Surely Alex Salmond is living in cloud cuckoo land ("Salmond claims split in Union will be all gain, no pain for Scots", The Herald, July 13)?

Mr Salmond claims an independent Scotland would still be a member of the EU. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has already said this is not the case. A European Parliament vice-president, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, has also stated that France and Spain "will surely not" accept an independent Scotland. What evidence is Mr Salmond basing his statement on?

To be a member of Nato, do we not need an armed force? Where is the information describing an armed force for an independent Scotland?

Anyone that has ventured south of the Border will know it is very difficult to spend Scottish currency in the rest of the UK. Surely it would be impossible if Scotland was independent. Would we not then be in a position to be talking about exchange rates and currency controls at the Border. Or is Mr Salmond talking about Scotland accepting Bank of England notes and scrapping Scottish currency? Again, where is the detailed information?

I doubt Mr Salmond wishes to keep the Crown. It is my belief that after independence he would be pushing for King Alex of Scotland.

Although now Scottish, I was born in England but have always considered myself British. As someone who regularly visits family in England I can assure Mr Salmond that social ties will not remain intact. At very best they will be severely strained, and more likely at worst broken. Of course the English will still support Andy Murray as he is British. Murray maybe Scottish born, but was brought up and trained in Spain and now lives in England. This level of support would not apply to other home Scottish athletes.

While talking about independence and the Scottish people being better off, should we not remember one of the main reasons for the Act of Union in the first place – Darien weakened the Scottish economy to such an extent that the Act could no longer be resisted.

And do not tell me that we learn from our mistakes. If history teaches us one thing, it is that we never learn from history to correct errors of the past.

Mr Salmond would better serve the Scottish people by giving us detailed information about independence rather than pulling politically motivated fanciful statements out of the air. He has stated that independence is not just about the SNP. So please give us real facts and figures to allow us to make an informed decision next year.

Chris Moorhouse,

59 Gailes Road, Barassie, Troon.