Mundell's intervention on cross-Border collaboration seems set to fall on deaf ears

RECENT reports about David Mundell's plea for governments north and south to work together seems destined to fall on deaf ears.

The reason is clear. On one side we have the pro-Union parties and on the other there is the Nationalists determined to Balkanise our tiny island – and “never the twain shall meet” springs to mind.

Rather than accept they lost the referendum and use the new powers wisely, the SNP’s sole agenda is to attempt to manufacture some form of grievance to justify yet another referendum.

This priority was confirmed by Nicola Surgeon when she announced at the SNP’s spring conference that she would be relaunching her “beautiful dream” for independence during the summer of this year.

Meanwhile our economy and public services continues to suffer compared to the rest of the UK especially in Aberdeen whereby the population has shrunk by a devastating 15 per cent thus far in spite of being told ad nauseam that oil was “merely a bonus”.

Rather than having “beautiful dreams” Ms Sturgeon should get a grip with reality and start running the country before it gets any worse – very difficult for a single-issue party hard of hearing.

Ian Lakin

Murtle Den Road, Milltimber, Aberdeen

I am struck by the comments by David Mundell, the Secretary of State for Scotland, that the SNP has no mandate to hold a second independence referendum (17 May).

Given the fact that Mr Mundell is the only Tory MP in Scotland and his party secured less than 15 per cent of the vote in the general election last year, I am not sure with what authority Mr Mundell has to dictate to the Scottish people whether or not we should have the opportunity to vote in a second independence referendum?

If there is a clear demand for a referendum no politician should have the right to stand in the way of the people of Scotland to choose their own future.

The SNP manifesto is quite clear that “the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold another referendum if there is clear and sustained evidence that independence has become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people – or if there is a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will”.

The power to hold a second independence referendum is not a choice for Mr Mundell, or even dare I say it Ms Sturgeon and the SNP, but for the Scottish people.

Alex Orr

Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh