NICOLA Sturgeon and Kate Forbes call daily for “clarity” from Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak over financial support for Scotland during the pandemic. This is ironic when they are totally incapable of providing the people of Scotland with clarity over the finances of an independent Scotland.
Continually they accuse Westminster of neglecting Scotland, of failing to consider the interest of Scots. The SNP regime has spent the last two decades trying to distance itself from the UK Parliament, driving a wedge between Scotland and England, thinking it can do better. It has had nothing but a culture of blame, grudge and grievance but when the chips are down, has to depend on the financial strength of the United Kingdom to see it through.
How gracious it would be of Ms Sturgeon to work constructively with Westminster for the good of all, to drop her resentment, bitterness and anger to manage the devolved administration for the purpose it was designed.
She has created a following who are equally angry, resentful and bitter who offer no attempt to discuss the economics of separation but are prepared to have their children and grandchildren live in “hope” and austerity to achieve some sort of misguided freedom from perceived “oppression”. It is quite unbelievable.
Douglas Cowe, Newmachar.
IT appears that the UK Government is once again plunged into its default setting of obfuscation, ineptitude and a continuing inability to answer straightforward questions. The behaviour of Prime Minister Johnson and his Government in relation to furlough payments is nothing short of disgraceful (“Johnson leaves Chancellor to sort out Scots furlough chaos”, The Herald, October 4).
The humour element of bumbling Boris has long evaporated and behind the buffoonery it is plain to see how out of his depth he has been all along. But now it is serious. The prevarication and inability to address Scotland’s questions over furlough payments will surely not be forgotten by the Scottish people. The days of “lead, don’t leave” and celebrity platitudes are over. The myth of a Union of Equals is shattered and lying in pieces.
Yet out of this unedifying spectacle of the UK Government treating Scotland with disdain will surely come a Scotland with all the necessary levers to allow us to stand as an independent country and, I’m sure, put all the friction with England to one side and perhaps help it get through not only the disaster of Brexit but the overriding problems being thrown up in the current pandemic.
Dr Graeme Finnie, Forfar.
WATCHING The First Minister’s Covid-19 briefings, it is not difficult to see why some anti-independence people are beginning to shift to a Yes vote. All the health experts and Holyrood Government ministers have shown empathy and clear communication and answered hostile journalists with patience and honesty. It is also significant that some key Scottish Government health advisers like Professor Devi Sridhar and Professor Linda Bauld are often invited to provide expert comment on UK-wide news. This is beginning to show reluctant Yes voters that Scotland has knowledgeable experts and capable management in one of the worst world pandemics. This is in contrast to the cronyism, corruption and ineptitude shown by the Westminster Government.
Conversely we have also had to go to Westminster to seek clarification on whether we could have furlough support after December 2 when the Prime Minister believes England will come out of lockdown. Despite the interventions of both Scottish Conservative MPs and SNP members we still have no clarity on whether the Scottish Government can rely on furlough support if they have to lockdown on December 3.This is a bizarre state of affairs and shines a light once again on Scottish economic dependency on Westminster under the current constitutional arrangements.
If anyone doubts the Westminster Government’s capacity for honest and straightforward dealings with devolved governments they must now realise that this is not going to happen.
For Andrew Wilson of the Growth Commission to imagine that we will all get round a table and work out an amicable settlement with the UK Government and the Governor of the Bank of England is pie in the sky. The Yes movement needs to continue preparations for a post-independence government-controlled central bank, a Scottish constitution and a Scottish currency.
Maggie Chetty, Glasgow G13.
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