Indy Scotland would be up to fighting virus

Sir, – Jill Stephenson (Indy numbers don’t add up, Courier, March 23) constantly talks Scotland down, again presenting it, at this time of crisis, as totally dependent on the UK.

She asks “how would a separate Scotland have combated this (coronavirus) crisis?’

I would suggest the Scottish Government would not have gambled against the best evidence on how to deal with the virus. As for the benefits of the Barnett consequentials, an independent Scotland would keep its own money, including oil income, and manage within our means very well without nuclear weapons, foreign wars, aircraft carriers, HS2, Crossrail, and all the rest of Westminster’s vanity projects.

Ms Stephenson implies an oil price collapse would destroy

Scotland’s finances. Well it won’t be doing that to independent Norway because the Norwegians have invested their oil revenues.

They now have a huge wealth fund to see the country through hard times, such as these. As Scotland could have had.

What will the UK do when the oil does run out, and those vast revenues cease?

An independent Scotland will replace these with our green energy resources, potentially the best in Europe.

An independent Scotland would also not be in the process of deliberately self harming by leaving the biggest, most successful free trade group in the world, for the dubious benefit of dependence on Trump’s America.

Les Mackay. 5 Carmichael Gardens, Dundee.