Who will pay for Sturgeon’s promised household guide to independence leaflet?
When I receive the proposed household guide to independence I shall tear it in two and post it to Bute House and I suggest others do the same. What a waste of money – and whose money? The SNP or government money, i.e. taxpayers?
GILL ROLLAND Cloanden Place, Kirkcaldy
Fiona Garwood (Letters, 30 April) asks who will pay for guide on independence going to each Scottish household.
This was a favourite issue for supporters of the Union at the independence referendum, with reference to the White Paper, Scotland’s Future. However, at the time, those of us who prefer balance had reason to be grateful to The Scotsman for publishing the fact that UK government departments produced 17 reports briefing against independence, all at the expense of the taxpayer. No doubt, in the event of another referendum, the same situation will arise.
Elizabeth Marshall (Letters, same day) says the UK economy has shown resilience, but the Scottish economy has not.
This is odd because the Scottish economy outperformed the UK economy for most of the last year and our balance of payments on trade significantly outperformed the UK. However, Ms Marshall is right that we need a more efficient methodof gauging the performance of the Scottish economy than the discredited GERS system, which, among its 24 estimates and extrapolations, contains significant areas of expenditure which are spent for Scotland, but not in Scotland.
GERS also contains expenditure which an independent Scotland would not incur, such as Trident and the refurbishment of the crumbling Westminster building, to name but two.
GILL TURNER Derby Street , Edinburgh
Fiona Garwood is incorrect. What was said in 2014 was that the independence vote was a “once in a generation opportunity”. That was an unwise figure of speech which continues to haunt the SNP, not least because of the double standards viciously applied by the Unionist parties.
“Vote No to stay in the EU” and “the rest of the world will be queuing up to trade with us after Brexit” spring to mind. It is clear that this younger generation have decided there is nothing to fear from Project Fear, if they have faith in themselves and in Scotland. DAVID ROCHE Conachar Court,
Isla Road, Perth