The cold-blooded murder by Islamic extremists of David Haynes, who was educated in Perth, should be enough to open all of our eyes and our minds.

As his own brother said, this affects us all.

We may feel very safe and secure in Scotland, and very far away from the awful carnage that continues but let us not take our security for granted. This tragedy truly brings it home.

Let us consider well the gamble that independence would bring to Scotland in terms of security, intelligence and defence. Would unity not be an obvious choice if we approached this referendum with a clear head and open minds?

Ian Paynter,

15 Inglewood Crescent,

East Kilbride.