Do unionists really believe Scots are inferior to everybody else on the planet?
The constant bleat of unionists like Jane Lax (Letters, 5 S eptember) that S cotland is too poor, too wee and too stupid to become an independent country is becoming wearisome, and frankly, offensive.
Are unionists actually racists? Do they actually believe that the people of Scotland are somehow racially and congenitally inferior to other peoples on this planet? Do they really believe a country with worldclass universities which is 35 p er cent of the land area of the UK with 60 per cent of its waters, 80 per cent of its coastline and 95 per cent of its oil, is really too poor to support a population of five million?
Do they really believe that we should be grateful for being strapped, gagged, and immobilised to the broad shoulders of the UK and prevented from running our own affairs whilst they drag us out of the EU against our will and to our severe detriment?
And as for the furlough scheme, Scotland is entitled to support from the UK Treasury like any other constituent part of the current UK. This is a right, not a gift, and an obligation on the UK, not a ‘freebie’, and an independent Scotland with its own central bank and currency would be able to do the same and have the same borrowing powers and abilit y to generate currency. I am finding this cap-in-hand view of Scotland by Unionists increasingly offensive.
MAIRIANNA CLYDE Merchiston Crescent, Edinburgh
Leah Gunn Barrett (Letters, 7 September) rightly points out that an independent Scotland would be as able as the UK is to find funds to deal with Covidrelated problems, as numerous other countries have done. Scotland is not a “small” country. Both in population and in geographical size it would fit near the middle in a list of UN member states arranged by size. Its size is normal.
Christine Jardine (Perspective, same day) means well, but it is unfortunate that she follows the British imperial dogma that the Scottish government and SNP should drop the idea of Scottish independence. Many believe that independence is necessary in order adequately to deal with our social, educational and other prob - lems and to contribute constructively to the solution of world problems.
DAVID STEVENSON Blacket Place, Edinburgh