THE SNP continue to pay lip service to Scottish independence but, like many traditional Nationalists, I really struggle to identify what it actually means by the term.

Mhairi Black, in her widely acclaimed maiden speech in the House of Commons (“ Youngest MP’s maiden speech is an online hit with 10.7m viewers”, The Herald, July 20), claimed the SNP success had "nothing to do with Nationalism" and further claimed that opposition to the "neo-liberal policies of Thatcherism" is the driving force behind the political changes currently taking place in Scotland, driving the country to demand independence from the rUK. In his Agenda article ("EU must improve way it operates but British exit would be a disaster", The Herald, July 22) Humza Yousaf makes no reference to Scottish independence at all, being much more concerned with the consequences of the exit of the UK from the EU.

If SNP MPs like Mhairi Black see independence from rUK as the only solution for Scotland, where opposition to the neo-liberalism of the UK parties is so strong, how do they explain their total commitment to the neo-liberalism of the EU, as outlined by Humza Yousaf? The SNP had little or nothing useful to say about the crisis in Greece, preferring to ignore the neo-liberalism which underpins the economic strategies of the major EU players, largely responsible for the Greek tragedy.

During the independence referendum campaign, the SNP rightly rejected the pseudo-arguments that Scotland would be isolated, would lose markets and jobs, and would have its economy seriously damaged if it left the rUK. It would be useful if Mr Yousaf and his colleagues could explain why they don't use the self-same arguments, against Scotland leaving the EU.

The SNP ignore the democratic deficit that an "independent" Scotland in the EU would suffer, despite the fact the party's very raison d'etre is supposed to be "the restoration of sovereignty" to the Scottish people. Perhaps it is time for Mr Yousaf and his SNP colleagues to remind themselves what the "European project", to which they are so thoroughly thirled, actually means. Walter Hallstein, the first president of the European Commission had no doubt when he said: "We (Common Market) are a political – not an economic – enterprise. The Common Market has the goal of unifying Europe politically". Is this what the new SNP actually wants?

Jim Fairlie,

1 St Ninians, Heathcote Road, Crieff.