Winning formula

There is not a word in Brian Wilson’s column (“Democratic principles on the line”, 22 September) on the subject of referendums and democracy that I would disagree with.

As he points out, the Scottish Nationalists or the hard-line Brexiteers only have to win by “a single vote on a chosen day” to split up a 311-year-old

union in one case or a 40-yearold one in the other.

To make such catastrophic changes should require a vote in favour of either 50 per cent of the total electorate or 60 per cent of those who vote. The Swiss practice of having a confirmatory vote should also be considered to counter false claims that may be made in the

first one, such as £350 million extra each week for the NHS (2016) or £5,000 extra per year in household incomes based on oil at $113 per barrel (2014).

A formula requiring all parts of the country to vote for the change could be devised so that Scotland or London could not be removed from the EU having voted to remain and

the Borders, North-east or Edinburgh could not be taken out of the UK having voted “No”.

If the case for breaking up the UK or crashing out of the EU is as strong as they claim, they should be confident of winning under these rules, and if they did, it would be impossible for anyone on the losing side to dispute the result.

KEITH SHORTREED Methlick, Aberdeenshire