CBI challenge

How long can the wider CBI continue to allow Iain McMillan to use its name as a franchise cover for his long-held political views? (Your report, 3 June).

These views fly in the face of many others who really are concerned with the Scottish economy, such as trade unions, the Institute of Directors and the Kirk.

Mr McMillan, the director of CBI Scotland, has spouted the embarrassingly untenable view that Scotland could not raise all the tax to meet its own expenditure while seemingly failing to notice that the UK is failing to do this by 400 million a day and this will continue each day for the next six years, at least if the UK does not go bust first.

I would challenge Mr McMillan as he darkly mentions the bank bailout, just to tell us what he thinks the current size of the bailout is and what its final cost might be? As according to the last Pre-Budget Report it was 10 billion and has decreased, with Royal Bank of Scotland expected to yield a profit for the government. The Office of National Statistics has not yet quantified the bail out size, or lack of size. Regardless of this, in the interests of scaremongering Mr McMillan pretends to know better.

Mr McMillan uses the letters CBI to float his views in the media. However, he knows very well that we need a fiscal system run for the Scottish economy not an alleged UK fiscal system tailored, as all shades of the political spectrum know, whether they admit to it or not, for the south-east of England. In short Mr McMillan again drops cogency of argument for the darkness of fear, regardless of the ill- effects to business in Scotland.

ANGUS MacNEIL

SNP MP, Na h-Eileanan an Iar

House of Commons