Europe will welcome independent Scotland

Sir,- Your columnist Jenny Hjul patently finishes writing her columns before the events she describes have even occurred (Doomed European voyage, November 30).

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon supposedly returned from her visit to Ireland “empty handed” because there is apparently “no sympathy” for Scotland and “no support” for Scottish independence in Dublin.

Those who actually waited for the trip to happen before deciding what they thought of it would have come to entirely the opposite conclusion.

The First Minister was given a standing ovation after her speech to the Irish Senate.

Senator after senator, representing every Irish political party and none, proceeded to praise Ms Sturgeon and the idea of an independent Scotland inside the EU.

Ms Hjul can find a video record of the proceedings she regrettably missed on the Irish Senate website. It seems to me that a distinct Brexit settlement for Scotland within the UK is indeed highly unlikely given both Theresa May’s inflexibility and the single market’s complexity.

However, that should hold no fear for us. As the strong support we received in Dublin demonstrates, Scotland has many allies across Europe who will welcome us with open arms as a full and independent member state of the EU. David Kelly. 17 Highfields, Dunblane.

Picture: Press Association. Irish Senator Denis O’Donovan greets First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon at Leinster House, Dublin.