Empty gestures

Stan Grodynski (Letters, 8 January) writes with a fine flourish. His letter, however, is strong on rhetoric but weak in reason.

He suggests that those who question the validity of a televised debate between First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister David Cameron are questioning the ability of the people of Scotland to distinguish between reasoned argument and any 
prejudice they may feel towards the Conservative Party and its leader.

Yet in the next breath he accuses those who oppose separation of an inability to see beyond any prejudice they may feel towards Mr Salmond.

Disparaging the intelligence of the people of Scotland, it seems, is right after all – but only for the Nationalists.

Mr Salmond’s challenge to Mr Cameron is a stunt – an attempt to present the referendum as a choice between Scotland and Tory England.

His appeal to Mr Cameron to guarantee that no future Westminster government would alter the Barnett formula was a similar stunt followed up by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s feigned indignation at Mr Cameron’s inevitable response.

I am confident that the people of Scotland have the intelligence to see such manoeuvres for what they are.

COLIN HAMILTON

Braid Hills Avenue

Edinburgh