MARTIN Redfern (Letters, February 6) suggests that the SNP’s 35 MPs at Westminster would find themselves in a quandary if they had to choose between No Deal and Theresa May’s compromise (whatever that ever-changing work of fantasy will turn out to be). Why the necessity of a binary choice? As both of these options, in Mr Redfern’s words, are "politically untenable" to the SNP, I suggest that voting against them would be the correct way to represent the people of Scotland who voted decisively to remain in the European Union.

Like John Milne (Letters, February 6), I value my European identity immensely and appreciate the fact that the SNP continues to stand up for Scotland’s choice to reject the xenophobic, isolationist option chosen by those misguided souls south of the Border. I can reassure Mr Milne that I have no intention of giving up my desire for continued membership of the EU. I happen to believe that our broad-minded and geographically unrestricted younger generation deserve a better future than the one currently bequeathed to them by those who seem unable to extract themselves from an imperial past.

If it does come to leaving, I suspect that it won’t be long until the cynically-misled, exploited Leave voters will turn on those who led the Leave campaign and rejoin the rest of us in order to be, once again, at the heart of European decision-making.

Dave Stewart,

6 Blairatholl Avenue, Glasgow.

MARTIN Redfern asks if Nicola Sturgeon is capable of doing “what’s best for the people of Scotland”. That is exactly what she is doing. For the last two years she has put Scotland’s constitutional issues to the side and pushed for Scotland and the UK to remain within the customs union and single market. All and any analysis I have read has given that outcome as being in the best economic interests of the UK and Scotland, but Ms Sturgeon, the Scottish Government and Scotland’s Parliament have all been dismissed with contempt.

The May Government is only interested in the Tory party and the DUP. The EU has proved extremely flexible in dealing with Mmember territories in or out of the EU, so it was possible Scotland and Northern Ireland could have had a different status to England/Wales but was never asked. Indeed it has been reported that London insisted to the EU that Scotland be denied sharing in any differentiation on offer to others.

Mr Redfern advocates for what he calls the “May compromise”: trouble is that Theresa May changes the parameters of her deal on a daily basis. Don’t believe me – ask her own Tory MPs. It is the Tories who have led us to this cliff edge, and it will be the Tories who tip us into the abyss. Scotland voted to stay in the EU but has zero status or leverage within the UK “Union”. Ireland is respected and her interests are being protected in the EU Union. The difference is stark and should be an example to any Scot with an ounce of gumption.

GR Weir,

17 Mill Street, Ochiltree.

ROBIN Gilmour (Letters, February 6) draws a somewhat simplistic comparison between Ireland's long struggle for freedom from British rule and the UK's vote to leave the European Union.

He is correct to state that the Republic of Ireland, over hundreds of years, fought against domination by Britain and eventually won its independence. However, Britain's partition of Ireland, designed to keep the bulk of the Unionist population and heavy industry under the UK flag, sowed the seeds for future conflict in the north of Ireland.

Our present vexatious issue with the Irish protocol has only arisen because the UK's decision to depart from the EU leaves Northern Ireland as, obviously, thanks to the partition of 1921, the only part of the UK that shares a border with an EU country.

The Irish Government and the EU are trying to work together with Theresa May and her Government to avoid future loss of life and conflict in Northern Ireland by ensuring that there is no hard border, now, and in the future.

The only obstruction to Britain arriving at a solution at present appears to be from those who see the people on the island of Ireland as an irrelevance and a hindrance to a clean break with Brussels,despite 56 per cent of people in Northern Ireland voting to remain.

Mr Gilmour's exasperation displays an age-old condescending British attitude towards the Irish that I had hoped had evaporated into the mists of history. As he himself says, Ireland is an independent sovereign nation on a par with Britain. As such, it must be accorded equal importance and respect.

Owen Kelly,

8 Dunvegan Drive, Stirling.

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