Oiling wheels of case for independence

Well, I have news for Mr Moore: rather than scare Scots, as is his undoubted intention, it will merely re-emphasise how cack-handed Westminster governance of us has been.

I can only wonder how Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Norway et al manage without the breadth of natural resource we possess.

An independent Scotland would currently be the sixth wealthiest nation in the world and with 40 years of an oil fund we would be seeing out the current financial crises rather better than the current UK position, where punishing the most vulnerable in society seems to be the only policy being offered by the ConDem coalition.

Kevin Cordell

Nevis Place

Dundee

Scottish Secretary Michael Moore states the Scottish Government must explain the £41 billion oil deficit.

Funnily enough, Scotland’s current share of UK national debt is approximately £60bn. That means an independent Scotland would currently be £19bn better off, according to the Scotland Office’s own figures.

Or, to put it another way, the UK has burdened each and every Scot with additional debt equivalent to £3,800!

Thank you, Mr Moore, for adding further reassurance to Scots that independence is most certainly the right road for the country.

Henry Malcolm

Clepington Road

Dundee

The realisation that we are all about to be bored to death with statistics concerning the economics of independence for the foreseeable future fills many of us with dismay.

I am no expert, but do recognise that the words of Prof McLaren (your report, 25 October) hold some wisdom, ie, much depends on the future price of oil!

To base a case for independence on this does seem, to me, to be shaky.

It is not unreasonable to prefer the “devil we know” – and that is only the economics of it.

There are also bonds from history, geography, politics and families.

William Ballantine

Dean Road

Bo’ness, West Lothian