power is rated at 5 per cent.

So entry to the eu in a separate Scotland would mean that basic items that we take for granted would be liable for 15 per cent or more Vat.

thus, in addition to having to slash public spending, the cost of living would rise. does anyone seriously think that is a desirable prospect? I await the SNP’s admission that this would be the result of its ambitions. I am not holding my breath. JILL STEPHENSON, address supplied.