Labour and Lib Dems need to let scales fall from eyes when it comes to Brexit

If the Scottish parliament votes to reject the EU Withdrawal Bill, it is a deliberate provocation and the parties involved do so simply to exacerbate what is already a difficult situation.

The other unionist parties – Labour and the Lib Dems – should let the scales fall from their eyes and see how they are being cynically manipulated by a very adept, but mendacious Scottish administration which says one thing and does another. To illustrate the nonsense they spout, the SNP want powers from Brussels “returned to Scotland”, which Holyrood has never had, so how they can be “returned” baffles me. In addition, Mike Russell says “the Scottish Government will do everything we can to protect the devolution settlement people voted for so overwhelmingly more than 20 years ago” – yet the SNP oppose devolution.

How can they possibly be “doing everything that they can” to defend the status quo of devolution, which requires remaining in the UK, whilst also campaigning to break the UK up? Please explain the logic. An illustration of SNP Newspeak now reigns throughout Scotland as everyone debates whether Nicola Sturgeon, stating to MSPS that “Fracking is banned in Scotland – end of story” means fracking is banned. Apparently not, any more than whether the legal advice on whether an independent Scotland would automatically get membership of the EU, as we were told before the referendum actually existed. It can be so hard to tell what is actually true with the SNP.

ANDREW HN GRAY Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh

Your regular correspondents again replace reasonable arguments with distortion and bluster (Letters, 16 May).

It will be astonishing if, as claimed, the Growth Commission’s final report places oil at the centre of the future Scottish economy. As to Scotland’s supposed place in international economic league tables, this is an invention. Only independent countries feature and last I looked (The Economist, 28 April) the UK was 38th of 42 for GDP growth and 38th again in respect of currentaccount balance.

There are challenging arguments to be made for independence. The present defence of devolution, important as it is and enjoying crossparty support, will not be central to this no matter what convoluted and devious strategy your correspondents imagine the SNP to be following. However, a convincing case can be made that Scotland will, over time, do better than a UK hellbent on further economic damage through Brexit.

ROBERT FARQUHARSON Lee Crescent, Edinburgh