BfS home truths

No SOONER had the ink dried on the open letter written by business leaders in support of the Union did we see a ­letter in support of independence by the business arm of the 
Yes ­campaign, Business for 
Scotland (BfS).

Whilst the pro-Union signatories were all big hitters with major business interests in ­Scotland, cross-border and internationally, the same cannot be said of BfS members.

Attempts by BfS to give the ­impression that, in its own 
words, it speaks for “all sorts of companies from all over Scotland”. The reality is somewhat 
different.

A report in a Sunday paper on 31 August stated that close examination of Business for Scotland’s membership list shows that the group has only a tiny number of members who employ significant numbers of Scots and ­literally none with a substantial cross-Border trade. The ­majority appear to be sole traders and guest house owners.

It could hardly be less ­representative of the industries that provide the majority of ­Scotland’s private sector jobs and which, according to the No campaign, are at risk from a Yes vote.

Until now, the business ­sector in favour of a No vote has been afraid to speak out publicly for fear of recriminations from the SNP government and, indeed, there are still a great many in that category.

Donald Lewis

Beech Hill

Gifford, East Lothian