ONE motive for voting Yes that I've heard from fellow Scots is "to protect the NHS".

I don't doubt the sincerity of their desire, but I think their method is sure to have the opposite effect, for three reasons: two will happen soon, a third more long-term.

First, it costs a lot of money to set up a new state; secondly, there is no plan B for the currency (opinion polls south of the Border show that the idea we can negotiate a currency union would be political suicide even if West­minster politicians wanted to give it the time of day, which they don't). Both these will limit finding money to throw at Scotland's health service early on.

The third problem is that this plan for the NHS has been tried before.

In 1997, Tony Blair was as sure as the SNP is today that an unfriendly government was the only real problem the NHS had. In 1997, there was money to throw at the NHS and they threw with vigour. Five years later, a common newspaper headline was: "If the NHS were a patient, she'd be on the critical list". This was no coincidence: the NHS then, as now, had more issues than just a government being mean to it, but politics got in the way of Mr Blair's ministers anticipating or addressing that. Five years on, with much money spent, these unthought-of issues took their revenge.

"Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to relive it." This applies to things more recent than 1700 and the Darien Scheme. Mr Salmond is setting us up for a rerun of what did not work well the first time.

Those who vote for him "to protect the NHS" are setting themselves up for disappointment.

Niall Ross,

Carbeth,

Blanefield,

Stirlingshire