I WAS rather saddened to read Douglas Turner’s description of Julia Pannell’s recent letter as a “rant”. Whilst I quite often do not agree with her views myself, I still would rather that she felt free to express them without criticism.

Surely everyone who reads The National and/or writes to its pages has one goal in common – independence? How we each came to our views quite naturally varies and, before we persuade some to change their views, we must first understand what they believe and why, not try to shut them up.

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It should be no surprise that Ms Pannell supports “Leave”, as do many other independence supporters, for over many years we have been fed a diet of “it’s the EU’s fault, we can’t do anything about it” from Westminster, whenever they wanted to implement something they thought would be unpopular. I have personally just recently come across some folk who still believe that the EU wanted bananas to be straight, unaware that this was fake news devised by Boris Johnson for an article with an anti-EU slant.

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Fortunately, some of us have personal experience of the benefits of the EU for Scotland. Some of my extended family and friends have benefitted from improved infrastructure, such as single-track roads now two-lane through joint EU/Holyrood funding, grants for specific projects, improvements in their work conditions, new health treatments from research etc, all substantially funded by the EU.

Add, too, obvious things like the freedom to visit, live, study, work or even retire at will throughout the EU, the removal of duty-free limits, the EHIC card which helps to reduce travel insurance costs, cancellation of mobile roaming charges and the need for visas, etc.

Do folk know that when David Mundell last spoke to Scottish fishermen in Peterhead, he did so in a new fish market substantially funded by the EU? I am certain that for most of the years of our membership we have had any disadvantages highlighted, with no mention of the benefits.

It is therefore, in my view, quite wrong to denigrate someone who may not have had the opportunity to become aware of all the benefits. Instead, we should listen and respect other views, while trying to redress the balance, so that where possible we may change minds.

I would rather hear or read Ms Pannell’s reasons for her views than criticise her for holding them. I think this would constitute positive campaigning.

P Davidson
Falkirk

PLEASE, Charlie Kerr and your like (Letters, July 27), stop doing the Unionists’ job for them. What they most want is a split in the Yes movement. Constant splits in the left have meant that we have never had a socialist government; that must not happen to the independence movement.

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The SNP is not perfect and Nicola Sturgeon is not the messiah. But they are our only hope, constitutionally speaking. Remember that we do not as yet have a majority for Yes, and the only way that is going to happen is if we hold our nerve, hang together, stop squabbling and campaign for it.

However much you, or I, want independence, we will not get it until the sovereign people of Scotland vote for it. The SNP knows that and has the extremely difficult task of getting the moment exactly right: not too soon so that we lose; not too late so that Westminster has closed down Holyrood. Just be grateful that you don’t have to make that call.

Max Marnau
Selkirk

I HAVE really only one thing to say to Mr Henderson, Dr Donaldson and Prof Perry (The Long Letter, July 29), who have written in your Long Letter column yesterday. The very reasons they all wish Dr Elizabeth Ford to be able to stay in her adopted country, where she contributes so much, while increasing the population as we are told we must do, are the very reasons the Home Office wishes to deport her.

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As with so many others before her, she ensures that Scotland is shown NOT to be too wee, too poor and too stupid to run its own affairs.

With the well-known Westminster history of using any dirty tricks they can to undermine Scotland and our case for independence, are these deportations really just a conspiracy, born out of fear?

L McGregor
Falkirk

I WAS horrified to read the article in Sunday’s National on the licences granted by Scottish National Heritage for the culling of our small birds, including robins, chaffinches etc (Government wildlife agency licensed the killing of 130,000 wild animals, July 28). Can anyone please tell me what damage they cause?

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These birds were plentiful in the 70s and 80s. Nowadays we hardly see them. I have written to my MP about this and would ask that anyone else concerned do the same.

Edith Davidson
Via email