General Elections must be held every five years and the electorate then has the opportunity to review, reassess and look to the future.
In a General Election, 16 and 17-year-olds are not eligible to vote, but the SNP wish to give them the responsibility in the independence referendum to possibly effect irreversible change for future generations in Scotland.
This is a young group on the verge of adulthood and some of them will be more likely to be swayed by sentiment than persuaded by reasoned argument.
This is surely irresponsible and unfair to the wider electorate.
R Russell Smith,
96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie.
The Herald reports that one of the areas where Alex Salmond and Michael Moore, on behalf of their respective governments, could not find agreement was on the issue of 16 and 17-year-olds voting at the independence referendum.
Presently, 18-year-olds are able to vote in the electing of the Scottish, UK or European Parliaments, and to elect their local council. All of these bodies sit for a maximum period of five years or less, when they can be voted out. The referendum will decide Scotland's constitutional future for a very long time, perhaps for ever. It is surely only right that persons so very near to the magic figure of 18, and who are already considered eligible to marry, have children, join the army and pay tax, should be deemed responsible enough to have their say about the kind of country they want to see evolve in their lifetime.
The future is theirs, let their voices be heard.
Ruth Marr,
99 Grampian Road,
Stirling.
Angus Robertson MP, the SNP's defence spokesman, contends that Scotland's defence interests would be best served by independence ("Defence inquiry into the impact of independence", The Herald, February 13) and he constantly asserts that the SNP have a coherent defence policy and a costed programme.
I would welcome full disclosure of their anticipated force levels for the Army, Navy, Air Force, reserve forces, search and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal teams, training establishments and defence headquarters. Do they really intend to evict the Royal Navy from Faslane?
I have a feeling that a more pragmatic arrangement will emerge as Faslane is worth about £250 million per annum to the Scottish economy.
Defence is yet another area where the potential impact of independence lacks credibility and clarity.
Ronald J Sandford,
1 Scott Garden,
Kingsbarns.
I was delighted to read Graeme G Crawford's letter (February 14). I wholeheartedly agree with his proposal for a Scots-in-Britain campaign.
The SNP's position has always struck me as totally illogical: they are desperate to become independent of the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but seem to be quite happy to be dependent on the European Union.
Surely a country is either independent or it is not?
Anne Kegg,
12 Holmwood Avenue,
Uddingston.
