IN Holyrood last week we heard the profound words of the First Minister: “We must not sleepwalk into an emergency that for both health and business will be much greater as a result of inaction than it will be if we act firmly and strongly now.” And to think she could have avoided sleepwalking into this emergency long before Covid appeared on the horizon to pose such a threat to our way of life, when she had multiple mandates for independence.

Why is it possible for Denmark using its own krone, New Zealand its “kiwi dollar” and Costa Rica its colon to cope with the same vicissitudes of a pandemic yet Nicola Sturgeon must go cap in hand to HM Treasury? Oh of course, they’re independent countries. And all the while her supplication, Oliver Twist-style, illustrates there’s no better example of the bankruptcy of Andrew Wilson’s Sustainable Growth Commission and sterlingisation. Oh how Ian Blackford’s pantomime audience in the Commons must love all this – oh yes they will.

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Enough of supplication. Enough of reasonableness for when we emerge from the current crisis. It truly will be into a different world, if not a new Stone Age. We need to be biased in our own collective self-interest and our pursuit of independence and these past few weeks have demonstrated like nothing in the previous 18 months that the Rule Britannia brigade have nothing but contempt for their British neighbours in the north. Can there be any clearer evidence that Scotland’s leaders are fiddling while Scotland burns in the face of an ever malignant and venal Westminster operation?

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The Scottish Government have been preoccupied by a pandemic which appeared on the world horizon a mere two years or so ago. Such a pity we’ve been constitutionally comatose since that fateful day in September 2014 and are now finding multiple flocks of chickens coming home to roost. There can be no better illustration that Ms Sturgeon’s peculiarly exceptionalist idea of a Section 30 agreement which, despite its gold-standard credentials, must be confined to history. Interesting, isn’t it, that no other country in the history of independence movements has felt the need for such a gold standard? Surely it’s clear for all to see that the First Minister is in grave danger of sleepwalking into the land of diminishing returns by continually blaming Westminster because of her torpor and her great mandate profligacy.

Iain Bruce
Nairn

I AM in total agreement with James Cassidy of Trade Unionists for Independence (Long Letter, Dec 13), though not a member of his organisation. I thank him for supplying me with the knowledge about the decision of the Communication Workers Union, which I was not aware of.

In 2014, I was angry at the decision of opposition to independence by some unions without consulting their membership. I was in the retired members branch of Unite at the time (and at 80 I still am, though at present it meets only by Zoom – which I don’t have). Incidentally, prior to Covid and lockdown one of our meetings voted overwhelming at a large attendance to support a referendum.

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In 2014, Unite to its credit took a neutral position on the question of independence. At every members’ meeting organised by Unite in Glasgow (one having 500 attendees) I argued for independence from the floor. Can I say with much modesty that at the one of 500 the invited speaker for No, who was Anas Sarwar, came over, shook my hand and said: “Although I am not in agreement with you, you put your case very well.”

James is absolutely correct, trade unions and their positions on the democratic right to a referendum or support for independence after consultation with their members will be a crucial element of the next Yes campaign.

Bobby Brennan
Glasgow