It doesn’t figure

Gill Turner (Letters, 13 January), in her critique of David Bone’s letter (11 January) about thelatestauobmarchinglasgow, begins with a challenge to Mr Bone’s forecast that “a few thousand protesters will turn up” by asking “I wonder how he feels about that following what actually happened on Saturday?”

I would think he would feel completely vindicated given that other estimates, such as that from anti-independence group A Force For Good, put the numbers at between 10 and 15 thousand, in contrast to the laughably super-inflated figure of 80,000 given by the organisers who, as everyone knows, have form when it comes to numbers.

Ms Turner then avers that “supporters of the Union have neither the infrastructure nor the will to mount anything remotely comparable”. Well , certainly not the will! It would be anathema to most decent people to join a parade which is marked by face-painted flag wavers, many of whom are openly brandishing an assortment of banners with some of the most foul messages directed at anyone who does not support their cause.

Another claim from Ms Turner is that “the presence of many thousands of young people presents compelling evidence of the rise in support for independence”. That sort of logic is lost on me. Whatever

it is, a few thousand extremists in a population of over five million is not compelling evidence of any such thing.

ALAN THOMSON Kilcamb Paddock, Strontian