SNP must drop PR ‘gloss’ and focus on decision-making in wake of fracking farce

It appears that the petrochemical company Ineos’s legal challenge to the Scottish Government’s fracking ban may be premature.

The company headed into court last week to be told by James Mure, QC for the Scottish Government, that the First Minister’s statements on an effective ban were merely a PR “gloss”.

This is some PR “gloss”, especially if you watched the First Minister’s speech in Holyrood last year where she adamantly stated: “Fracking is banned in Scotland, end of story and we should all be happy.”

How can present and future business people in the United Kingdom and abroad plan investments in Scotland when our government is driven by PR gloss and not sensible and proper decision-making that would allow our country’s economy to thrive and move forward?

This “fracking ban” is a classic example of the SNP trying to win “popular” votes and keep the Green Party onside so they can push through any other ill-thought-out ideas and Pr-seeking opportunities that may sway people towards independence.

My message to the Scottish Government is, let’s have proper discussions and rational decision-making on real business opportunities that if taken correctly can be safely executed by Scottish, UK and international companies. We do this every day in the North Sea, so why should fracking on land be different?

However, having this discussion with the majority of the Scottish Government will be a challenge based on this summary by Tom Pickering of Ineos: “Sadly we seem to have reached the Alice in Wonderland situation where a business has to go to the Scottish courts to establish whether announcements in Holyrood can be taken at face value.”

JOHN GODSMAN Kirktown of Fetteresso

In October last year the First Minister boldly stated in Holyrood that: “Scotland should welcome the fact that fracking in Scotland is banned.’’

She could not have been clearer. Except that we now find that this was not the case and, at the very least, a misleading declaration. This is most worrying. It is difficult to imagine who in the Scottish Government you can trust if the First Minister is allowed to get away with this.

The First Minister’s eyes are clearly not on the ball. As with the myriad failures of her government and ministers which she has ignored, her attention is clearly on another, what she considers bigger, matter like a second referendum.

ALEXANDER MCKAY New Cut Rigg, Edinburgh