Wilson has gone quiet on Ireland

ONCE again, Andrew Wilson (Scrutiny, 9 December) mentions lots of countries Scotland could be like, but forgets to mention Ireland. This is strange as during his period as an MSP he talked about the Celtic Tiger relentlessly. On the same day as the UK Autumn Budget statement, Ireland had its budget where prescription charges were increased, jobseekers allowance was cut and child benefit was cut, as well as a litany of other brutal cuts.

Mr Wilson may forget all of his previous yearnings for us to copy the boom times of Ireland, but the rest of us don’t.

Michelle Smythe, Edinburgh