Should Scotland just be happy with its lot?

Sir, – Douglas Cowe (Changed minds but still no real debate, Courier, October 14) tells us how bad things are in Scotland with child poverty, homelessness, drugs deaths, reduced life expectancy, the economy, NHS and so on, whilst noting ‘a third of Scots who voted no to independence may have changed their minds. He concludes they should ‘be very aware of what (they) wish for’.

Presumably he thinks we

should be happy with our lot, and accept the negative outcomes, which have come about in a Scotland which has limited powers to effect change.

Or maybe he thinks that, if we hang on long enough, things will magically improve.

He also, presumably, believes that those 55% of Scots who now believe that an independent Scotland, managing its own affairs, could do better, are deluded.

Might I remind Mr Cowe of the wise words, attributed to Albert Einstein, on delusion, that “the height of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results”.

Les Mackay. Carmichael Gardens, Dundee.

“We have to protect the health of the nation but let’s do it as one nation, and not make the north of England the sacrificial lamb for an ill-thought-through Downing Street policy which doesn’t make sense. The north is fed up of being pushed around. We aren’t going to be pushed around any more” - Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham after a bitter row over proposed lockdown restrictions.

“The perfect storm for NHS trust chief executives is the combination of tired staff and the fact that they have lost between 10-30% of capacity because they have got to keep Covid and non-Covid patients separate” - Chris Hopson, who heads NHS Providers.

“Under any circumstance, our fishermen should not be sacrificed for Brexit. If these conditions are not met, it’s possible we won’t have a deal. If the right terms can’t be found at the end of these discussions, we’re ready for a no-deal for our future relations” - French president Emmanuel Macron warns Boris Johnson he will not allow French fishermen to be sacrificed for the sake of a post-Brexit trade deal between Britain and the EU.

“They are barking up the wrong tree, we clean the restaurant every day, it’s 4,000 square feet, it costs me a fortune. We’ve been thrown under the bus by the government and they aren’t giving us the means to operate successfully to get from under it” - Andy Jones, owner of Jones & Sons restaurant in Dalston, east London, claims he lost more than 500 booked customers for a single day due to the new lockdown rules placed on the capital.