DEAR Jeremy Clarkson,

I read with some interest your comments on Scotland and Scottish independence published in a national newspaper last weekend.

I’m delighted to hear that you are so enthralled with the natural majesty of our unique landscape. We are indeed blessed to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world and with such caring neighbours!

But when it comes to understanding the independence question I must say your interpretation is about as sketchy, ill-informed and studded with clichés as my grasp of the internal combustion engine.

Your view on Scotland and our bid for sovereignty, was one very few modern-day Scots across our nation would recognise. Because you see, independence is not about hatred of our neighbours or a desire to lure Sean Connery back from his sunny idyll overseas – that idea of Scotland is about as outdated as a Reliant Robin and as passé as “women drivers” being a liability behind the wheel. The 1970s are long gone and we no longer rev up the Quattro. In the modern period of our life on Earth rather than your life on Mars, a flippant analysis or mocking characterisation of what you think is best for another nation, based on spending a few weeks filming here, is simply insulting. Indeed it illustrates exactly why we need to be in charge of our own destiny and not be beholden to another nation who understands us so little and cares even less.

For supporters of independence it is all about self-determination. You don’t understand our need for independence because you have no concept of the frustration of being ruled by another nation or government that focusses on the interests of the powerful and the greedy.

It surely doesn’t take a giant leap of imagination to understand the desire to be in charge of one’s own affairs and the frustration of voting for one kind of politics, only to be lumbered with the exact opposite.

Without devolution, Scotland would be an utterly different and lesser place, and now even that small degree of protection is under threat from a power-hungry and paranoid Tory party in London that cares little for the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.

Now I know you’ve been described as the Nigel Farage of TV presenters and you’re a fan of courting controversy, but your pro-Remain views on a United States of Europe surely reveal a quiet distaste for the worst kind of English nationalism despite your silly talk of battles and soldiers at the Border after independence.

The SNP, however, are facing an uphill struggle rebranding the idea of nationalism. In the UK, across Europe and in America we are witnessing the rise of the uglier and more sinister version of right-wing populism, stirring up a fear of the “other”, harking back to a golden era that never truly existed. This misplaced nostalgia for halcyon days while blaming someone else for your woes is a heady combination for the oppressed and dispossessed.

Twenty-first century Scottish nationalism is the exact opposite of this inward xenophobia. We want to be in charge of our own affairs so we can become a progressive, inclusive and equal society. We want to be in control of our immigration policy so we can welcome new Scots into our country because we understand that for Scotland to be a player on the world stage, to thrive and grow, we need their skills and the positive aspects their contribution to our society brings. Like the rest of the UK, we’ve seen the research and analysis that shows economic migrants are not a drain on our resources no matter how much the right-wing politicians try to spin the figures in the other direction.

We know we’ve been sold a lie on Brexit, that’s why we didn’t vote for it in the first place. We want to be part of Europe, not isolated in a kingdom that will be far from splendid, wrecked by Brexit, quarantined from important global decisions because our bestie is the school bully in the White House.

We want to be part of a future in which our citizens don’t get deported for the colour of their skin, where a woman who has been raped is treated with respect by our social security system and where we don’t jump on the “locked and loaded” Trump bandwagon at the drop of a hat.

We know how beautiful our landscape is and how fortunate we are to live in this magnificent land of mountains and lochs, of turquoise seas and beaches stretching out to a horizon dotted with misty isles. That’s why we banned fracking and that’s why we’re investing in environmentally friendly energy resources, becoming a world leader in sourcing our electricity from renewables.

We care about our people, from the newcomers in the Highlands with their craft shops and knitwear, to the poor and vulnerable dwelling in our cities. That’s why we’ve been protecting our public services as best we can, with our limited devolved powers, from cruel, degrading austerity-driven policies south of the Border.

We value the people who work in our hospitals, our schools and in our police force, that’s why we lifted the pay cap. And we’ve created a fairer tax system, so that we can generate money to invest in our public services and support our business sector.

You question our desire to have our own laws. Do you not know that we have our own legal system – that it is one of the best in the world – that it exists separately from English law? We are an ancient nation, not a province or region, with a strong and evolving national identity, of which our legal system is an integral part.

One thing we do agree on Mr Clarkson is that, yes, we do want the same thing as everyone else. A good life, or as you describe it “something to do in the day and some disposable income at the weekend”. Perhaps if we’d been allowed to invest the money earned from our oil industry in decades gone past, more of us would be in that position now. Instead, we’d like it to be up to the Scots and our MSPs to imagine new ways of creating a thriving and prosperous independent nation, so the little white rose of Scotland can bloom and grow once more in this new world.

Next time you’re in Scotland, take a deeper look beyond your own preconceived prejudice on independence. Our little nation is in the process of growing up. It is not too late to try it for yourself Master Clarkson.

Yours most sincerely,

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh