Sinkingship

The analogy that Elizabeth Scott used in her letter in which she referred to Independence as “taking to a lifeboat” was most appropriate, but not perhaps in the way she meant (20 August).

Abandoning ship in a lfeboat is often a perilous operation, with a significant risk of injury and loss of life. Once launched, though, the lifeboat becomes an Infinitesimal speck in a vast ocean, exposed to the worst the sea can throw at it. Life in the lifeboat is at best uncomfortable, cramped, with further risk of injury, not to mention sea sickness and the risk of hypothermia and dehydration. The lifeboat is, of course, stocked with food supplies and water to sustain life, but even with strict rationing has only a finite time before it runs out. Nothing is guaranteed.

I do not think we will ever actually run out of water nor suffer from seasickness, but independence has many risks to the wellbeing of Scotland and her population, most of which the Scottish Government/ SNP are reluctant to reveal.

Many years ago I attended a Merchant Navy Fire Course in Edinburgh. It was an excellent course which taught those attending much about firefighting on merchant vessels. Probably though, the most important lesson came from the Fire Officer running the course: “Your ship is your best lifeboat.”

This is a statement analogous to the neverending independence debate. Better to tackle the issues affecting our country rather than take to the “lifeboat” of Independence with all its attendant risk known and unknowns. Perhaps we could start by ridding ourselves of the present government, fixated by independence, whose continuous, mostly unjustified, aggression towards the UK Government prevents a joint approach to issues both UK and Scottish and is used as a cover-up for their incompetence.

JOHN B GORRIE

Edinburgh