Never-ending power trip

IT appears Alex Salmond is yet again trying to raise the independence banner.

Following his defeat in the referendum, when he climbed into a private jet in Aberdeen and presumably flew at our expense back to edinburgh, I am sure most ‘thinking folk’ believed he might simply retire gracefully from the political scene after failing to win our support f or his ill-judged schemes.

But there he is cavorting around Westminster as if he owns the place and still trying to exert influence.

hopefully Nicola Sturgeon is taking a more circumspect view of the macropolitical situation. There are urgent matters for her to sort out at home in Scotland, such as education, health and Police Scotland.

The 2,001,926 members of the elec- torate in Scotland (55.25 per cent) who rejected the SNP’s case for independence are still around. Admittedly, the SNP has taken an overwhelming number of seats at Westminster, but with less than half of the electorate voting for them.

John Swinney was correct last year when, in an internal memo, he urged caution about the claims being made by Salmond about the strengths of a separate Scottish economy – ‘Scotland’s Oil’ was Salmond’s war cry. Salmond pooh-poohed the advice given at that time by Sir Ian Wood, the Aberdeen oil billionaire, because it did not suit his argument, but at the end of the day who was proved to be correct?

The Smith Commission proposals which have been signed up to by all parties are now in the process of being implemented. Surely this must be seen as a step forward?

The last thing that Scotland needs is to be in a state of ‘neverendum’.

ROBERT I G SCOTT, Ceres, Fife.