Big business?

Mary Thomas is kidding herself if she thinks the 4,000 signatures of the Business for Scotland declaration means significant support for inde produced pendence from the business community.

It is probable that most of the businesses who signed up are very small, employing few people or only the business owners themselves. This kind of business is important to the Scottish economy, I make a living myself in this way, but to suggest that 4,000 signatures represents significant business support for independence is mistaken.

One third of all the jobs in Scotland are provided by just 2.9 per cent of businesses. It would be more useful if Mary Thomas and Business for Scotland could provide information such as “businesses employing X per cent of the Scottish workforce” or “businesses contributing Y per cent of Scotland’s turnover” support the Business for Scotland declaration. These figures would probably be very small.

The Business for Scotland declaration was rather misleading as it included both separation and access to the single market, as if the two were linked. If business owners were given the option of staying in the UK, and maintaining tariff-free access to the single market – the stated aim of the UK Government – the vast majority would be likely to choose that option. KEITH SHORTREED

Cottown of Gight Methlick, Aberdeenshire I wonder where Fraser Grant gets his figures from? Taking two examples from his letter on 10 July, he first of all says Scotland has “a GDP 4 times higher than the UK”. Last time I looked Scotland’s GDP in 2015 was £248 billion and the UK’S was 11 times bigger at £2,861 million, and roughly the same on a per capita basis.

He also said the UK has produced roughly the same amount of oil and gas as Norway. Since 1973 Norway has an average of 2.8 million barrels per day to the UK’S 1.64m. Using these numbers a UK Oil Fund – if it existed – would be around 60 per cent of Norway’s $1,000bn, ie roughly $600bn. This means an independent Scotland’s share – based on population – would be around $50bn.

So Norway’s fund is worth approximately $200,000 per person and Scotland’s would be worth around $10,000 per person. Currently Norway produces 3.9m barrels per day and the UK produces just under 1m – four times as much as theuk, so the forward prospects for an independent Scotland’ s oil fund are, as they say up here, no’ too bonny! ALLAN SUTHERLAND Willow Row, Stonehaven