Case for leaving UK still unconvincing

Sir, – Ron Campbell has a selective memory regarding the financial wellbeing of small independent nations he praised (P&J, May 22) yet saw no reason why Scotland could not be like them.

He should rewind to 2009-2010 and see that namely Ireland relied on bail-out money including several billions from the UK. Other EU countries like Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal needed bail-outs and had 27% unemployment rates.

They are still recovering from the huge upset, which thankfully the UK mainly averted due to the financial strength of sterling and the massive investments and assets from the UK stock market.

Mr Campbell’s hopes were shackled to the volatile oil price in 2014, but that was an empty boast by Alex Salmond as it was subsequently exposed and the man of straw with his collapsed oil price was shown the door by Scots in the referendum vote.

Now it seems

Mr Campbell pins his hopes on renewable electricity generation in Scotland, even while every customer is being hammered with doubling, even trebling of bills, so any attempt to sell this as a money spinner for Scots is just more wishful thinking . The multinational conglomerates pouring billions into electricity generation through the construction and installation of turbines and other means do so on agreements between themselves and governments on long-term price setting.

This is the business model deployed and the SNP would not be a suitable partner for the generating companies as the track record of the SNP regarding ferries construction, airport purchase, aluminium smelter finances, fabrication yard bail-outs and broken promises on vital A9 and A96 road-builds, paints a picture of failure and an unreliable partner.

After 14 years of SNP mismanagement of aforesaid projects, and the resignations of most of those who led that, we on the unionist side have no doubt about the continuing strength of being in UK plc. Angus McNair, Buckie.