As an invited speaker at last week's film investors meeting can I correct a couple of common misconceptions about Scottish film and film finance in general (Can Scotland build its own Hollywood on the Clyde?, News, February 26).

The first is that the Scots only make miserable films. Between Shallow Grave and Rob Roy in the 1990s and last year's You Instead and Fast Romance there have been comedies, romances and thrillers aplenty. Of around 80 features released in the last 15 years, regardless of genre a few were hits, some were moderately successful and most sank without trace – exactly the pattern in Hollywood and as a very substantial body of industry economics research shows, in every other film industry regardless of size.

The second misconception is that so called "miserable films" don't make money. One of the most successful films of the last decade was Peter Mullan's Magdalene Sisters, which grossed more than $15m worldwide on a budget of £1.6m. At the time, Scottish Screen was derided in the press for making what was seen as "hardly a commercial bet, given its content". No doubt similarly astute comments were made, before release, about My Left Foot, Sophie's Choice and The Lovely Bones.

The biggest misconception of all is that there are some canny investors who can consistently pick winners amongst individual projects. The reality is that aside from some very special brands like Pixar and Disney, only large portfolios of films can reliably make money as no-one can accurately predict which individual film will be the hit. If they could would we really have seen such studio flops as Mars Needs Moms, How Do You Know or The Big Year? In truth much of the private investment in film gets its returns from lending at high interest rates for short periods or discounting the producer's tax incentives. Genuine risk capital is the hardest to find hence the crucial role of public funds in closing the gap – Magdalene Sisters being a perfect example of this at work.

The only reliable way to ensure more Scottish hit films and a bigger share of the audience is to increase output across genres and budgets to a level similar to the rest of Europe's small countries. In a Scottish or UK context that requires a mix of public and private investment, exactly as previous hits from Mrs Brown to The Last King Of Scotland did.

Professor Robin MacPherson FRSA

Director, Institute for Creative Industries and Screen Academy Scotland

The announcement that Devro, a major Scottish company, is relocating its headquarters to London was very interestingly political (Making a case for moving from Scottish headquarters, Business, February 26).

From SSE's concerns about Scotland breaking out of the UK energy market to Devro leaving there is a huge tale of Scottish companies too scared to speak out against independence for fear of the wrath of SNP ministers and their cybernat followers. Instead they have to use language about missing out on opportunities or problems with leaving a market of 65 million people to go into a market of just five million people.

Can I please urge the Sunday Herald to lead a campaign against the negative attacks from Nationalists to anyone who wants to speak out about their concerns of Nationalism.

D Cochrane

Edinburgh

George B Anderson suggests that in terms of constitutional change for Scotland, "India and the Irish Free State experiences should be our guiding light" (Whose constitution is it anyway?, Letters, February 26) . This reveals the inability, or unwillingness, of a certain separatist mentality to learn from history.

Let's look at the Indian and Irish Free State "experiences". India broke away from Britain, resulting in partition and civil war, which displaced more than 12 million people and led to a loss of life estimated at up to one million. Ireland broke away from Britain, resulting in partition and a civil war which may never be resolved.

Why would anyone ever suggest that India and Ireland are "guiding lights" for Scotland? Whatever may be your letter-writer's approach, a bleak future awaits a split Scotland – split externally from the rest of the British Isles and split internally as it is forced to confront its faultlines (presently contained relatively peacefully in the UK package).

Alistair McConnachie

Glasgow

More often than not, I am saddened by David Pratt's articles; but I read them nonetheless because I am educated by him and encouraged to look beyond my own parochial borders at world events. His homage to investigative journalism (The brave face of journalism, Comment, February 26) is timely and apt and reminds us that the tabloid celebrity press is quite distinct from the thirst for truth that drives socially responsible journalists who wish to expose injustice throughout the world.

Journalists may not be able to solve the world's problems, but by shining a light on them, perhaps others can.

Paul McLaughlin

Glasgow

When will Alex Salmond and his coterie realise that the fairytale world they inhabit of Wallace, Burns, and all that rubbish does not exist, either past, present or future? It is time they took heed of two simple maxims: united we stand, divided we fall; and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

How do those people think Scotland would have fared in the First or Second World War? If the aggressor had vanquished England, do they believe hostilities would have ceased at Berwick? The operative word here is "united". Are we living under the yoke of some despotic, tyrannical dictator, as some other countries are in this broken world? No. Then why is Alex Salmond embarking on this pointless, expensive exercise? As a member of the United Kingdom, we share the benefits and when necessary, endure the setbacks. The money poured on this project should go towards health, education and so on.

To prevent the embarrassment of losing the referendum, Mr Salmond should abandon this backward-looking nonsense, but continue discussions on devo-max. Otherwise, they will all go down in history as that lot who bankrupted Scotland. For the record, I was born in Scotland of Scottish parents.

James T Reilly

Erskine

It's interesting that Mark Joseph Corrigan failed to note that many Celtic fans actually use the word "Fenian" to describe themselves (Never mind the *****, Letters, February 26). A banner proclaiming "Paddy McCourt's Fenian Army" is seen on a regular basis at Celtic Park.

If the term is so offensive then this seems odd. What about the continued singing of pro-IRA songs by the Celtic support? Many chants/songs celebrating killing protestants. Maybe Mr Corrigan would welcome The Sunday Herald printing the full lyrics to these songs as well without asterisks? Bigotry and hate-filled songs that cause offence should be highlighted no matter who the perpetrators are.

Martin Melville

East Kilbride

Iain Macwhirter's column last week stated that Oxfam has recently pulled out of schemes offering unpaid work experience linked to the receipt of benefits. Oxfam has asked us to make clear that it has never been supportive of, or willing to participate in, schemes which could force people into poverty by sanctioning their benefits. Oxfam has not knowingly participated in any of the schemes since they were introduced in March 2011, because of concerns about the sanctions attached. A small number of Oxfam bookstores had taken people on the scheme but this was because the individual shop staff were not made aware that the volunteers placed were from this scheme. Oxfam states that not only does the scheme go against their aims to end poverty, here in the UK as well as overseas, it also goes against the true nature of being a volunteer.