Wording may damage referendum itself

I have found much that is to be commended in the Scottish Government's constitutional referendum bill proposals (your report, 26 February), especially the first version of the first ballot paper, which is clear and concise, and much better than the muddy second version.

What ruins the entire exercise for me is the wording of the second paper on independence, especially the line "…be a full member of the European Union". Dragging this highly controversial issue into a referendum on independence is the stupidest political blunder I have seen in years. It is basically an attempt to sneak a referendum on EU membership into the independence decision-making and, thereby, to pre-empt the whole issue. It is suicidal, for there is plenty of evidence that a huge proportion of the electorate will vote against the independence project on this ground alone.

Furthermore, it bespeaks a lack of an adequate grasp of international affairs on the part of the SNP leadership. The line should read "…be a full member of the United Nations". UN membership is necessary for international recognition as an independent state; EU membership is not.

If EU membership has anything at all to offer Scotland, then it is the duty of the SNP to spell it out in detail, and not to act as if this step is so self-evident as to require no further discussion.

After 40 years involvement in European integration at academic and professional level I am not opposed to the EU, a political project that has an important transitional function in central and eastern Europe for the immediate future.

Scotland can play a vigorous part in European affairs without full membership of the EU – which, it should be remembered, is the smallest of the five major European organisations, despite its unjustified, brass-necked hijacking of the European identity.

Membership of the European Union is something that will be decided by the Scottish people and not by the SNP, and we can do without these underhand tactics that are only damaging the independence movement itself.

DR JAMES WILKIE

Vienna, Austria

It has long been known that the result of any series of questions offering yes/no options will, if yes always comes first, differ from the result if no always comes first. The order of the questions also influences the results. The SNP's proposed referendum questions could better avoid the charge of being loaded if the three questions had one yes and two nos as first options, and if the Calman question came top of the list, with "yes" as the first option, and the other two questions had "no" as first options. It is difficult to believe the SNP's advisers were not aware of all the above.

PROF IAN OSWALD

St Ronan's Terrace

Innerleithen, Peeblesshire

The intention to hold a referendum to promote independence from the UK is a monstrous fraud as it is always treated as a domestic, British issue, with no consideration given to its far more important external implications.

The United Nations Security Council has five permanent members: the US, Russia, China, UK and France. As Westminster will never give up its seat (Brussels wants the UK and France to be replaced by the EU, but Paris is equally determined to preserve the status quo) Scotland would find international recognition difficult to achieve.

Separate membership of the EU is impossible because the consent of all member states would be required, which the UK is bound to refuse as are Italy, Spain and Germany because of the separatist encouragement that would give to the Northern League, Basques and Catalans and to Bavaria, not to mention the partitioning of Belgium itself.

So implementation of the 70 per cent of all legislation that emanates from Brussels would still have to come through London; unless the SNP opts for real independence, outside the EU altogether.

VIVIAN LINACRE

Marshall Place, Perth