Change the record

Less than a week into the new year and already the latest salvos in the war of words between the Separatist and pro-uk camps have been launched. Letters fired from the keyboards of the regular Pro-indy contributors to the letters pages will no doubt draw return barrages from the PRO-UK contingent and this will intensify the closer we get to a general election.

They are representative of the estimated 30 per cent of the electorate strongly in favour of separation and approximately the same percentage who strongly opposed and are extremely unlikely to be change each others minds, but seek to influence the remaining 40 per cent, who may have opinions on the issue but could be influenced one way or the other. If you are one of the 40 per cent “persuadables”, but have neither the time nor the inclination to study the issue in detail, here's an approach you might consider.

Think about the volume of serious and complex issues facing our country and the world, ranging from wars and global warming effects through to cost of living and the NHS and Artificial Intelligence. Now consider the capabilities of our current crop of politicians – whether in government or in opposition – who are already struggling to come up with effective policies to address these issues in the unpredictability of the modern world.

Finally, ask yourself whether adding the cost, uncertainty and distraction of an independence referendum to the mix will help or hinder them in finding solutions. A useful reference point would be Brexit and the fact that whether you were in the Remain or Leave camp to begin with, few would deny that eight years after the referendum process commenced it has taken up a huge amount of money, political time and effort, with many of the pre-existing issues as yet unresolved. It shouldn't take you long to reach a conclusion. Mark Openshaw

Cults, Aberdeen