Many who voted No in 2104 will not be hoodwinked next time

IT has been a little time since I penned a letter to The Herald but the regurgitated nonsense espoused by Dr Gerald Edwards from the 2014 Scottish independence referendum (Letters, August 1), compels me to do so. Fortunately since then, a new meaning has entered the lexicon which aptly sums up Dr Edwards’ uttterances: Fake News.

Before the advent of Fake News, the claims and counter claims during the 2014 independence referendum and the 2016 EU referendum ensured an already sceptical public did not know what to believe and I think we have probably arrived at the scenario where no one really believes anything they read any more and certainly not without proof, something which is absent from Dr Edwards’ letter.

I would agree that running a devolved administration will not have been easy for the SNP especially on the back of Tory austerity cuts to the block grant, and does anyone think Westminster is finding it easy to run the UK? So no difference there. Perhaps Dr Edwards will agree with me that the key to the SNP being in power for so long and likely to be re-elected is down to its competency in running the administration and in many case with improved results over other parts of the UK despite operating in straitened circumstances. Many things are still far from perfect but not just in Scotland.

Dr Edwards also refers to forthcoming GERS figures, which are widely regarded as a bad example of an independent Scotland’s finances. No one is disputing Scotland has a big debt, which has arisen while under the care of the UK despite an oil bonanza of 40 years. For a really cataclysmic debt, look no further than UK debt. The Project Fear tales of not affording embassies and other state infrastructure is hyperbole, we already pay our share for these. With regard to declining oil and gas revenues, anyone who is keeping up to-date with current prospects will see that that there is returning optimism matched by price and further exploration.

Many who voted No last time are not going to be hoodwinked second time round, should there be another independence referendum.

Alan M Morris,

20 Kirkhouse Road,

Blanefield, Glasgow.

AT this critical moment in the long history of the United Kingdom (in itself now an inappropriate title), we in Scotland have the misfortune to be governed by deeply-divided political party at Westminster, led by a Prime Minister who is clearly hopelessly inadequate for the decisive national leadership role into which she has almost accidentally been elected.

There are clear and widening rifts between the different nations of the Union, and apparently no practical moves are being taken to avoid the international and economic cliff-edge over which we are now trembling. If (when) Britain leaves the European Union in just a few months’ time, the general population and those we elected to govern us seem to have no understanding of the economic and financial disaster we are bringing upon ourselves. And we are not being forced to do this – British citizens voted voluntarily for it in a free referendum; how crazy and misguided was that?

Now our political leaders have gone off on their usual extended summer holidays, travelling perhaps for the last time easily around the expensive resorts of southern Europe without the need for passports and travel visas. When they return many weeks later they will begin the final stages of separation from Europe, probably followed by several years of long and complicated negotiations for individual trade deals with separate nations around the world, without the added strength of EU membership “clout” to help them. Good luck with that.

So where does poor little Scotland stand in this potential disaster? We voted clearly to remain within the EU but of course that doesn’t matter at all. Against our wishes we will lose one of our major sources of annual income from the many thousands of European nationals who holidayed here, and we will also lose out on many investments by EU business companies. Scots have always been good travellers, and have happily moved to Europe and further afield to pursue their careers. That freedom will be severely curtailed by Brexit, as will incoming investment from the continent. And all of this imposed by the policies of a party and Government we in Scotland did not even vote for. I rest my case.

Iain AD Mann,

7 Kelvin Court, Glasgow.

SO now even the arch-brexiters are admitting they were wrong.

For those who missed it, Nigel Farage, the incessant voice of the Leave campaign, was live on a phone in radio programme on LBC when he received a call from a vet. In a quiet, calm manner the vet summarised the disastrous problems facing farming and food supply due to a massive shortage of vets post-brexit. Just one example of impending chaos was the fact that in any export deal the beast would have to be certified by a vet. No vet, no export. Mr Farage’s stuttering reply was: “Well, we can buy from Africa.” That speaks volumes of how our food standards will be decimated. The call continued in this vein as the vet highlighted more and more problems and Mr Farage mumbled his way to eventual speechlessness. The final coup de grace was when the vet stated that if she had voiced these facts nationally she would have been shouted down for scaremongering and Mr Farage had to admit that farming was indeed going to suffer badly post-brexit.

This was just one example of how the charlatans of the Leave campaign have no knowledge or understanding of the implications of their actions while they drive the country towards disaster.

David Stubley,

22 Templeton Crescent, Prestwick.

TODAY’S edition of The Herald certainly highlighted the plight of those being most affected by Westminster’s welfare cuts and reforms along with the saga of austerity (“Welfare payments have turned clock back to 1950s”,

“300,000 given emergency cash in past five years” and Angela Haggerty’s column, “Stop the wholesale outsourcing of our public services”, all August 1). They highlight the day-to-day existence of so many in society that the Conservative Government have absolutely no regard for.

As a result of the catastrophic position the country is in over Brexit, which is rightly making the headlines, many in genuine need are falling through the safety net of our welfare system, paying the price of ill-thoughtthrough welfare reforms.

Scotland’s budget continues to be slashed year on year from Westminster, yet we are having to use precious resources to fund crisis loans to some 300,000 amounting to £164.8million. What a pity the Westminster Government does not operate under the same moral ethos of dignity and respect as the Scottish Government when it comes to welfare.

Catriona C Clark,

52 Hawthorn Drive, Banknock.