What authority?

Jill Stephenson (Letters 27 March) dismisses my view that the Scottish Government has a mandate for calling for another independence referendum as having “no supporting evidence other than voting figures”. Of course, these voting figures which are of so little consequence to Ms Stephenson are actually made up of people who voted for the SNP and the Greens, being fully aware these parties support independence for Scotland.

The core of Ms Stephenson’s argument seems to be that because there is no reference to “material change” in the Easy Read (summary) version of the SNP manifesto, calling for a referendum on that basis is “specious”. She says this without irony, but we are entitled to a little more integrity and intellectual rigour from an eminent Professor Emerita, who is well aware that the “timid passage” on page 23 which she refers to explicitly states that the right to call another referendum will exist “If there is significant and material change in circumstances which prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will”. This passage is also to be found on chokka blog by Kevin Hague, whom Ms Stephenson quotes as an authoritative source – presumably because he concurs with her views. Ms Stephenson likes the word “authoritative” and she uses it again on 28 March with reference to the GERS figures. If they are so authoritative, how is it that the home page of the report admits that 25 of the 26 income figures are estimates?

GILL TURNER Derby Street, Edinburgh I am intrigued by the number of letters regarding the SNP’S right to speak for Scotland. They, without mentioning numbers, make the case for the SNP as achieving this right because they had almost more votes than the other parties put together. True, so they will not deny the right of the other parties getting together and putting the view forward of Scotland as a major partner in the Union.

As for their assertion that the aforementioned gives the SNP a stronger claim to speak for Scotland, let me remind them, the SNP are a minority administration and only stay in power with the help of what used to be a non-political party, the Greens. In the past when I voted I was in the habit of making the Greens my second choice but as this is now the same as voting for the SNP I will have to look harder at the list – maybe there is a Monster Raving Loony candidate more deserving of my second vote. FINLAY G MACKINTOSH

Lochview, Forres