Oil spill hazard on road to independence

Two things concern me. Firstly, by declaring the benefit of our vast oil resources, does this not smack of just a touch of hypocrisy from one who extols the virtue of a low-carbon society with the drive to make our country fuelled by renewable energy?

We’ll be the virtuous greens and sell our oil to other countries so that they can pollute the atmosphere?

Secondly, while I accept that wind and the waves are free, the cost of harnessing that energy is very high. To suggest that being energy rich will automatically mean that our pensioners will live in warm homes seems disingenuous.

Surely the Great One is not suggesting that we spring a tax on the oil companies, without consultation, in order to subsidise our energy costs? He has, after all, condemned the Chancellor of the Exchequer for just such a move.

No, he will send his finance secretary down to the supermarket – shopping basket in one hand and gun in another!

Alan Dickson

Rattray Grove

Edinburgh

It is clear that Alex Salmond hopes to pull off a trick in his proposed referendum. It does not take a genius to know that if he is allowed to ask voters to decide on the status quo, “devo max” or separation, he will thereby hope to split the Unionist vote.

It is fairly clear to anyone that a straight vote between the status quo and “independence” will not be won by the separatists. It is even clearer that any vote to change the status quo must be made by a majority of 50 per cent plus one to be valid, otherwise the Scottish people cannot be said to have given their agreement. Mr Salmond knows it.

There are too many reasons to list to stay in the United Kingdom. The current Scottish Government would like to have things its own way and try to persuade the Scottish people on policies based on biased information from pressure groups (such as on the nuclear question) and half-baked ideas which it dares not detail because they are written on the back of a fag packet. Defence is an instance of that.

The coming months will see the continuing collapse of the SNP’s threadbare policies as it comes under increasing scrutiny and as the EU that it loves so much unravels.

Andrew HN Gray

Craiglea Drive

Edinburgh

I cannot imagine a more boring prospect of three years of propaganda from the SNP going on about the roadmap to independence until we are sick to the back teeth of the subject.

Gone are the roadmaps to Iceland and Ireland, hailed by the SNP as prime examples of untold wealth and pavements of gold, as reality bites, hurting worst the small countries with micro economies that are incapable of taking a major financial hit and thus succumbing to grim financial prospects. Let’s just have a vote on independence now and satisfy many loyal SNP supporters who are beginning to question where the SNP is going and seeing the Scottish Government soaking up the rich trappings of power.

Dennis Grattan

Mugiemoss Road

Aberdeen

During the 2007–11 Scottish Parliament, the SNP was unable to fulfil its manifesto promise on replacing council tax due to a lack of support from the other parties. Now it has a majority it can press ahead with its promise.

Setting up the administration for a local income tax would have another advantage – it would provide the data basis for full fiscal autonomy. HMRC is having great difficulty dealing with the taxation system.

Its outdated systems recently revealed another large number of under- and overpayments. By setting up a new system the Scottish Government could design a system which would deal with all forms of personal taxation without the problems of the Westminster system.

Bruce D Skivington

Gairloch

Wester Ross