IN her trainwreck of an interview on Good Morning Scotland “Scottish” Labour’s branch manager Keiza Dugdale stated that she wanted Scotland to remain a part of the UK as, it was “the best way to redistribute wealth”.

This notion is entirely at odds with the known facts. A report commissioned by the TUC using the OECD figures from their Employment Outlook report showed, that between 2007 to 2015 wages in the UK had fallen over 10 per cent. This is same as Greece.

During this period the richest one per cent doubled their collective wealth. The richest 1,000 families in Britain are worth a staggering £547 billion. This is more than the poorest 40 per cent of the population. By Wednesday top UK bosses had earned more by noon than most workers would earn in a year. A recent Department of Health report found a 44 per cent rise in admissions to hospital in England for malnutrition. In the last year there has been a 10 per cent rise in homelessness in England with 124,000 children in temporary accommodation. Income inequality has driven one million people to foodbanks and the Tory reign of terror over the lives of the sick and disabled has lead thousands found “fit to work” to suicide.

Income inequality is not some unfortunate by-product. They apart of a deliberate policy of giving the super-rich everything. This has bene done ruthlessly and relentlessly since 1979 by Labour and Tory alike.

Austerity measures were initiated by the Labour government of Gordon Brown following the 2008 global financial crash. Brown bailed out the banks and super-rich to the tune of £1 trillion, a sum which is now being clawed back through the destruction of jobs, wages and condition.

Kezia Dugdale knows that the Tories will be in power until 2025. Rather than set Scotland free from disastrous poverty creating Tory austerity Keiza and her ilk are willing accomplices.

They are more interested in preserving their £300 per day retirement home in the House of Lords.

Alan Hinnrichs, Dundee

MUCH has been said about Labour by sensible people but it’s their language that really fascinates me.

In response to the idea that they ally with the SNP a spokesperson tells us that Labour will not be pals with a party that is not “progressive, socialist or about people” and will certainly not support those who seek to “harm our economy by breaking away from our biggest trading partner” (Labour must form an alliance with SNP to stop Tories winning next election, The National, January 3). Then today Kez tells us of her pride in standing up for Labour values of “solidarity and co-operation” which were part of the 2014 campaign to save the Union. OK hands up, I’ve totally misunderstood the Tories.

Noirin Blackie, Edinburgh

All you ever hear from Labour is: “SNP bad”, yet what exactly did they do for Scotland? Brown was that terrified of Scotland being independent he came up with a vow and we were told by we would have the most devolved government in the world.Yet when the SNP put through amendments to the Scotland Bill for greater powers the Unionists defeated them. I hope all Yes voters remind Labour supporters it was Brown who sold our gold and left a note saying “there’s no money left”. So we will take no lectures from Labour about the NHS, policing, helping the very poor etc. If we had devo max as was promised we could end the nasty austerity cuts and make Scotland a country that is outward-looking. I feel independence is the only way forward for our children’s future and prosperity.

Stephen Kelly, Motherwell

I STRONGLY agree with Joseph G Miller’s letter in Wednesday’s National (‘Shame on UK for voting against nuke treaty bid’). It’s a scandal that the BBC hasn’t covered recent developments at the UN where 123 countries voted in favour of a resolution to negotiate on a treaty to prohibit all nuclear weapons.

The UK voted against this resolution, contradicting the noises the government make about being in favour of multilateral disarmament. Scotland had no vote despite having hosted these obscene weapons for decades with all the attendant risks.

Mr Miller finishes his letter hoping the Scottish electorate will wake up to the dangers of nuclear weapons. I can assure him many of us have. Some are peace campers at Faslane, some campaigners with Scottish CND and its local groups, some the activitists of Nukewatch monitoring the bomb convoys. Join us!

The next elections are for local councils in May.

I urge voters to quiz your candidates about the risks of nuclear warheads being driven along our roads and what they plan to do about the danger we are all put in by this.

Malcolm Bruce, Edinburgh

CND I WOULD like to wish English Scots for Yes member Tony Martin every success in his efforts with Pensioners for Yes, along with all of his other activities, especially since I’m a pensioner myself (Letters, The National, January 4). Nevertheless, and recognising the debate over who exactly should be eligible to vote in any indyref2, perhaps we should remember that generally speaking, an immigrant must reside in the UK for a minimum of five years before being able to vote or apply for citizenship.

This would seem to me to be a sensible criteria for indyref2, and I suggest it should extend to rUK citizens unless they have previously lived in Scotland for at least five years and within the previous five years. If I may I’d also like to add to Tom O’Hagan’s experiences of being assumed as English when living abroad.

I lived in Spain for a couple of years a decade or so ago and even English neighbours, who, when they knew I’d just returned from a trip home to Edinburgh, would ask things like “how was the weather in England?” One day I was introduced to a retired Swedish man, who was obviously well educated and spoke very good English. He heard me speak and asked if I was English. When I replied that I was Scottish, he declared: “It is the same”. You should have seen his face when I said:”Well, that makes you Norwegian then.” There is without doubt a perception among many people internationally that Britain/Scotland = England. Only independence will change that.

GF, Edinburgh

ACCORDING to Alexander Drummond (Letters, The National, January 4), the UK “defeated Hitler”. However, as with all Unionist mythology, that is not strictly true. The British forces were pushed out of Europe by the German military machine and stood alone defending its island fortress. What ultimately defeated Nazi Germany was America’s entry into the conflict, with its seemingly endless supply of men and war materials. The Germans also became hugely over-stretched in the Soviet Union and along with their allies were wiped out at Stalingrad. I would therefore suggest that along with the Empire/Commonwealth we “did our bit” and were on the winning side. Without the might of the USA and sacrifices and resilience of the Soviet Union the outcome would have been somewhat different, despite what those who view the world through Unionist-tinted spectacles would have us believe.

Malcolm Cordell, Broughty Ferry, Dundee

THE Queen’s recent ill health is a reminder that in the near future there will be another monarch lined up. But should Scotland accept the same choice as England?

The Declaration Of Arbroath is clear we have the right to depose any king who does not support independence. If we are to have a monarch, it should be one that supports independence, and it should be a condition that they will do so. Maybe we should have a different monarch than England, then we can at least disunite the kingdoms, if not the political union. It would be a step on the way.

Brian MacLeod, Address supplied