European trap

IT beats me how David Cameron can lecture the Scottish Government about harm done to Scotland’s economy because of any non-immediate independence referendum.

This is the same Westminster leader who came back from Europe putting a lot of people in turmoil about future intentions regarding the UK and the EU. And no great concern then of possible damage such uncertainty could inflict on the UK economy.

Also, preceding the Prime Minister’s EU rejection jaunt was the “funtime” Commons referendum about the UK and the EU which showed up considerable aversion to EU membership, particularly among Mr Cameron’s party members.

Such lack of trust towards Europe was unlikely to boost commercial ties with Britain’s EU trading neighbours.

Evidence of economic downturn in Scotland due to the Scottish Government not hurrying its pledged referendum appears to be thin on the ground.

Anyway, since coming into office the Westminster coalition has ceaselessly insisted that the UK economy was left in so bad a condition by its governing predecessors that becoming worse wasn’t an option.

Hence one assumes that any change has to be for the better.

So what is there to be frightened of? At the foot of the shaft there’s only one way out – up!

Ian Johnstone

Forman Drive

Peterhead

Independence for Scotland, yes or no, is what the Unionists are saying the question should be, but does anyone know what independence means if you are trapped in the European Union?

If you don’t like the Scottish or UK governments you get the chance every now and again to vote them out. If you don’t like the EU, you are stuffed. The last thing the EU can claim to be is democratic. In the past when voters decided not to accept the latest EU wheeze, the bureaucrats made people vote again until they got the answer right but now voters simply do not get an opportunity to vote at all.

Only Ireland, because its constitution insists that a referendum is held whenever powers are given away, held a referendum and voted against in 2008, and was made to vote “for” in October 2009.

Any question in a referendum on independence for Scotland should include the opportunity for voters in Scotland to have their say on membership of the EU. The logical conclusion for Scotland is withdrawal from the UK and the EU (sounds good to me), or full-scale integration into the EU, closing down the Scottish and UK parliaments and waiting for instructions from our (unelected) EU lords and masters.

Brian Nugent

Free Scotland Party

Hamnavoe

Burra, Shetland