Your comments

THE Friends of T he Scotsman articles also appear on our website to allow people to comment on them. Here are some of the comments made about one of the articles that appeared in yesterday’s edition when we featured international affairs. ‘Can SCottiSh lion matCh aSian tiger of Singapore?’ VI charlotte square I would hope to see more of these ‘comparison’ stories where small – in this case poor enclaves – break away from their ‘mother’ country and achieve phenomenal success through dint of hard work and innovation. If Singapore can do it from such a low base Scotland can do it from its high base – all we need is self-belief, courage and imagination. alba amicus There is an air of desperation about Roddy Gow’s piece and for all Nationalists seeking examples of success to model themselves on. There is no parable, no example and no similarity in Singapore to Scotland. Wait I’m wrong – we both begin with ‘S’. nabodican Comparing Singapore with Scotland is complete nonsense. Singapore is a tiny island not much bigger than Skye with a densely packed population, it is situated in a prime international location at the gateway to the far east, has massive shipping and financial industries and very low personal taxation. The people there have a very good work ethic and do not sit on their backsides looking for handouts. They also have the birch and capital punishment and as a result they have a very low crime rate. Would someone care to tell me where there is any similarity to Scotland? the three just men Yes, a Scottish engineer ages ago built Singapore infrastructure, yes Scottish engineers built the Forth Brige, but all this was when Britain was at its best was a major industrial power. Now, Scotland cannot run a tiny tram system – low-tech in Edinburgh, Scottish young are collecting benefits which necessitates imported skills, etc. Vss Impressive that so much of Scotland is visible in Singapore. What’s the union ever done for Scotland . . . amadeus In Singapore they have a work ethic and no interest in a benefits culture. livibudgie Stop the blame culture guys. Scotland is full of wonderful people. We need to create a mentality that risk, hard work, invention enterprise is fairly rewarded. The iron fist of Europe prevents that. The millions of lines of regulation and the increased cost of producing within its bounds hinders our world position. So stop blaming Westminster, don’t give us a fall-back complaint about Europe, let’s be young and free and outside every control, then we can be like Singapore. danielrober2 Within or without of the UK there are opportunities for Scotland to learn from Singapore and emulate this strident country. One of the best examples which Scotland could learn, is to have more self confidence, not bluster but real confidence. Scotland’s Higher Education system is superb, charging for this service will create investment streams, allowing universities to invest in their own success.