Gers won’t apply in an independent future

Sir, – Further to William Loneskie (‘World through a looking glass’, Letters, August 29).

Many people are still under some sort of illusion about Gers.

They reflect a UK situation where figures are taken historically.

Some assume the situation would continue as now following independence.

After independence and during the transition, all the things we do not have at present will be put in place.

We cannot do that yet, so yes we don’t have a central bank, but we will.

Money market ratings are pure guesswork, as are assumptions about deficit, public expenditure cuts and more.

The fact is, on half our tax income we cover all public expenditure already, the remainder of that GDP is spent on what Westminster thinks is necessary and expects everyone else to put up with.

There is absolutely no basis for Mr Loneskie’s unfathomable conclusions given that we would be supervised by IMF, privatisation has never been on the agenda, and the basis for assumptions about tax increases show Mr Loneskie is not at all well read.

He is making a worst case and ill-thoughtthrough conclusion to support some notion that we can only exist because Westminster is pleased and willing to keep us in a charitable fashion.

He and others like him need to remember that we can only spend what we are doled out, which is around half our GDP.

If we were independent we would be in control of all of our GDP and able to direct the funds to where we want instead of what Westminster wants.

The deficit which he has assumed will continue is a consequence of Westminster’s borrowing.

Such deficits are caused by spending more than is earned.

Draft budgets have been issued in previous years demonstrating that Scotland can run our affairs on what we earn.

The £66 billion tax income does not include taxes that are generated by Scottish businesses with headquarters elsewhere.

All those who decry the concept of independence need to ask themselves why we could not exist on our own, when all the evidence elsewhere around the world shows the opposite.

And we have still not heard why historical glories are so necessary and essential for the future. The world has moved on since the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Nick Cole. Balmacron Farmhouse, Meigle, Perthshire.