Spare us more economic pain

Dear Editor Images of new President Biden were reassuring. The U.S. election showed a nation divided, not in a nice way. However it also demonstrated that in any democracy four years come and go, also very reassuring.

As the pandemic rages we’re being encouraged to turn attention to the election of our next Scottish Government so let’s first consider what’s at stake - the ultimate break-up of the UK.

Whilst British and Scottish Nationalists claim the moral high ground post Brexit, the chaos of leaving a customs union hits home with a vengeance. The simplistic SNP answer to such Tory inspired chaos is always socalled independence.

Why any responsible Scottish Government would pile more economic pain on top of Brexit by splitting from another successful economic union inside the UK is hard to comprehend. Constitutional wrangling is a total distraction from any recovery plan with no clear aim apart from creating further division.

As a pro-european I believe it is critical we first resolve the poor outcomes of a bad Brexit deal. Progressive politicians recognise the need for change, not just in Scotland but across the UK. They understand areas of England and Wales have differing economic and social priorities to resolve.

To achieve an amicable, rather than a confrontational, settlement we must now embrace plans for a federal UK along the lines of successful democracies like Germany and Switzerland. If not I suspect the next four years will like be a “walk in the park” compared to the next 40.