Bovine content

A little fire in the belly is more our style.

We may note that the continued existence of some of these countries was dependent on the sacrifice we were prepared to make on their behalf when we could have kept apart and left them to their fate. Scotland over the past 300 years has, I would say, contributed more to human endeavour than the sum total of these countries, perhaps not all good – but we mattered.

We are now being persuaded towards insularity and bovine content fuelled, for example, by the proceeds of North Sea oil, whisky production, renewable energy and our inherited share of UK assets, all doled out by a benevolent totalitarian government which will relieve us of every last bit of personal responsibility.

The trouble is, this is based very much on wishful thinking. We must surely be aware that we have a far greater amount of UK-funded infrastructure per head than rUK (energy sources. roads, rail, island causeways, etc, etc)one reason that we get £10 billion more in UK spend than tax raised here, and of course the reason that on separation our net share of UK assets will actually be negative as has already been made clear for the central bank.

There will be no parade of UK forces on independence day for cherry-picking as described in the white paper – at best we will get a few thousand redundant unequipped personnel so we will be reliant on some other benevolent source for our protection – is that really acceptable to we Scots?

North Sea oil will not plug the aforementioned gap in finances, whisky is currently very popular but is largely foreign owned and strongly promoted by near 300 UK embassies so may face a decline, the Scottish Government claims for export of renewable energy are, as I have already described (Letters, 14 April ) quite pathetic and of course the UK subsidy for this will disappear very shortly after any Yes vote.

(Dr) A McCormick

Kirkland Road

Terregles, Dumfries