Undermining the UK’s Brexit position

Sir, – I suppose if I was Nicola Sturgeon, secure – in the absence of any credible successor – in my job as leader despite losing 500,000 votes in June, I too would focus on undermining the UK’s Brexit position.

UK failure, perceived or real, to get a good deal for Scotland is her only hope of a second referendum.

Just four hours after Friday’s announcement of Brexit talks progress she tweeted “... any special arrangements for NI must be available to other UK nations... a UK government that is able to say that come what may, it will avoid hard borders with Ireland/NI after Brexit can never again tell Scotland that independence would mean a hard border between Scotland and UK”.

She avoided the other precedent, the UK’s £50bn “divorce bill” which is tiny (£800 per inhabitant) compared with an independent Scotland’s inherited £150bn share of the UK’s £1,600 billion national debt (£2,800 per inhabitant).

An Irish resolution still depends on satisfactory trade agreements, but anyone genuinely interested in the best result for the UK should be tweeting their delight that discussions are now moving to trade.

Ms Sturgeon’s problem is EU negotiations are grinding inexorably forward to a deal that even she will be unable to spin well enough to convince enough Scots that she should get her dog’s chance last throw of the dice for a referendum.

For Scotland and the UK’s sake, I hope I’m right.

Allan Sutherland. 1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.

A bad Brexit deal for Scotland gives Nicola Sturgeon a case for indyref2.