Aspirations for peace

I NOTE Jill Stephenson’s acidic comments (as usual) on the SNP thoughts on joining Nato (Letters, May 18).

Regretfully, she fails to understand that an independent Scotland, while having been formed centuries ago and founded in ancient roots, would be a new, young nation with intentions of being a contributor to peace and prosperity in the world.

It seems to be a Scottish trait to flatten aspirations of wellbeing and success, particularly in the young.

I prefer these aspirations to the outdated dogma and bulldog spirit of a Tory Party which relies on their perception of empirical history, says one thing and does another.

Ken Mackay, Glasgow.

MANY years ago myself and some friends were relaxing on a beach on Bute watching a rather large submarine making its way up the Clyde. By the time it disappeared from view I had convinced my friend that the racks of barrel-shaped life rafts on the Calmac ferries were actually depth charges “just in case…”

Jill Stephenson seems to be be making the same mistake of confusing ferries for warships. Alastair Clark, Stranraer.