I READ Tuesday’s letters page, and have to agree with regular contributor, the one and only Winifred McCartney.

We are all sick to the back teeth of these “so-called Scots” as she rightly calls them, doing their utmost to ensure their own land never prospers as they are so far up the English establishment’s behind that it’s embarrassing.

I would just like to put something to all the readers, if I may.

Could you ever imagine, for one moment, the good folk of England – and they are good folk – putting up with their TV and radio stations and their newspapers all being owned by Scots and bombarding them day in, day out, with misinformation telling them they are better off with Scotland ruling their lives. That despite England having absolutely huge natural resources, and Scotland being trillions in debt, that they couldn’t possibly afford to take control of their own affairs, and to please stop complaining that all their streets, schools, hospitals, museums and even their paddle steamers are all named after Scottish monarchs?

Can you imagine the people of England being told to sit down and shut up and to stop complaining that they are being completely ignored as whoever they vote for is completely irrelevant, as it’s whoever gets voted in by the Scottish public who will be making the decisions that affect their daily lives?

Being told to please stop whingeing about Scotland lavishing billions on vanity projects that do not benefit the English people at all, but they still have to help pay for it. To haud their wheesht about being dragged out of Europe against their will. To shut up about the Scots storing huge arsenals of nuclear weapons in England as the Scots deem them far too dangerous to be in Scotland. To stop moaning continuously that the Scots have told them it will be another 40 years before they can get a vote on going it alone, as the Scots have worked out 40 years is just about long enough to drain England of its huge oil resources, to set up huge underground water pipes to supply Scotland with unlimited fresh water, to empty their fishing stocks, to get the world to think that English whisky, beef, tartans and tweeds are all Scottish thanks to them stamping a Saltire on absolutely everything that is exported?

No, I didn’t think so.

Iain K

Dunoon

IN the Sunday National, Judith Duffy explores views on EU relations with a Scotland aspiring to independence (“Brexit clause exposes ‘nervousness’ of UK towards Scots independence”, January 3). The Long Letter by David Neilson on January 6 considers why London cannot veto a referendum. But what is the basis for EU influence?

The Brexit agreement apparently has a clause indicating that the UK Government must be consulted prior to EU enlargement. Is this simply another flaw that equates the UK with England? When Scotland becomes independent does the UK exist? Which kingdoms would it unite?

A theme, repeated by Professor Ker-Lindsay, is that only a constitutionally legal route to independence will satisfy EU entry criteria. A quick canter through the history of EU states shows that the norm is not to achieve new constitutions through referenda granted by neighbouring countries. Germany East and West were united by mass migration, elections rather than referendums and governments responding to the will of the people. Unilateral declarations of independence were made by Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Croatia, Estonia and Finland. For many such EU states, their current constitution has existed less than 30 years. If Scotland is to take its independence there must be challenges to those external bodies which believe they may dictate whether or how the Scots can exercise their democratic rights.

George Gourlay

Falkirk

WHAT a great letter from David Neilson, a real breath of fresh air. His Long Letter (and the picture of Dex the super-cute Westie) lit up my day with a magic beam of sunlight.

It was refreshing to read such a clear explanation of why Scotland does not need to cower or beg to be released from a voluntary union which has been adulterated by the other party since it was created.

It’s important to remember that our right to withdraw has been driven by that partner’s lies and disregard for our interests. We are not a province of England and we must no longer accept that our nation be tolerated and patronised rather than celebrated. The fact that the UK did not seek the permission of Brussels to hold a referendum or trigger Article 50 for Brexit may indeed have set a precedent for Scotland to act on existing mandates.

David gives the independence movement the perfect line and urges us to be courageous as we seek “recognition by all other nations in the world, including England, that Scotland is their equal”. These are the words we need to use to promote indyref2. They reflect a strong, assertive and positive nation.

Thank you David for this eloquent piece and I hope that my summary has not done it an injustice.

Noirin Blackie

Haddington