The SNP has lost the economic argument over independence

LETTERS

TRUE to form the SNP has had the gall to complain about Northern Ireland securing much-needed extra funding above its allocated block grant in a deal to secure support for a “confidence and supply” deal with the Conservatives and kick-start the Northern Ireland Assembly (“Outcry over May’s ‘grubby’ £1bn power pact with DUP”, The Herald, June 27).

First, the Barnett Formula consequentials are determined by what is spent in England and not the rest of the UK, otherwise large City deals (like Aberdeen following the oil price collapse) specifically targeted to help the local economy would not take place.

But more importantly, it is a bit rich that the single-issue party whose whole raison d’etre is to break up the Union (unlike the DUP) wants more money above the £8 billion it would lose if it got its way and gained independence. If the SNP were serious about independence it would already be taking steps to address the financial cliff-edge we would be faced with – rather than add to our eye-watering fiscal deficit (“Experts issue warning that economy is on the brink of recession”, The Herald, June 29).

Clearly the SNP has not only shelved a further referendum (“Sturgeon puts her plan for Union vote on back burner”, The Herald, June 28) but has lost the economic argument to run an independent country and will continue to haemorrhage support.

Ian Lakin,

Pinelands, Murtle Den Road, Milltimber, Aberdeen.

I VOTED Tory for the first time because I voted for Brexit and wanted the Tory Government to have the power to leave if negotiations broke down. That threat was important. Alasdair Sampson (Letters, June 29) condemns Theresa May for the DUP deal. Why? She has the largest party. No one wants another election. It is her duty to govern.

She has been unfairly criticised for losing, when no one saw it coming. Under the force of flak taken since, she has lost her focus and made errors, each exacerbated by the press who love whipping the wounded. Would anyone in that position be at their best?

The DUP deal was all she could get. What she now needs to do is give £1 billion to each of the other three bits. I expect that will happen. I think she can do better and might yet do so when she recovers from the daily onslaught.

Will I vote Tory next time? Probably not: I do not think Jeremy Corbyn knows enough to govern anybody, still less, in a fiscally prudent manner. He has no experience, cannot even hold his colleagues together. But socialist I remain, eager to see wealth redistributed, the rich and the fat cats paying decent fractions of their income for once and the disadvantaged being given decent lives.

William Scott,

23 Argyle Place, Rothesay.

LABOUR councillor Alex Gallagher (Letters, June 29) wrongly states that Nicola Sturgeon “rejected” the No vote taken in September 2014 as she is on record as saying that she accepted and respected the result of the independence referendum, and there the matter would have stayed but for an event which Mr Gallagher in his letter totally ignores, namely last year’s EU referendum. As the result of that referendum was the “significant and material change of circumstance” which had been referred to in the SNP manifesto, the First Minister was right to request and receive the support of the Scottish Parliament to hold a referendum which would give Scots the choice to determine their future and, as she made clear in her statement to Parliament, there has been no rejection of the principle of holding the referendum by the First Minister. And I would suggest to Mr Gallagher that as the SNP is now in its third consecutive term of government, during which time she has served as Deputy First Minister and now as First Minister, Ms Sturgeon needs to take no lessons on leadership from a chaotic Tory Prime Minister whose party has been consistently rejected by Scottish voters.

I would remind Mr Gallagher that, during the 2014 independence referendum campaign, the Scottish electorate was assured that the only way Scotland could secure our place in the EU was by voting No. As 62 per cent of voters and every local authority area in Scotland voted one year ago to remain within the European Union, and as the SNP earlier this month overwhelmingly won the General Election in Scotland, with the Labour Party ending up in third place, it would seem that it is Mr Gallagher rather than Ms Sturgeon who has “a problem agreeing with democratic votes”.

Ruth Marr,

99 Grampian Road, Stirling.

IT is more than a little ironic that as Scotland, by being part of the UK, prepares to leave the EU, Estonia, with a population around one-quarter that of Scotland, will take over the EU Presidency on July 1. The presidency is responsible for driving forward the EU’s work, ensuring the continuity of the EU agenda, orderly legislative processes and co-operation among member states.

During the next six months this will focus on key areas, including single and digital markets, the energy union and closer integration of Eastern partners into Europe. It also want to focus on the promotion of e-solutions and the information society in EU policy areas. Interestingly its prime minister, Jüri Ratas, has declared that Brexit is not a priority for the presidency, a sign that the EU is moving on from Brexit, with bigger issues to deal with.

Estonia, which next year will celebrate its centenary of becoming independent, takes over from Malta in holding the presidency of European Union, an island with a population less than that of Edinburgh.

During the independence referendum, the Better Together camp claimed that the only way to guarantee Scotland’s place in the EU was to vote to remain in the

UK. Indeed, Scotland was to “lead the UK” not “leave the UK”.

Times have indeed changed since September 2014 and we are, despite these assurances, heading for the EU exits. Of course, we could have the best of both worlds, part of a single market with the rest of the UK – as promised to Northern Ireland in its relations with the Republic of Ireland – and still members of the EU.

For that to happen of course requires the confidence, as Malta and Estonia have demonstrated, to take full control of our own affairs and be the masters of our own destiny, leading not leaving the EU.

Alex Orr,

Flat 2,

77 Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh.