Catalan context

Andrew Gray (Letters, 11 October) ignores the vast differences between the situation in Catalonia and Scotland in historical and constitutional contexts.

However, both nations are socially progressive and outward-looking by supporting an EU Single Market as well as being wealthier than many EU member states. When economic ruin or international isolation was predicted for Kosovo, Malta, Slovakia or Slovenia, and every other European country that obtained self-government, this was quickly disproved within a few years.

Like the EU, Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn also failed to speak out in support of Catalonia as they too don’t want to upset Spain, particularly during Brexit negotiations.

As for France, when I visited Perpignan many local people considered themselves Catalan, which the French government wouldn’t want to encourage.

Unlike Scotland, Catalonia has several public local TV stations and, therefore, does not get the bulk of its news filtered through the political and economic interests of a capital city hundreds of miles away.

MARY THOMAS Watson Crescent, Edinburgh

In 2014, when Scotland was asked to vote Yes or No to independence, support for the No campaign was expressed by the governments of the United States, Russia, China, the European Union and even the Pope. The only government in favour of Yes was North Korea. Fast forward to 2017, we have the ‘government’ of Catalonia demanding to become independent.

Opposing this idea are the governments of the United States, Russia, China, the European Union and even the Pope. The only government actually in favour is that of Scotland. Is this, therefore, a wise position to take by the Scottish National Party given the questionable legality of the Catalan vote and this otherwise unanimous international disapproval?

Dr GERALD EDWARDS Broom Road, Glasgow