Last chance

It appears the SNP leaders are considering a second referendum as part of any bargaining chip for a coalition deal. So much then for the Sturgeon-Salmond “once-in-a-lifetime chance” and “generational opportunity” assertions pre-18 September last year.

Putting aside these inconvenient truths, no-one would be surprised if a second referendum was put forward.

Were that the case and were any parties foolish enough to do a deal and force another plebiscite upon the people of Scotland, some things should be made clear from the start.

The SNP will not set the date; nor the crucial wording; nor will it be allowed to disenfranchise close to a million Scots living outside Scotland; nor use the civil service as a party political tool. Strict checks should be kept on millionaire donors.

All these matters would be supervised and controlled by a totally neutral and independent body.

Finally, there should be a binding pledge, written into law, that another referendum could not be held for 50 years – as should have been the case with the first.

Alexander McKay

New Cut Rigg

Edinburgh

In a recent interview with The New Statesman, a left-leaning publication, Alex Salmond said: “The great secret weapon of the SNP is that it’s a cause, an objective and an ideal, and when you’ve got an objective and an ideal the rest of the stuff is not nearly as important.”

By “the rest of the stuff” one can only assume he means well-founded and properly costed policies for the proper governance of Scotland of which the SNP is singularly bereft.

This utterance by Alex  Salmond is proof that the cause of separation at any and all costs is the obsession that drives the SNP and that it is prepared to put the future of Scotland  and future generations at  dreadful risk of economic collapse to achieve its goal of  the break-up of the United  Kingdom.

Donald Lewis

Gifford

East Lothian