Faith in change not a religious matter

As soon as I read that a couple of fellow Nationalists (Letters, 30 December) based their political views on their religious beliefs, the first thing that entered my mind was that Unionist vultures will already be flying to peck at this conflation.

Sure enough, I’ve not been disappointed, thanks to 
Martin Foreman (Letters, 31 December).

He starts his letter by “wondering” if others have noticed the resemblance between arguments for religious belief and independence, both based on 
assertions. Well, actually, no, Mr Foreman. It was a good chance to muddy the waters, but as an atheist that doesn’t apply to me.

As one who is a Nationalist based on the daft idea that Scots are as good as anybody else and have the potential to improve things once we rid ourselves of the remote Thames-side parliament, I would like to know how he knows Scotland won’t stay in the EU.

The matter can be decided one way or other by the Prime Minister formally asking for a ruling. Why doesn’t he?
The SNP apparently offers “Utopia”.

Was it the SNP which said we had come to “the end of boom and bust”?

Was it the SNP that said that “wealth would trickle down”? Was it the SNP that sanctimoniously said: “Let’s go into Afghanistan – probably not a single shot will be fired”?

Is it the SNP saying: “The UK is recovering” as more food banks open?

Thomas R Burgess

St Catherine’s Square

Perth

Putting to one side the inaccuracy of his analogy in unfavourably comparing campaigners for independence to folk with religious beliefs and Martin Foreman’s laughable hyperbole it would appear that, when we consider the state of the Union today, Mr Foreman prefers the path of despair over hope.

Mr Foreman then foolishly attempts to draw posthumous endorsement from David Hume.

The contemplation of the UK today as probably the most unequal society in the developed world would have that enlightened philosopher birling in his grave.

Douglas Turner

Derby Street

Edinburgh

Martin Foreman is wrong in calling David Hume a rationalist. A rationalist values reason above everything, but Hume says in his A Treatise of Human Nature: “Reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.”

Eva Tyson

Frankfield Road

Dalgety Bay Fife