HENRY McLeish is of course wise to encourage the 50 per cent yet to be convinced of the arguments in favour of Scotland determining its own future to think again (Trump & Brexit must provide wake-up call to progressives, The National, February 11). The five questions he poses are not only relevant but should be pivotal to anyone serious about their own progressive principles.

The question for those who have already concluded that the future of our country should not be determined by a government at Westminster that seeks to align the future of the UK with that of the United States, instead of Europe, is how do we convince that 50 per cent of the folly of sustaining the UK union in the face of daunting mainstream media support for a constitutional status quo that favours the rich and powerful over the poor and disadvantaged?

The latest figures available via Wikipedia indicate that The National, in spite of its remarkable success since its launch following the referendum on Scotland’s independence, still only represents around 1.5 per cent of the daily morning newspapers purchased in Scotland, while evening and Sunday newspapers alongside national television channels still overwhelmingly support the establishment view of a United Kingdom. The size of the challenge is evident for those who can find time to watch the BBC’s Daily Politics, a one-hour programme supposedly serving the whole of the UK, which appears to find another representative of Ukip (with a single MP) to invite on to the show almost every day yet rarely finds time to invite a representative of a party that has 56 times as many MPs.

One wonders just how bad things have to get under a Tory Prime Minister driven to ally herself with a clearly regressive US President before Labour Party supporters in Scotland wake up and realise that the only realistic prospect of achieving the prosperous but fair and compassionate society most desire is to support self-determination for Scotland’s people.

With true impartiality across the media, overall support for independence could perhaps be more accurately reflected in a figure of 67 per cent, which in turn would emphasise how poorly the general public in Scotland have been served by the media to date.

It is, however, up to all of us who already support independence to convince those who purport to objectively represent the views of the Scottish population in their programming and reporting to start rejecting the insidious aim of the “UK Establishment” to undermine the current Scottish Government and to cast doubt on the economic and social viability of a future independent Scotland in favour of seeking professional balance in the presentation of matters relating to the constitutional debate that at least recognises, if not endorses, the historic right of the people of Scotland to take back control of their country’s destiny.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

THE essay by Henry McLeish is a remarkable piece of work and is as close to offering his definitive position on independence so far. It is also remarkable in that once again it shows the complete inability to understand the position his Labour party finds itself in.

I would argue that the progressives are already on board the independence train. The third place Labour find themselves occupying at Holyrood and the most recent polling figures show Labour are fast becoming an irrelevance in Scottish politics. To the “delusional, now sadly occupying the top levels of the Conservative Party and Ukip” Mr McLeish should surely add the current crop of Labour MSPs who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Conservatives and are currently sheltering under the umbrella of Ms Dugdale’s dogged insistence of opposing independence.

If he wants Labour in Scotland to be an active player in breaking free from a UK where “a desperate Prime Minister struggling for any crumbs off the Trump table” seems bent on pushing a far-right agenda, he needs to convince Ms Dugdale et al to break free from an even weaker party south of the Border.

Stand up, Mr McLeish, and be the one to reverse the incredible decline of a once fine party. Who knows? Maybe after time many people across the country will forgive your party for propping up a Prime Minister who is “heading up a disunited and potentially disintegrating UK”.

Graeme Finnie, Balgillo

I AM not sure when Henry McLeish penned his five questions in San Antonio, Texas, but he seems to be unaware of Corbyn’s capitulation to Tory Brexit.

He needed to be more forthright. There is no escape not only from Tory-Ukip rule but also from UK Labour rule. Same difference! Corbyn supported Tory-Ukip Brexit in Parliament, Corbyn sees no need for any enhanced powers to Holyrood, and Labour voted against amendments to make consulting the devolved governments over Brexit a necessity! Tory or Westminster Labour makes no difference. Ukip has made vast inroads to Labour support down south. The results of the two by-elections in English constituencies will show how far current Labour under Corbyn has declined. Ergo, that answers questions 1, 2, 3 and 4.

McLeish simply needed to point out the collapse of Labour north of the Tweed, the inner collapse of its integrity and values south of the Tweed, and give Labourites the stark message or warning that they need to support Labour for Indy and vote Yes in indyref2.

John Edgar, Blackford

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I READ the short article (Brexit fear for farm funding, The National, February 10) which quoted Stirling University professor of economics David Bell, in which he emphasised the current concerns of the farming community.

The National:

Having previously lived in a crofting area, I was surprised, pre Brexit, that the majority of crofters were anti the European Union and intended voting to leave. These were the same people who, by a majority in the Scottish referendum, voted to stay in the UK on the basis that they thought they had the best of both worlds with UK and EU subsidies.

Where does this leave them now?

Hopefully they see the error of their ways and would now vote Yes to Scottish independence and remaining in the European Union.

It is well known that in the crofting communities, 55 per cent of lamb sales go to France alone, with additionally 60 per cent of crofters’ incomes as subsidies from the EU.

Could they seriously believe that, in a post-Brexit Britain, UK taxpayers will be happy to continue to subsidise them to produce cheap food for export to the benefit of consumers in France/Europe?

John Scobie, Edinburgh