We must remember that right to self-determination is enshrined in UN charters

I take the strongest possible exception to the comment written about me by Dr SJ Clark (Letters, 3 November) I did not say the Spanish government was an axis of Nazis and fascists and heartily embracing the era of false news, Dr Clark knows this full well. What I said was that “the genesis of this state lies in the overthrow of a democratically elected government by an axis of fascists and Nazis”. That is an indisputable historical fact and I would hope that Dr Clark is man enough to apologise. It is also interesting to note how many Unionists are ignorant of the fact that the right to selfdetermination is enshrined in United Nation charters.

In his letter of 2 November John Donald says that it’s the Scottish nationalist movement which is using Catalonia as a proxy, thus demonstrating that he has totally missed the point of my letter. My point was that the absence of any criticism of the way the Spanish state dealt with the referendum in a clutch of letters sent to The Scotsman by known supporters of the Union indicated they wished the independence movement in Catalonia to fail lest it proved to be an exemplar for Scotland. I’m grateful to Mr Donald for writing to confirm my point.

Mr Donald then says that there were pointless visits to Catalonia by SNP MPS. He is wrong. A few SNP politicians were invited there as international observers.

He then goes on to say that “many separatist heroes” 70 years ago were Nazi sympathisers. If he knew his history he would know that such sympathies were very soon renounced when the nature of the Nazi regime became apparent. The same cannot be said for members of the upper classes who maintained their support for Hitler to the bitter end.

I would like to state that I do not feel morally superior on this issue, though it is hard to fully respect the views of someone like John Donald when they are expressed so rudely and with such spleen. And he says I don’t do irony?

I don’t think we should fly the Catalan flag over the City of Edinburgh chambers and I don’t hate anyone who supports the Union. I simply belong to a growing number of people who have lost all respect for it and faith in it. I do find it bemusing that so many people continue to support the Union, given the shambles it is in and the scorn with which Scotland has been treated over the handling of Brexit. Currently we have a Prime Minister who doesn’t know which powers are reserved and which are devolved and a Leader of the Opposition who doesn’t know that Scotland has a separate legal system.

Finally, Mr Donald thinks my views may have upset Nicola Sturgeon. However, I really don’t think the group of hardcore Unionists who criticised and mocked the Catalans for having the temerity to try to achieve independence and were the subject of my letter are likely to ever support independence.

GILL TURNER

Derby Street, Edinburgh