Notgoodenoughtoskirt theimportantquestions

Are other small countries a glimpse to our future, or a mirage?

It would seem Allister Band (Your View, February 16) thinks the former, judging by his response to Heather Tuck’s letter of February 5.

Heather was simply asking the basic economic question of the SNP: would independence not have a potentially significant detrimental economic effect on Scotland and its people?

Allister’s response to this is simply to roll out the argument that Scotland has every right to be independent (no argument from me or Heather there), and then cites Eire and Czechoslovakia as his chosen countries to compare Scotland with.

I don’t think he has chosen wisely, as the cost of living in Eire is some 14 per cent higher than in the UK, and despite Allister saying “prices can be high yes, but one would assume that wages and pensions are accordingly higher,” Allister might like to know the average salary in Eire is Euro 2178.37 per month, only Euro 122 higher than its neighbour, nothing like enough to compensate.

Eire has suffered far more from the economic meltdown in 2008 than the UK did. I cannot believe anyone would consider that the standard of living in Czechoslovakia came anywhere close to the UK, independent or not.

I am surprised Allister did not compare us with the likes of our Nordic neighbours, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

These countries do enjoy good standards of living, far higher levels of taxation though, but there is a big difference, in so far as they have been independent entities for many years. Sweden 498 years, Norway 117 years, and Finland 104 years.

My concern, and Heather’s, is what is likely to happen economically in Scotland during the 10 years following independence.

We spend £15billion more in Scotland per year on public services than is received in revenue. The gap at the moment filled by Westminster.

How do you replace that funding? Well there are only three ways I know. You either increase tax, cut public services, or turbo charge the economy to produce the GDP required. Perhaps a combination of all three?

We are at the moment the highest taxed part of the UK, how much further can you go there without causing unrest? The SNP refuses to countenance cutting public services so no joy there. Looks like turbo charging the economy is the magic bullet then.

That of course presupposes the SNP is capable of significantly improving the economy, the country already has lower economic growth than the rest of the UK.

Yes I hear the independence brigade shouting “that is because we don’t have all the financial levers available to us”.

They have a point, of course, but they have substantial powers and spending ability, certainly enough in my book to be able to make a difference to the economy.

I fail to see any signs of economic progress, any business related spending and management being, quite frankly, dire. The ferries debacle, the purchase of Prestwick Airport, spending and losing £50 million on BIFAB, the Edinburgh sick kids hospital fiasco - the case for the economic prosecution is long.

We then come to Brexit. The SNP says it is an economic disaster for Scotland

( I voted to remain, purely due to the economic uncertainties).

If that is the case, how negative would it be if we were to be independent and have a hard border with the UK? Scotland sells 14 per cent of its exports to the EU and 60 per cent to the UK, how can it possibly be that the SNP cite problems with Brexit as a “disaster” but the effects of independence from your biggest trading partner not be a major disaster?

To my mind it’s a balance: do the huge uncertainties about a future currency, economic harm from both Brexit and Scexit, poor economic performance to date and the SNP’s poor relationship with business, and potential further pandemics, outweigh the unknown benefits of independence?

Yes, just like Heather I want clear answers from the SNP to these economic questions, not soundbites like “we will do things differently”.

I feel, however, we will be waiting a long time as the SNP is basically an ideology, independence at all costs, or should I say at our cost.

Listen to the likes of Jim Sillars, a previous deputy leader of the SNP, who says independence should be off the agenda for the next few years, people have far more concerns he says, putting independence fifth on the list. George Godsman which has existed for more than three centuries.

Name and address supplied