How will man on bus benefit?

Sir, - I reply to Mr Richard Clark of Monikie (October 18).

To spread this sort of tosh does neither this country nor his nationalistic cause any good. There is no broken union and there was no invasion in 1707. I am pretty sure if he discusses freedom from oppressive colonisation with some of our new east European citizens, say from Poland or Romania, it might cool his fevered brow.

We have all heard the rallying call of “freedom” for quite a while now but what exactly are Mr Clark and his nationalist cohorts actually after?

What benefits will the “man on the number ten bus” get after “independence” from the UK? James Davie. 33 Aberdour Place, Barnhill, Dundee. (October 19) has his head in exactly the same place as many hostile to the idea that Scotland can be a viable, independent country.

Rather than make the positive case for the union that is the United Kingdom, the automatic response is to run down the country that is Scotland.

Even the then Prime Minister David Cameron, at the outset of the independence referendum campaign, made it clear that the case for the union was not that Scotland lacked the capacity to be a successful independent country if that was what the people chose.

Mr Scott noted in his letter that Scotland’s economic situation is problematic and he is right.

However, he neglected to observe that this situation has occurred during a prolonged period of Tory rule from Westminster.

The nasty medicine of right-wing dogma, Brexit and savage Tory cuts has been toxic to the United Kingdom as a whole and especially to Scotland.

Mr Scott thinks that Scotland taking more of the same poisonous medicine by ongoing submission to edicts from the Tories is the way forward and describes people who disagree with this view as “irrational”.

I would respectfully suggest to Mr Scott that if the medicine is killing the patient, continuing to take it forever is madness. K Heath. Cortachy. Kirriemuir.

I would respectfully suggest to Mr Scott that if the medicine is killing the patient, continuing to take it forever is madness

Amateur photographer Andy Leonard, 59, of Ellon, captured this stunning scene of a stag against the moon near Loch Muick on Deeside.