ROBERT Ingram says: “A Scottish constitution is only worthwhile if we all participate,” (Letters, January 12) yet he makes time-wasting proposals which guarantee we would NOT all participate.

He can count me out, for starters; and Robert’s obsession with having a fancy document from day one would exclude masses of other folk as well.

The USA’s Declaration of Independence was in 1776, but their constitution dates from 1787, eleven years later, and there have been dozens of amendments to the constitution ever since.

Rebels in Dublin read out a Declaration of an Irish Republic in 1916, but Ireland didn’t officially become a republic until thirty two years later, in 1948.

The white paper Scotland’s Future, published by the Scottish Government before the 2014 referendum, got many things wrong, but they were surely right to say there should be an interim constitution for independence, and that, after independence, there would be a constitutional convention to work on the longer term constitutional arrangements.

And we in the non-party-political Radical Independence Campaign were right, with our idea of “civic forums”.

We said that after a yes vote, RIC and other groupings seeking a bit more than just a change of flags, would tell the Scottish Government: “We’re holding you to what you said about this just being an ‘interim’ constitution and the long-term constitution of Scotland being a matter for all the people of Scotland.

As contributions to that, we’re going to help with initiatives to seek to form civic forums in every city, town, and village throughout Scotland, for discussions on the future of Scotland.”

That was right in 2014, and it’s right now.

We’ll have Holyrood, and we will automatically be rid of the House of Lords. That’ll do to be going on with.

There’s no need to delay independence to satisfy the constitution-mongers.

After a clear yes to independence, an early date for independence day should be announced.

There’s no need for this to be on some “significant” day; the fact of it being independence day will make it become significant.

There’s no need to delay independence day until every ‘i’ has been dotted and every ‘t’ crossed.

Some stuff can be sorted out afterwards.

Many other countries have become independent and continued negotiations etc afterwards.

Queen Elizabeth will decide there’s no way she is going to let Charles or William or anybody else represent her, she wants to be in Edinburgh in person to assert that she’s still Queen of Scots.

As she will be there in person, this does mean God Save The Queen will be played.

Yes, of course there’s a strong possibility that, in a year or two after independence, we’ll decide to become a republic.

The USA only decided on the Star-Spangled Banner in 1931. That means the USA managed without an official “national anthem” for one hundred and fifty five years after their Declaration of Independence.

If the USA could manage without a national anthem for 155 years, just ignore folk who say we must decide on an anthem. There’s no need.

So far as the official hand-over ceremony is concerned, the band could play Auld Lang Syne as the Union Jack is lowered and the Saltire is raised.

This seems appropriate in so many different ways, and it could involve the whole world in the celebrations.

Stop the dithering. Independence now.

Dave Coull Secretary  Radical Independence Angus & Mearns