Come on Nicola, give us a vision to sell to the unconvinced voters

In his letter he emphasises that we, in the movement, find it hard to understand why our fellow voters in Scotland are still stuck at the circa 45% committed to independence.

He is absolutely right to point out that many are not aware of what an independent Scotland would or could look like, never mind how that happy state could benefit their lives and those of their children and grandchildren.

READ MORE: We must present the case for independence directly to the voters

The reason is, in my opinion, two-fold. Firstly we have the almost 100% biased UK-controlled media who give “no oxygen of publicity” to anything positive emanating from our Scottish Government or Scotland for that matter. Indeed, the BBC delights in an endless barrage of negativity which will only increase with the “dedicated” Scottish channel launching next month.

Secondly, and as Alex points out, five years after the independence referendum the leadership of the SNP have yet to clearly define what independence looks like, not just for the “man/woman in the street” but for dedicated supporters.

Stating the obvious, this is their role. It is not enough to just be effective in government.

What is the party’s “vision”, what is the “ambition” for an independent Scotland? Hopefully not the Growth Report, as it would fail to inspire anyone by promising a continuing bondage to the pound sterling and economic policies of the austerity variety for the next 10 years!

We need a positive vision. We need it now. And we need it backed up by clear policies on currency, our relationship with the rest of the UK post-independence, our approach to Europe and yes the thorny question of the state pension and a myriad of other issues like land ownership, taxation, and a few more “radical” throw-ins!

These are critical issues with which to “arm” us, the 45%, so that we can go out and “sell the vision” to the unconvinced 55%.

Brexit will have only made them even more nervous about the future, so the SNP leadership need to be much more focused on defining that future if we are ever going to run a successful campaign post-Brexit.

It simply isn’t good enough to think that Brexit will be such a mess that that of itself will bring us the vote.

I for one am not interested in spending the next ten years trying to make Brexit work.

Much rather would I spend my energies helping to build a new society, a truly Nova Scotia, a New Scotland.

Come on Nicola, give us that vision, define that ambition, and let us do the rest.

Ian Stewart
Uig, Isle of Skye

INCREASINGLY in recent weeks, many of the words that have come out of the mouths of the pro-Brexit politicians and the leaders of the two main parties at Westminster can only be considered on a scale that starts with delusion and ends beyond the line of certifiably insane.

If we accept that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result, then the Prime Minister’s announcement today to the Commons that she intends to approach EU leaders to renegotiate the deal is clearly at the latter end of that stage.

The EU leaders have been adamant for months that it is not up for renegotiation. The deal that last week Theresa May described as the only possible deal is now a candidate for renegotiation in her eyes. It is clear that she playing to the gallery and her own extremists again, so that she can blame the whole sorry mess on the intransigence of the EU rather than her own incompetence.

Gavin Brown
Linlithgow

REGARDING Billy Scobie’s letter in Tuesday’s National about the wisdom of writing letters to the papers, it’s nice to know my old chum and I are still on the same page, if not literally then at least in spirit.

It’s been quite a few decades since Billy used my head in one of his paintings, and I recorded him singing one of his excellent songs. He was an independence supporter back then, whilst I came to the cause much later.

READ MORE: Letters, January 29

If we are of a single mind on that, then it’s perhaps no surprise we would be reading The National, and both questioning the effectiveness of letter writing. Billy’s letter struck a chord with me, because just the day before I had been thinking the exact same thing!

It’s all very well twittering like a maddie, or ranting to long-suffering relatives on the Book of Face, but newspapers are by default a matter of archive, and a published letter is a thing of substance and effect in and of itself.

In this day of digital, everything we sometimes forget about the power of the printed word to reach out where glowing pixels never can, whether that’s on the news stands, the coffee table, the reviews of the papers on TV, or in the minds of the wider potential readership.

It isn’t old-fashioned to believe in the power of print, especially when you have something important to say, and in this time of turmoil and hysteria how much more valuable are the collected and edited (curated, some would say) thoughts of the general polity?

One day, someone will be looking back on these historic times. Will they be searching only the digital archives? Will such things even persist? We don’t know. But newspapers are history, being written in front of our eyes, and a lucky few get to help with that task. Even in so small a way as getting a couple of column inches for a simple letter.

Sometimes all that is required to (as Billy says) “change the world” is for the ordinary people to take part. Because when there are enough of us acting in concert we cannot be ignored.

Stewart Robinson
Musselburgh