KEVIN McKenna criticises the UK Government for what he perceives to be its failings over its response to the coronavirus pandemic ("Virus crisis means independence is more vital than ever", The Herald, April 25). He maintains that the Tory Government has made so many mistakes in dealing with the current situation and that Scotland, insofar as it is able, should have gone its own way already. He also describes the Scottish Government's position as "having adhered to Westminster's plan for the first five weeks of the crisis". What exactly should it have done differently? Nicola Sturgeon corrected a TV interviewer recently as describing her position as having "gone along"' with UK Government decisions. She had not "gone along", she retorted. She had made her own judgment when every joint decision was being made.
Mr McKenna asserts that an independent Scottish government, like the current UK Government, would just have borrowed to finance its way out of the current financial pressures. That is somewhat simplistic and blithely overlooks the fact that lenders take into account the borrower's ability to repay, which in turn controls how much to lend, for how long and interest payable. He states that the UK Cabinet is "a daily advert for independence" and that this pandemic and its likely consequences should make those living in Scotland more likely to support independence. I believe that there is a case for predicting the opposite.
It can be readily appreciated that fighting the pandemic is of a different nature from being involved in a world war. However, the First was probably the biggest challenge, in the context of an episode of a world-impacting event, for my grandparents and the Second similarly for my parents. The pandemic, so far, is certainly ours. It is worth recalling that, shortly before the outbreak of war in 1914 there was debate in Parliament about Home Rule for Scotland. When war broke out, enthusiasm for Scottish independence went on the wane and the feeling of Britishness was enhanced by the experiences of that war. The Second World War had a similar effect with regard to the sense of being British. It took a long time thereafter for support for independence for Scotland to revive.
There is a strong case for believing that the feeling of Britishness is being enlivened again in these testing times and, as a result, the prospects for increased support for independence will be debilitated rather than strengthened.
Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.
KEVIN McKenna is quite right when he states that the virus outbreak will not kill the desire for independence. The problem he has is that this might be the case with Mr McKenna and those of a like-minded outlook, but it is very unlikely that the majority of public opinion will be swayed by this argument.
It is patently obvious that Scotland needs the support of England through these difficult days. Saying otherwise simply flies in the face of the facts, but is this not the obvious reality of Scottish independence? Great idea in theory, totally impractical in reality.
Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow G77.
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