It doesn’t add up

Although Terry Pratchett has died, we in Scotland now inhabit another “Disc World”, which exists in a parallel dimension.

“Nat World” has the great benefit of being part of a fact-free universe. Facts of any kind can be left at the door. Wild conjecture becomes fact and any actual facts must be shrilly denied.

Thus, when Douglas Turner (Letters, 19 March) states confidently that the current indebtedness of the UK includes only £37 billion for the three banks, Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and HBoS, I was surprised, to say the least.

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However, this is to explain the £1.5 trillion National Debt as something that is entirely the fault of “Westminster” and that Scotland could walk away from unencumbered, enriched by the billions pouring in from North Sea oil.

Of course, this is a complete fantasy. Rather than a total of £37bn, the government paid £46bn to RBS alone. The total support to banks stands at more than £1,000bn (National Audit Office figures) and this has been and continues to be a huge cost that we are all shouldering.

Mr Turner and his fellow 
Nationalist sympathisers show wilful blindness. This is exacerbated by increasingly bizarre assertions such as ending austerity by spending £180bn we don’t have. That’s like avoiding alcoholism by having a drink!

If Scottish voters actually believe what the SNP say, it genuinely makes me worried about the credulity of our electorate.

ANDREW HN GRAY

Craiglea Drive

Edinburgh