Poll conundrum

Mike Underwood (Letters, 22 December) deplores the current level of debate around the independence referendum, arguing that many matters will not and cannot be resolved unless and until the vote is taken.

This begs the question of whether or not those who agree with Mr Underwood will happily mortgage their savings, incomes, pensions and futures on a proposed new house that has no building or planning warrant, no agreed design, no neighbourhood approval, no certain curtilage, no quality or structural guarantee and requires the destruction of a historic building that – though shabby and requiring some renovation – remains home to many a happy resident?

In other words, is Mr Underwood requiring us to buy, on a possible one-vote victory either way in a three-voter electoral turn out, a pig in a poke? Shome mishtake shurely?

TGP Flinn

Garvald

East Lothian

Weekend reports suggesting that the SNP is preparing for a second referendum if the first is lost quite beggar belief.

It tells us several things. First, that the Nationalists have accepted inevitable defeat. Second, that the “once in a generation” rhetoric from Alex Salmond can be added to his other long list of assertions and hopes and fantasies and that his words mean nothing at all. Third, that the SNP is quite prepared to plunge Scotland into a Quebec-style decade of economic meltdown caused by constitutional uncertainty, rather than accept the verdict of the people of this country.

This, from the party which never tires of telling us how much they love Scotland, says it all.

Alexander McKay

New Cut Rigg

Edinburgh