ANDY Anderson (“Unionists cannot beat us but infighting still could”, Letters, December 2) makes a number of very good points about where we, the movement, both within the SNP membership and the wider Yes community, are right now on “the currency issue” and its way ahead of the Party leadership.

Can anyone forget the point, in front of millions of watchers, when Alasdair Darling told Alex Salmond, “no you cannot share the pound Sterling”?

Alex was like a man punched to the ground and hitting the ropes on the way down.

Do we seriously think it will be any different a response from Westminster for the 2023 referendum?

The referendum, in 2014, was lost at that moment in my opinion.

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Voters are not stupid, certainly not the highly politicised Scottish voters, and even the dogs on the street new that sharing Sterling was unlikely, Alasdair Darling simply confirmed their suspicions and no number of “Charlotte Square” bankers and investors, those who are thought to be behind the “Sterlingisation Proposal”, could save the cause by that stage.

Like Andy, in all honesty, I could not contemplate myself canvassing on the streets if the party leadership continue to ignore the strong views, as expressed at conference, of having our own Central Bank, Treasury and currency on or within short weeks of independence day.

Independence, if it is to mean anything at all, requires a re-imagining of Scotland, a re-imagining that can only be achieved with both political and importantly financial independence. To suggest otherwise, as the SNP Growth Commission does, is just wrong.

Thankfully last weekend’s SNP conference backed the creation of a Central Bank and Treasury function to enable the issuance of our own Scottish currency.

It is only by creating the financial institutions of State, like any other country, that we can make the changes we all want to see in an independent Scotland.

Of course, Scotland would use Sterling, the day after the vote, and for a very short period as the details of independence negotiations continued, but no longer.

On independence day we need to have our own Central Bank, Treasury, and currency.

It’s not just about changing the flag Dr Tim Rideout is to be congratulated for achieving the over whelming support, across the membership, for the motion at conference.

The Party leadership now need to catch up with the membership, ditch the suicidal Growth Commission, and develop detailed plans for our own currency, a currency that will be critical to developing our economy and to strengthening our ability to deliver the services and consequently standards of living that we all want, based on our common values, just like any other country in the world.

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It’s not that difficult!

Let’s hear it, then, from our First Minister.

Ian Stewart

Uig, Isle of Skye

I WELL remember prolonged electrical power outages due to gale force winds around 15 years ago when a large proportion was due to fallen trees that were too close to overhead power lines. Another large proportion was due to lack of maintenance and neglect of repairs to known defects. Obviously no lessons were learned.

Why is the focus on condemning politicians when the network is privatised? We had one of the best and most integrated electrical networks in the world when along came Mrs Thatcher and her cronies and sold electricity generation and distribution into private hands. Hands that are more interested in giving good returns to their investors rather than a satisfactory service to their customers. The blame lies with the privateers!

H Farrell

Ayr