Tax is not answer

Dr Stewart Clark is among many whose detestation of the SNP, and of independence, blinkers their vision on Westminster-created constitutional matters that dominate Holyrood (Letters, 25 July).

Their problem is that the constitution does not permit much by way of interpretation – it is written in the statute, so it is not so much a case of “blaming” Westminster, as attributing responsibility there.

I’m sure Dr Clark did not intend to mislead when he linked the 2014 referendum with the so-called new powers which do not come in until 2017 – these are the Smith proposals in the 2016 Scotland Act. Leaving aside Calman, the powers we have now are basically those operating when we had the Labour-led coalition from 1999 to 2007, but I do not recall any criticism of that regime and of the Scottish economy then. Of course, then we had a “partnership”, as John (now Lord) Reid never stopped telling us, between Westminster Labour and Holyrood Labour – and we all know where that ended up: Labour out, SNP in.

There is a major contradiction (despite his comments about Catriona Clark and me) in Dr Clark blaming the Westminster Tory government for its budget and for public sector austerity in paying off the debt, when Labour’s £160bn 2010 deficit created it. His challenge to the SNP to increase tax (which would apply to whichever party was in power at Holyrood) compounds the austerity issue: to compensate the cuts would simply pass the austerity into taxpayers’ pockets! Paradoxically, that would not result in any additional spending. Furthermore, any cuts from Westminster would enhance our viability.

DOUGLAS R MAYER Thomson Crescent, Currie,

Midlothian