MARK Smith is very “emotional” about his “emotional” attitude to independence ("The emotional reason I am ready to accept independence", The Herald, November 9). In fact, he mentions the word 15 times in his piece. As I made my way through the article, I was hoping to reach the point where he might confirm that emotion was fine as a child, a teenager but alas, as a grown man he has not matured sufficiently to confirm that to achieve independence based on emotion will be utter folly.

Nicola Sturgeon stated her journey to independence started in her teens. She also has not grown out of this teenage dream of destroying the United Kingdom. Independence, if achieved, will be gained only based on emotion because there is no credible economic and financial justification for separation. Emotion will not feed hungry children, will not reduce the highest drug deaths in Europe, will not house the homeless, will not reduce debt, will not improve our broken education system, will not provide more GPs, will not provide security, will not fix ferries.

It will cost hundreds of millions to establish a separate country. A new currency will have a major effect on savings, investments, pensions and mortgages. People need to dump the teenage emotional dream and pressurise SNP politicians to provide the people of Scotland with honesty about how an independent Scotland would survive. We are told support for the SNP is rising, apparently due to Ms Sturgeon’s daily grandstanding – more emotion. Hopefully when people are made aware of the true facts of tearing Scotland out of the United Kingdom, maturity will kick in and they will realise their error.

Douglas Cowe, Newmachar.

ON reading Mark Smith’s article I was reminded of a quote that appeared in the Herald in August this year (yes, I thought it was very worthy of keeping): “There is more to life than reason, and people are not motivated by data. They are motivated by matters of the heart and soul” – Spencer Critchley, who worked on President Obama’s campaigns.

My sentiments entirely.

Eric Macdonald, Paisley.

THE comments from the “senior Whitehall insider”, page 6, 10 November “Boris Johnson “outranks” Nicola Sturgeon”, comparing them to a president and state governor respectively (“ Boris Johnson ‘outranks’ Nicola Sturgeon, insists senior Whitehall insider”, The Herald, November 10) would not be quite so ridiculous and offensive if he had identified the state governor for England.

Patricia Fort, Glasgow G1.

WATCHING Politics Live today (November 9) on BBC2 I was subjected to the unedifying experience of hearing Scotland’s only Labour MP, Ian Murray, dredging the political gutter for dirt to dish on the Scottish Government. The best he could come up with was to quote Andrew Neil who had claimed on Politics Live last week that poverty in Glasgow’s East End is worse than in sub-Saharan Africa. My researches indicate that Ian Murray, originally from the Wester Hailes district of Edinburgh, has never left that city for education, work or political service. Andrew Neil departed his native Paisley for London in 1975 and has never returned. Who am I, a proud Glaswegian, born in a Maryhill tenement, raised in an East End housing scheme, an alumnus of the same university as Andrew Neil with work experience in three continents, to deplore such a scurrilous assertion by “distinguished” public figures?

Neil should know better and should hang his head in shame; Ian Murray should get out more when travel restrictions are eased.

Willie Maclean, Milngavie.

IAN Lakin (Letters, November 6) writes that “the SNP needs more than people who paint their faces, wave flags and hurl abuse at people who may have a different view about independence”.

The SNP does not have people who paint their faces or wave flags, except perhaps at Halloween. It is a political party.

Presumably Mr Lakin is referring to independence supporters, whose rallies are always good-natured affairs involving people of all ages, races and nationalities. They do not hurl abuse at anyone, in my experience, and I have been to several of these demos.

The abuse is left to anti-independence demonstrators, who are almost exclusively loyalist/unionist bigots, shouting sectarian and racist abuse at peaceful marchers.

Perhaps Mr Lakin should attend one of these events before making preposterous allegations

Kevin Orr, Glasgow G46.

SOMEONE should ask Alister Jack the following question: If I am offered a round-the-world cruise and tell my friends and neighbours it is a once in a generation opportunity, does that mean that I have promised that I will not go on another for at least 25 years, even if my circumstances change and a lottery win a few years later means I could go again?

P Davidson, Falkirk.

THE comments from the “senior Whitehall insider”,about Boris Johnson “outranking” Nicola Sturgeon”, comparing them to a president and state governor respectively (“ Boris Johnson ‘outranks’ Nicola Sturgeon", insists senior Whitehall insider”, The Herald, November 10) would not be quite so ridiculous and offensive if he had identified the state governor for England.

Patricia Fort, Glasgow G1.

Read more: Letters: Scotland can do better than UK on poverty