Mungo Bovey's recognition (Letters, February 2) that fast links between Scotland and London will continue to be a necessity is entirely consistent with my emphasis that growth of the Scottish economy will require better air connections with centres of commerce in northern Europe and North America (Letters, February 1).

London is such a northern European centre.

Mr Bovey misses the my point: investment in strategic infrastructure requires deciding between major and irreversible project choices. Critical to this is the how and who of making these decisions. Infrastructure decisions which affect the Scottish economy are better made in Scotland. Investment decisions about cross-national projects are better made when governments collaborate (as in northern Europe). So far as the needs of the Scottish economy are the prime consideration on this side of the Border then a decision about the extension of the HS2 to link with Scotland is of lesser priority and urgency compared with the delivery of transport projects already in Scotland's National Plan Framework. A fanciful scheme to connect Scotland by overnight sleeper to Europe is simply a further distraction.

David Kirk,

Millbank, Cupar.