Seaweed forecast

According to the Treasury we are all going be better off by £2,000 in 30 years if we stick with the Union (your report, 2 September).

This would be the same Treasury that allowed Gordon Brown to abolish boom and bust and nearly bankrupt the country. It did not see the 2008 financial crash coming until it happened, so its forecasting is comical.

The reality is that no-one can predict what is going to happen a year ahead. What happens is based on too many factors; some, such as industrial policy, are in our hands, others, such as global recessions and other countries’ trading policies, are not.

We have to be flexible and respond to these outside factors. It is easier for a small country to respond to changes; a large country has more inertia. Also, Westminster policies tend to respond to the needs of London and the south-east of England because of their importance, rather than the rest of the country. Scottish-based policies can respond to Scotland’s differing needs.

However, if the Treasury does wish to keep putting out 30-year projections, can I suggest it includes the seaweed growth in Badachro Bay on the Gairloch in its source material. Since Alex Salmond announced a referendum on independence, it has definitely been growing faster.

Bruce D Skivington

Pairc a Ghliob, Strath

Gairloch, Wester Ross