YOUR article “SNP announce line-up for new commission on independence” (October 8) referred to the “lack of panic from senior Whitehall official over trend towards Scottish independence”, divulged to The Scotsman.

There are the usual soothing reasons given, but in all earnestness, Boris Johnson would not really care if Scotland gained its independence. Firstly, it would deprive Westminster of pesky Scots who have caused havoc with the Brexit bills and interfered with England’s entitlement. The few Scots Tories and other “Unionists” at Westminster would be no loss to the Union if they were not there. They have no value as lobby fodder any more, as English independence from the Union – the counterpoint to Scots independence – would hand the Conservatives, the English National Party, a majority in the Commons almost in perpetuity.

After all, according to a poll, the majority of English Conservatives would ditch the Union to gain Brexit. As Johnson does not want to spook the Conservatives in Scotland and cause “mass panic” in their diminished ranks, he will not comment yet on what conditions would “trigger” permission for a second independence referendum. He will simply announce it in true “Just Boris” fashion to get on with, this time once and for all, ridding Westminster of Scots MPs through an anonymous briefing via Dominic Cummings. No need for a referendum, England can simply leave the UK-Union with no deal!! There would only be a few “bumps in the road” to encounter, assures Gove!

At a stroke, the present angst-ridden “English Problem” would be resolved by themselves.

His new slogan will sound like “Let’s get on with Scexit!” so that England can get its sovereignty and its rightful party back.

John Edgar
Kilmaurs

ANDREW Wilson’s advice to the SNP’s new Social Justice Commission (October 10) is flawed from the beginning. He supports the idea that “the new body will build on the extensive work of the Sustainable Growth Commission and deliver a route map to the real prize of independence – a truly rich society with wellbeing at its heart”.

This will be impossible if using the banker’s charter that is the Sustainable Growth Commission as its starting point. Scotland must have its own currency from day one of independence.

Only a constitutional currency, issued by the state in the form of infrastructure creation and not by the private banks in the form of debt, will achieve that prize.

For too long, the rapacious banking industry has dictated policy. The day of independence is the only time we will have to bring the banking industry to heel to serve all of society, not just the wealthy. It is a crucial opportunity that must not be missed.

Tony Perridge
Inverness

SOME rather startling figures were bandied about in the Holyrood Parliament on Thursday by Housing Minister Kevin Stewart: 7,000 EU citizens employed in the construction industry in 2017, 60% of materials secured by private housebuilders imported from the EU. Those figures will change if Boris Johnson takes us to a No-Deal Brexit – very alarming indeed !

The building supply chain along with the construction industry at large may well fall off the cliff-edge. The UK Government’s immigration policy post-Brexit allows for no free movement or security for EU citizens already resident in Scotland. The consequences will be harsh to the Scottish economy and as those figures reveal, there will be a massive impact on housing stocks.

This week is Challenge Poverty Week and housing in a key component in tackling poverty, as anyone in unsuitable housing will attest. The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government has the ambitious target of building 35,000 social rented homes in this parliament, a figure that may well be put in jeopardy as a result of Brexit.

For those in much need of social housing, those on housing waiting lists, this could be yet another tragedy of Brexit.

Catriona C Clark
Falkirk

MORE fake news from Mr Gove (Gove accuses Scottish Government of undermining Brexit to “smash up Britain”, October 11). He was compliant in the lie that promised Scotland’s place in the EU if they voted No in 2014 and then in the lies told in 2016 to label EU bad. The lies are still being slipped into speeches like this week when at the dispatch box he slipped in “we must leave October 31 to cease paying all this money to the EU”. No mention of the benefits of membership or an apology for the £350million a week lie.

It may be a nice thought to break up Britain, but unfortunately it is only a geographical entity so let’s go for breaking up the United Kingdom soon.

Mike Underwood
Linlithgow

GOVE and his fellow British nationalist extremists are responsible for the destruction of their so-called United Kingdom. He’s a pathetic little person who deserves to be mocked at every opportunity.

Douglas Raine
via thenational.scot