A nation divided

From your letter pages and the articles by some of your journalists, it is clear how deeply Scotland is divided on the issue of independence.

To some extent, this reflects long-standing social and cultural divisions, but these have been exacerbated by the referendum campaign. It is hard to see how Scotland can ever again be a happy single entity, whether 
inside or outside the UK.

At the heart of this lies a 
geographical division of views. Whatever the overall poll
result, it is likely that there will be a significant majority for 
independence in Strathclyde and the Central Belt, and a substantial majority for the Union in the Borders and south-west.

In these circumstances, given the bitterness we have seen in the run-up to the vote, the only fair and ultimately stable solution will be to allow those 
regions where the majority wish to be independent to form a new separate country and the others to remain in the UK.

The lessons of history (Ireland) as well as recent events in Iraq and Ukraine, show the danger to a country with deep disagreements between substantial sections of the popul­ation where these coincide with geography.

It is not good for the UK to have a substantial number of reluctant citizens in central Scotland; it would be worse for an independent country to
deliberately burden itself with an even larger proportion in the Borders.

JACK PONTON

Earlston

Berwickshire