Scotland owns a share of all the UK's defence assets.

The RAF has ordered 148 Typhoons. Negotiating to obtain an initial 12 is a modest start.

Stripping them of the capacity to interact smoothly and effectively with the rUK RAF (Letters, November 30) would create a weakness in the air defence of these islands which neither the rUK defence staff nor Nato would wish. Independence will be followed by tough but mature negotiation in the best interests of each party and in the shared interests of both.

A cadre of experienced and enthusiastic personnel will join the Scottish Defence Forces, amongst whom will be people who will ensure that Scotland's inherited military hardware is of good condition.

Mr Maughan will know about £100 million pieces of junk, for example the Nimrod refit junked by the Tories and leaving the UK without early warning aircraft, and the lacuna in power projection with the Tories' scrapping of Harriers and the Ark Royal.

An independent Scotland can learn a lot about how not to organise procurement and expenditure from the MOD.

Colin Campbell,

Braeside, Shuttle St KIlbarchan.

It seems that our esteemed first minister Carwyn Jones has visited your country to warn you against the evils of independence.

Please do not assume that he speaks for all Welsh people. He does not. He speaks only for the Labour party in Wales.

Labour has ruled Wales as a political feoff for almost a century and has, in that time, reduced our nation to a door mat for our next-door neighbours to wipe their feet on. The Welsh electorate are regarded as mere voting fodder. We are here to ensure that Westminster occasionally has a left-of-centre government.

Welsh constituencies contain communities that are amongst the poorest and most deprived in the UK. Little has been done to improve their conditions: after all, poor areas are more likely to vote Labour that affluent ones.

Many of us in Wales are eagerly following developments in Scotland. We look to you Scots to lead the way.

We hope that you grasp your future and lead your nation from under the cloud of English domination into the light of freedom.

Good luck Scotland.

Chris Schoen,

Tal Gwynedd, Heol y Bedyddwyr, Penygroes, Caernarfon, Gwynedd.

A by-election is to be held next month in the Black Isle Ward of Highland Council following the sad and untimely death of one of our local councillors.

Today, I received a letter from Mary Scanlon, MSP for the Highlands and Islands. In it, she encourages me and other voters to lend our support to the Conservative candidate by stating that "…we cannot allow the SNP, who are the largest party in the administration on Highland Council, to score a win in the Black Isle that would help their local campaign to take Scotland out of the UK."

I also read and heard the deplorable views of Boris Johnson, a potential leader of that same party; these forcefully expressed views at an event last night included such gems as "greed is good" and that inequality is a strength of the UK.

The thought of Boris as a possible party leader and future prime minister now fills me with dread.

Normally, in local elections, I vote for the candidate I consider would best represent the constituency regardless of party affiliation.

On December 19, I will now vote for the Scottish National Party candidate, whether or not she is the best candidate.

J Colin Ferguson, Wester Links, Fortrose, Ross-shire.