Vanishing act

Nicola Sturgeon conveniently heads to Brussels on another taxpayer-funded “mission impossible” (“Sturgeon to expand Scots’ Brussels base after Brexit”, 28 May) while Andrew Wilson is left to absorb the flak over the Growth Commission report.

Under Alex Salmond’s leadership the launch of such an important document would never have been left to the author. How many of us know who wrote the 2013 White Paper for independence?

Ms Sturgeon had to give final approval to this plan – nothing leaves SNP headquarters without her say so. It is therefore extremely significant that Ms Sturgeon did not feel able to back up this plan, which has huge consequences for us all, with a personal publicity blitz. No one from the higher echelons of the Scottish National Party seems to have been available either, and to time the launch for a holiday weekend is no coincidence.

The Scottish public deserve to be treated with far more respect from their “public servants” than this. (DR) GERALD EDWARDS

Broom Road, Glasgow. The long-awaited SNP sponsored Growth Commission report appears and one must ask:whereisnicolasturgeon?

It is very surprising that she has not been all across the political programmes this weekend promoting the report published, incidentally, just two weeks before an SNP conference!

Looking at the report it is clear she will need to practice her response, as what is different to 2014? The report itself has fallen from the Scotland’s Future report’s 670 pages in 2014 to 370 now. The Arc of Prosperity in 2014 referencing Ireland, Iceland and Norway now becomes successful “small countries” Denmark, Finland and New Zealand. The Bank of England will again retain control of monetary policy, setting interest rates. We will keep the pound once more (assuming UK Government approval) but at the same time tell the markets we will likely dump it in ten years.

The report’s author, Andrew Wilson, argues we can increase public spending while managing down the current deficit of £13 billion without austerity, which will take some magic trick!

Finally, to leave the UK will only cost around £400 million, just a little less than the cost of the Scottish Parliament building! We are seeing the costs around Brexit and this estimated figure of £400m is, like the report itself, complete fantasy.

This report contains no new or compelling arguments for independence that were promoted by the SNP in 2014 and indeed, one might well argue that No supporters will welcome the contents far more than dyed in the wool independence supporters.

RICHARD ALLISON Braehead Loan, Edinburgh Andrew Wilson’s report is a serious document eschewing much of the propaganda so evident in the Scotland’s Future 2013 White Paper. Using small countries as pick’n’mix models to emulate is ingenious.

But the devil will be in the detail: it is reasonable to guess that farmers would not welcome New Zealand’s zero agricultural subsidies, or young men Finland’s universal military conscription, or anyone Denmark’s 25 per cent VAT rate. And is being small always better? Not for research universities. Ours have been so good because they have been an integral and outstandingly successful part of the world-class British system since 1707. HUGH PENNINGTON Carlton Place, Aberdeen Andrew Wilson’s report does not bode well for the plans for Scotland’s future proposed by Nicola Sturgeon and her SNP cohorts. It should be noted that the pound sterling is advocated instead of a new currency. SNP ambitions to obtain EU membership for Scotland would therefore be thwarted by a future independent Scotland’s lack of control over such key financial levers as the setting of intercould est rates, and how much currency is in circulation. Recent economic forecasts indicate that Scotland’s deficit would only fall from the current level of 8.3 per cent of GDP to 7.1 per cent by 2022 – the favoured level within the EU is 3 per cent

Andrew Wilson’s report advocates the costs relating to the setting up of agencies and departments in an independent Scotland, such as a defence force, a security agency, central bank and financial regulators at £450 million over five years – he is being somewhat optimistic if he thinks it can be achieved at such a modest level.

However, for once the Scottish electorate is being presented with a realistic picture of the hurdles on the way to Scotland becoming independent of the UK – and it is a longserving member of the SNP who is spelling out the facts to the present regime, unlike Alex Salmond’s so-called White Paper, which was not worth the value of the paper on which it was printed.

In conclusion, I would question whether the electorate of Scotland is ready to fork out more funding in the foreseeable future to underwrite Nicola Sturgeon’s dubious plans for an independent Scotland. ROBERT I G SCOTT Northfield Ceres, Fife I note from Ruth Davidson’s article on 23 May that the Conservatives will find it hard to dismiss Nicola Sturgeon’s arguments for Indyref 2.

After all, what are the problems? Leaving the United Kingdom’s economic zone won’t be hard. In fact it will be no harder than driving between Kensington and Chelsea. Clearly, the non-existence of the technology needed is not an issue. The Brexiteers have promised they will invent it.

We also know that leaving our largest trading bloc is no big deal; the Brexiteers keep telling us that abandoning the EU won’t affect Britain in the slightest.

As for new trade deals, what be simpler. Brexiteers have promised that a nation with 65 million people can get better trade deals than a continent with 500 million. Just think what we can do with a nation of only 5 million. We can actively sell out our own industries rather than wait for the Brexiteers to do it for us. Fisheries as a bargaining chip? Bring it on. American whiskey aged less than three years and chlorinated chicken? Ship them over to us.

And so the Brexiteers have pointed the way to a bright new future ... all we need now is Scexit.

(DR) JOHN YOUNG Moray Place, Edinburgh Alexander Mckay (Letters, 28 May) says of the Growth Commission report: “It is frightening to think how much of our taxes was paid on this latest project.”

A cursory look at the beginning of the report would have confirmed that the work of the Sustainable Growth Commission was entirely funded by the Scottish National Party.

GILL TURNER Derby Street, Edinburgh