Will he shut up?

One can scarcely view the news on TV without being treated to the sight of Ian Blackford leaping to his feet in the Commons shouting that Scotland is “being dragged from the EU against its will”.

What he appears to have neglected to mention is the simple fact that, had the 2014 referendum swung in favour of independence, Scotland, as a separate country from the remainder of the UK, would still have had to leave the EU, and apply to join as a new country. It would also be necessary for independent Scotland to meet the EU’S strict criteria for joining, which it does not at present.

Bearing this in mind, might I suggest Mr Blackford might sit down and listen to others for a change?

JOANNA GODFREY Spean Bridge, Inverness-shire

The Scottish National Party is sticking with its resolute opposition to any form of Brexit. (“Pressure on SNP to back soft Brexit compromise”, 1 April).

This strongly suggests the SNP will seek a “hard” independence from England, with all that that entails. It means we could not use Sterling, we would have a hard border and our main trading partner would be held at arm’s length.

Given this hardline stance the SNP is taking over Brexit, should it not simply admit that its version of independence would be total, irrevocable and absolute and then ask the population of Scotland if that

is what they actually want? Maintaining a very friendly and co-operative bond with England by a “soft” independence cannot be achieved by breaking up the Union and then pretending it has not occurred.

Fudging this issue is not acceptable, although it is a given that the SNP will try. The worry for us all is, even th es np do not appear to realise exactly what it is seeking.

(DR) GERALD EDWARDS

Broom Road, Glasgow

Nicola Sturgeon makes plenty of noise about what she believes are the inadequacies of Westminster. But just how well is her administration in Scotland doing? Will she have the courage to request the legal authority, under the Scotland Act, to hold another referendum on independence?

We were all led to believe the last one was a “once in a lifetime” experience. As she well knows, the 2014 referendum indicated that 56 per cent of the Scottish electorate voted No and 44 per cent thought Yes. Obviously, the majority of Scots voters were not in favour of the independence cause.

Then, in the 2017 general election, 63 per cent of the Scottish electorate voted for the Conservative/labour/liberal candidates, whilst only 37 per cent voted for the SNP.

Why does she think anything has changed? The SNP has lost its way; it has no purpose other than the break-up of the UK and, in that respect, it has failed miserably.

In the House of Commons it is obvious SNP members are under orders to oppose any motions put forward by the Conservative Government; mere clones taking orders from SNP high command.

Readers may well feel that I vent my displeasure on the SNP overmuch, but no more so than the SNP leaders do on the UK Government. The sooner we can get back to debates between Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems the better – nationalism has caused too many problems here in Scotland, and globally. ROBERT I G SCOTT Northfield, Ceres, Fife

Observing the Brexit train crash from Australia, it’s obvious to me that the Brexiteers are now showing their true colours – right wing English nationalists who pay scant regard to Scotland and her wellbeing and are prepared to trash the economy with their extreme agenda.

It’s time for Scotland to declare its independence, embrace the EU and the economic benefits that this will

The Scotsman letters pages are open to all. If referring to an article, include date and page. Avoid Letters to the Editor in e-mail subject matter. No attachments – letters must be in body of e-mail. Keep letters to under 300 words. We reserve the right to edit letters. Send submissions, which must have a full address and phone number, to:

❚ The Editor, The Scotsman, 30 Queensferry Road, Edinburgh EH4 2HS;

❚ lettersts@scotsman.com