AS someone who is very much a fan of the EU and independence (and an SNP voter), I write to express my frustration that many in the Yes movement, particularly SNP politicians, continually conflate independence with EU membership. This gives the impression not only that somehow you can’t have one without the other, but also that in the event of a Yes vote, the future will be decided by the SNP – as if it will be some kind of one-party state.

I believe that this contributes to the view that it is the SNP against the rest and this is a big reason why the polls refuse to move more in our direction. It also gives free ammunition to our opponents. When you insist that this or that will happen after independence, you leave the door open to the No campaign to indulge in their own hypotheticals, which will be one nightmare scenario after another. Supporters of all parties and none must be reached out to and made to understand that their voice will be heard. An independent Scotland must be for everyone, regardless of which way they voted, and not a case of “to the victor the spoils”.

The referendum should be fought on the democratic principle of self-determination, and the nation’s right to choose it’s own path according to the wishes of all those living in Scotland. Of course use Brexit, austerity etc as examples of where Scotland has been failed by the Westminster system, and of course give your opinion on the big issues, but don’t allow the No camp to make it a party-political contest as they did in 2014 – and surely will try to do again.

Individual policies (even big ones like currency, the EU, the UK etc) must not be seen as having been decided in advance by the SNP. There needs to be a genuine “National Conversation” about independence in order to know what kind of Scotland our people want to live in. The problem is that it is impossible to have this conversation prior to a Yes vote as the Tories, Labour and the Liberals will quite understandably refuse to discuss an independent Scotland because they don’t want it to happen.

You can’t have a conversation when only one side takes part – that’s called talking to yourself. It will only be after the referendum, in the event of a Yes vote, that these parties will have to confront the new reality. They will have to form themselves into Scottish parties, decide on a name, and formulate their positions on EU membership, currency, the relationship with the UK, what to do about nuclear weapons etc.

It’s at this stage that the conversation can take place, and all sides would have to work together, eg to collaborate on the wording of the constitution. The rebirth of the nation is far too important to be the property of one party. I believe that the position of the SNP prior to the referendum should be that if there is a Yes vote, then they would immediately establish some kind of associate membership of the EU which would restart free trade and free movement, thereby stopping the bleeding of the worst effects of Brexit.

My understanding (and please correct me if I’m wrong) is that as we would not be in the EU customs union at this stage our trade with the UK would be unaffected. Beyond this, we would see what the reality of Brexit is, eg have the UK stuck to their rock-hard Brexit or has the position moved.

We can’t pretend that the UK’s choices don’t affect us and there is no way of telling at this stage what their position will be. It may be that many in Scotland will think that full EU membership may be too costly in terms of UK trade and that EFTA membership might be better, or indeed some other arrangement. Tell the people that the final relationship with the EU and the UK will be decided by them. After all, we were taken out of the EU and the UK on a referendum, so our future partnerships should be decided by one also.

They will also decide when to adopt a new currency and what it will be. When the accusations come that this is a cop out, the simple answer is no, it’s about letting the Scottish people decide their own future. It’s called democracy.

Once all the major foundation issues are settled with input from all parties and others with an interest, including of course the electorate through referenda, then party political squabbling can start again. I believe that this kind of message will give voters of other parties the confidence to believe that they can vote Yes without installing the SNP as the eternal government, or that the SNP will shape the future in whatever way they want.

Please, let’s get the big stuff right from the start, create a country we can all call “home”, and don’t make those that voted the other way feel that they are excluded from the political process going forward. Don’t alienate No voters, or those who are pro-indy but anti-EU. We need as many as possible to buy into our future together.

We will need national unity from day one, not division.

A Easton

Cumbernauld