Swiss direction

The Swiss named their currency the Swiss franc, a bit of an oxymoron, after that of their neighbouring country France. Worse still, they pegged it to the euro at 1.2:1. So, would Scotland be following in Swiss footsteps if it named its currency the Scottish pound and pegged it at 1:1 to sterling? An act of folly? At least pound sounds less English than franc sounds French, and the British press is convinced that the pound sterling is a much superior currency to the euro.

But one must remember that Switzerland was recently voted the most competitive country in the world, for the fifth year running. The Swiss are among the richest in the world, far ahead of Scotland, despite having no oil. So, Andrew Whitaker and your Leader (10 September) are right to raise the question, but to suggest that it is in any way a make-or-break issue for independence is wrong. Pegging the Swiss Franc to the Euro was not even a referendum issue. It was just a matter for the Swiss central bank to manage in the interests of Swiss competitiveness.

George Shering

West Acres Drive

Newport-on-Tay, Fife