Is Boris Johnson’s Indyref2 refusal a relief for the upper echelons of the SNP?

Alan Hinnrichs’ letter (“Break the Mould”, 9 July) is a fair summing-up of the revolutionary zeal behind the proposed Independence Party led by Alex Salmond.

Mr Hinnrichs says that “the upper echelons of the SNP have become completely out of touch”, that they are careerists not serious about independence, an example of which, he claims, was Hamza Yousef ’s condemnation as racists of extreme nationalists who wanted to turn English back at the border.

Might I suggest that perhaps the “upper echelons” have looked at the enormity of separation and decided now is not the time, and that Boris Johnson’s refusal to allow a second independence referendum actually comes as a huge relief?

They have looked at the economic case and have taken a sensible step back. With a national deficit six times that of the UK, the SNP are relying on the British government to bail them out. Rishi Sunak has dished out more than £10 billion to Scotland to fight the coronovirus crisis.

How could a new country start in a recession with no central bank, no currency, no lender of last resort, no reserves and a negative credit rating? Did they look again at Andrew Wilson’s Growth Commission report and shudder at the decades of super austerity ahead?

Did they also take Clint Eastwood’s advice: “A fella has got to know his limitations?”

Under the SNP, educational standards have plummeted, falling behind the OECD average every year since 2011. Supervision of Scottish care homes during the coronovirus pandemic has been described as a national scandal with deaths per head double that in England. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board has been placed under special measures and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital saw 80 hospital acquired infections, two fatal.

In addition, the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People was originally due to open in 2017 but has remained closed because of health and safety issues. Scotland has by far the highest drug death rate in Europe and may indeed have the highest drug death rate in the world.

Caroline Gardner, the Auditor General for Scotland, published a report last October which warned that the NHS in Scotland is on the way to becoming unsustainable with a shortfall in funding of £1.8bn within three years. WILLIAM LONESKIE

Oxton, Lauder