WHAT do Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Stephen Noon, Humza Yousaf, Pete Wishart have in common? Not a lot is the easy answer.

But the first two are disrupters – a person or thing that interrupts an event, activity, or process that cause disturbance or a problem; a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation.

In biology, it is a thing that interferes with or significantly alters the structure or function of a biological molecule – there are several drugs which show promise as DNA disrupters in cancer cells.

Noon, Yousaf and Wishart are continuity, steady-as-you-go people, as we know – not the type of leadership needed for our country’s independence.

The year 2014 was a great one for those of us aspiring to be disrupters and live the indy dream. We had hope, we had optimism. Yet nearly 10 years later that’s all gone due to the unfortunate ascendency of the continuity people and their don’t-rock-the-boat approach.

No more, I say, they had their chance.

With support for Yes outstripping that for the SNP, we need to find disrupters who can be the focus for the radical change we so desperately need.

More devolution won’t fix our ferry problem. Scotland’s population is currently 5,463,300, Norway’s is 5,408,000. We’re comparable middle-sized nations. Norway has 180 ferries on 112 ferry routes along its 17,991-mile coastline which equates to one ferry per 30,044 head of population. In our case, we have 58 ferries – one for every 94,195 people.

More devolution won’t give Scotland a road network that serves the needs of our country north of Perth. What has Holyrood got to show on that subject for the past 16 years of the Scottish Government?

Recent bad weather closed the A83 again. Resting and being thankful seems terribly ironic for the long-suffering folk of southern Argyll. It’s estimated 1.3 million vehicles travel the route every year and it acts as an important transport link for mainland Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides. Maybe help is at hand through Transport Scotland. A 0.9-mile (1.4km) debris flow shelter has been chosen ahead of four other design options and might cost between £405-470 million. In comparison, more than 900 tunnels form the backbone of Norway’s road network. OK, so it does happen to have a $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund.

We need independence to enable us to make the investments we need, not more devolution. To achieve that we need to disrupt the system not play footsie with it. Yes, we can all agree that the cost of living crisis, the NHS and the economy are current preoccupations but independence from the failing state that is the UK is the real answer to improving our citizens’ lot and the future of our kids.

Disrupters willing to abandon Westminster’s green benches, return to Edinburgh to convene a constitutional convention that will draft a new constitution to be approved by a referendum of the sovereign Scottish people – that’s what might make a difference. More devolution certainly won’t.

Iain Bruce

Nairn

I RECENTLY had occasion to travel on the Edinburgh trams, only to find that my Scottish Government fogey pass did not work as it had not been issued by a Lothians council.

Since the Scottish Government provided most of the cash to build the system, should pass holders, no matter where the pass was issued, be allowed to use the trams on an equal basis or failing this should holders of Lothians-issued passes be debarred from using their passes on any service which operates outside the Lothians?

M Ross

Aviemore