THE striking parallel between the asylum seekers who wish to come to the UK and the Scots who wish to leave the UK is this: asylum seekers may apply for asylum in the UK but there is no legal route to the UK where they can apply for asylum and no way to apply outside the UK unless they fall within a very narrow band of identities. This is an affront to the norms of international law, which indicates the protectionist and narrow view of “Global” Britain.

The Scots may leave the UK, however they may not seek to ask themselves whether the democratic majority exists to do so. We require permission from a UK Parliament which at present will not set up the framework required. There is apparently no other “legal” way for the Scots to determine their own governance.

We are therefore a “colony” where the writ of the UK will always trump the decisions of the devolved Parliament, where the resources of Scotland are siphoned out to the UK exchequer and provision made to fund Scotland at a level that the Scots cannot decide.

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The great risk that hangs over this situation is that the UK Parliament decides the Scotland Act (1998) is no longer required, and the legislation is then repealed by a majority Unionist Parliament – perhaps then legislating for a Unitary State.

The legislative progress, step by legal step, towards government by diktat and a complete erosion of rights would suggest that the suppression of the devolved governments would be a logical result.

David Neilson

Dumfries

I have to agree with the letter from Jim Taylor condemning the lack of leadership from the SNP on the independence campaign. It does seem as if the SNP are focused on demand management – trying to limit the indy movement to expect a loss rather than winning our freedom – with the hope that SNP politicians don’t get the blame and can continue in their cosy political sinecures!

Stewart McDonald is a key example of this. He’s went down to Westminster not to settle up but to settle down. Instead of leadership from the likes of McDonald Stewart McDonald has gone not to settle up, but settle down. I would just hope they would show support for independence. You have to ask what good are the SNP MPs doing in Westminster? They’re merely playing the Westminster game, filling up useless committees and going down the route of Pete Wishart and his comfy slippers – a job for life for him and a life of hell for his constituents! Maybe it’s time the SNP put a time limit on their MPs – give them one or two terms maximum and if they haven’t advanced the independence cause (which they haven’t since 2015) they should be replaced by new candidates knowing that the clock is ticking, otherwise we end up with Westminster timeservers like Wishart and McDonald.

That’s why so many supporters of independence are prepared to act without the SNP – the party is letting themselves and their members down.

Brian Watson

Renfrew

If the SNP decide to use the next UK General Election as a de facto referendum, they should put their political differences with other pro independence parties aside and stand as one party. The partiesThey could use a temporary name such as Coalition For Scottish Independence. Standing as one party would reduce any wasted votes. This would make it obvious to the world (but maybe not the Unionists) what the votes were about, no confusion.

Ian MacTaggart

Ayr

I share Rhodri Griffiths’s disappointment at the unworthy letter sent by Cliff Purvis in which he attacks the former first minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond. If this factionalism and these bitter divisions persist, the independence movement will surely fail, and deservedly so.

Salmond himself has shown a willingness to work with people who, in the opinion of many others, have greatly wronged him, and has looked instead to the present and to the future.

When interviewed yesterday recently by Bernard Ponsonby (shown in part on STV and in full on the Alba website) he demonstrated a clarity of vision, a wealth of political experience and wisdom, and, perhaps most importantly, a positive and cheerful dynamism.

It would be a tragedy if he and others in the wider independence movement were not to be included in all future strategies.

So what if he criticises the Scottish Government? After all, we live in a democracy.

E Hamilton

Glasgow

Surely the SNP are not going to drag us down another constitutional cul-de-sac by implementing a de facto referendum in conjunction with the UK General Election in 2024?

To ascertain the strength of support for independence within Scotland, the current Scottish Parliament should be dissolved in June 2023, prior to the summer recess (July 1 to August 27) and an election arranged to take place in September.

This will display the willingness of our independence-supporting MSPs to take serious action as far as the campaign is concerned and, at the same time, ensure that all the electorate in Scotland can contribute. We will then have an accurate number of constituents showing their desire to achieve the goal of taking our country out of the despicable control of Westminster.

Sandy Coghill

Sligachan, Isle of Skye