CONCERNED to read in Friday’s issue that our solution to the post-indy border issue might be based on the First Minister’s statement that she would “sign up to a protocol agreement in a heartbeat” (Protocol could solve post-indy Border issue, June 24).

Under the Northern Ireland Protocol the reason that no border checks are required on the land border in Ireland is because these checks are completed in the Irish Sea, creating the conflict currently within Stormont politics.

So if the protocol is to be suggested, and agreed in the First Minister’s heartbeat, where exactly would the Irish Sea border checks take place? Do we assume in the North Sea perhaps?

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon would accept Northern Ireland Protocol equivalent 'in a heartbeat'

Of course, the other even larger barrier is the second part of the First Minister’s statement: “if it was offered...”

Please please please let us have a better answer to the border question. Let’s not make the same mistake as last time when we based our answer to currency on a “currency union” which Westminster did not agree to ... and didn’t need to agree to.

There is absolutely no reason to assume that the split with the Union and the campaign dialogue will be anything other than “challenging”... and that might be the understatement of the decade.

Why on earth would we assume for a single second that such a solution would ever be offered? Even assuming that a solution to the Irish Sea “border checks” could be found.

I fear those who argued that “trusted trader” schemes could never work to overcome the Irish border question have created the same conundrum for what happens when Scotland rejoins the single market, before rUK comes to its senses and eventually does the same. We desperately need a much better answer before we start convincing the unbelievers and before we see the blank faces during TV question sessions.

Gus McSkimming
North Ayrshire

REGARDING Robbie Mochrie’s currency question (The currency question answered in just 40 words, June 25). If an independent Scotland is expected to shoulder a share of the UK debt, then surely we will receive our share of the UK assets.

In 2018 UK assets were valued at around £10 TRILLION.

Scotland’s share of that could be around £800-plus BILLION.

Not a bad kickstart for a Scottish currency!

Roy Linton
Aberdeenshire

EXACTLY what does Glenn Stuart (Website Comments, June 24) hope to achieve by accusing Alex Salmond of demagoguery? Snide and unfounded remarks of this nature do nothing to encourage cooperation between independence-seeking parties.

I adhere to the old maxim, “If you have nothing good to say of a person, then say nothing”. Perhaps Mr Stuart might consider adopting this maxim in order to carry forward our joint ideals without rancour.

Tony Perridge
Inverness

IT didn’t take long for the UK Government to organise its response to Mick Lynch and have the BBC issue an invitation for him to appear as a guest on Thursday’s Question Time – the modern equivalent of the Inquisition.

Thursday’s programme was micro-managed by Fiona Bruce to a script that appeared to include prearranged contributions from audience members that had been specifically linked to the guests.

READ MORE: BBC platform arch-Unionist with 'axe to grind' without revealing affiliations

Perhaps it is the current reticence of government ministers to appear before TV cameras that allowed Mick Lynch and Ben Habib to swat aside the now standard government responses from junior Home Office minister Rachel Maclean MP.

However, Mick Lynch has already shown that he can deal with higher-ranking ministers and once again showed complete mastery of his subject in spite of numerous disrupting interventions by the chair.

It had its lighter moments, such as when Mick Lynch showed that he knew more than Rachel Maclean about the National Rail letter she produced to back up her incorrect claim of a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, and when a gentleman in a black-and-white checked shirt put his killer “what would you do?” question to Ben Habib without realising that the programme had moved on from the RMT discussion to a new totally unrelated question.

What was probably the first government-initiated attempt to throw Mick Lynch off track failed; with Boris Johnson’s jacket on a shoogly peg it is extremely unlikely that any high-ranking minister will come forward to engage with someone who knows his subject so well and passionately believes in the principle of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

John Jamieson
South Queensferry

I READ the piece by Steph Brawn in Saturday’s National “Bruce accused of attacking RMT’s Lynch on Question Time". Great piece Steph, well done.

I actually read it just after watching Global Questions, a programme on BBC World News hosted by Zeinab Badawi. The contrast with Question Time could not be more stark.

I know full well that the BBC often don’t get it right with their gaffe-prone bias presenters etc. I have to say though that in Global Questions they are spot on.

A really good host who clearly does the homework, intelligent and thought-provoking questions from the audience. Well-informed, qualified and articulate guests. The whole programme is a fascinating and informative watch. It is everything Question Time should be but isn’t.

Steph, I would love to read a piece by you comparing the two programmes.

Many thanks for a great newspaper.

Davie Robinson
Inverness