In our own hands

Bob Hamilton’s suggestion (Letters, 18 October) of a free trade zone around Prestwick Airport has much to recommend it but is unlikely to happen in a Scotland governed from London.

Nearly 60 years ago Dutch and Scandinavian airlines proposed to make Prestwick their hub for flights between Europe and North America.

The British government ­prevented this as it wanted the business for London and British airlines. International hub airports were then developed at ­Amsterdam and Copenhagen. That was one among many lost chances for Scotland. To avoid further lost opportunities we need to take responsibility for our own affairs and our place in the world into our own hands.

David Stevenson

Blacket Place

Edinburgh