‘Mountain to climb’ for SNP

SIR, – It is with some amusement I read recent comments by Alex Salmond goading Ms Sturgeon to go for another referendum. His justification was seemingly based upon the claim that when he decided to call the last referendum the support for the SNP was only around 30% and by the end of the referendum it had risen to 45% – similar to where it is today. The suggestion is of course that surely Ms Sturgeon could win as she would be starting her campaign from a much more favourable position than him. Really?

Perhaps so from the current standing in the polls, but certainly not from Scotland's economic prospects given the current fiscal deficit of 9.5% (EU maximum: 3%) and share of national debt of £150billion – both considerably worse than in 2014. Indeed, it would be a mountain to climb for the SNP when you consider all the fantastical economic claims in the discredited white paper championed by Alex Salmond, and not forgetting they still cannot tell us what currency we would use and so on. Either way, Ms Sturgeon is up the proverbial creek of her own making as she will be in trouble whether she demands another referendum she cannot win, or decides to continue to fudge the issue to the frustration of the hardcore nationalists. Maybe Mr Salmond sees this as an opportunity to regain power when it all goes pear-shaped? Ian Lakin, Murtle Den Road,

Aberdeen.