YOUR front-page headline (Release the secret file on Brexit damage to Scotland, The National, October 14) must be the ultimate nightmare for Ruth Davidson and the recently elected Conservative MPs for Scottish constituencies.

Either they are aware of the report’s findings, or they have been kept in the dark because the projected future is so dire that it cannot be revealed.

If they are unaware of the report’s findings perhaps it will eventually dawn on them that, as far as their leaders in London are concerned, they are nonentities who must forget about the wellbeing of their constituents and support the Conservative Party.

I would suggest that it is the duty of Ruth Davidson to make a statement in the Scottish Parliament about her involvement, if any, in the refusal by David Davis to publish the report’s findings.
Thomas L Inglis
Fintry

WITH our economy nosediving and the hard harsh reality that is Engexit (it is the will of the English electorate, not Scotland’s or Northern Ireland’s!), we now have the Tory Empire 2.0 fantasists looking to reintroduce a royal yacht (Mhairi Black slams ‘delusional’ Tory plan to build a free-trading yacht ‘Brexit-annia’, The National, October 13). Paid for, no doubt, by that savings made by the introduction and non-payment of Universal Credit to the desperate and needy.

I’m sure such a vessel will fill the proletariat and their hungry children if not with food then with pride in Greater Britain (read: England) and her overseas possessions! Not forgetting the North British “colony”.

I think that a far better idea would be to use our two no-aircraft carriers, which have very little chance of being planed and crewed by their full complement of personnel.

Rather than the 35 joint strike aircraft, which we rather embarrassingly can’t afford, we could install 35 members of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, AKA Battenberg-Windsor Dynasty on each them.

This would mean that the burden upkeep of these individuals would transfer from the general taxpayers to the MoD! As we well know, this government department is always looking at downsizing its operational ability, while still swaggering across the world stage. It’s highly feasible that within 10 years the MoD would have decommissioned/scrapped all royals, even those deemed “serviceable”. I for one think it’s a spiffing idea!
Sandy Allan
Newburgh, Ellon

WHAT a spiffing idea – the good ship “HM Brexitannia”. The possibilities are endless! For a start, how about the entertainment potential? Carry On Up The Empire, a blockbuster in waiting with a cast of hundreds.

Queen Theresa at the helm, Bojo, Foxy, Mundell and their pals in fancy uniforms strutting around the place, going into dark areas of the planet where only Franklin was wont to go. The soft power of the nation on display, so presumably it would be electrically powered, with, as a back-up for times when solar didn’t quite hack it, a set of strong healthy rowers culled from the willing hordes of lucky people rescued from dodgy employment contracts at below living wage rates with so much time on their hands.

On the deck, a choir of singing nuns, obtained from the masses of lucky people who had been saved from their worthwhile normal routine of talking to a government help line at 55p per minute, would help show the world that once again it could be saved by England. What’s not to like about it?
George M Mitchell
Sheriffmuir, Dunblane

GORDON MacIntyre-Kemp’s column indicates the need for the Scottish Government to take the initiative in maximising self-determination within the limited powers available under the existing pre-Brexit devolved settlement (Here’s three exciting ideas to build a better Scotland, The National, October 13).

Certainly, any move towards online voting must be at least as secure as the existing systems in terms of verifying voter identity etc. There is no reason to oppose newer technologies which are becoming more available.

Secure online polling would, in practice, offer greater participation. Physical access to polling stations and complicated identity checks are too easily used by governments whose interests lie in maintaining the status quo.

If there is to be a second independence referendum, or a second vote on Brexit, an online system can only assist in simplifying procedures and broadening the franchise and once set up, at hopefully a much reduced cost for all future elections.
Peter Gorrie
Edinburgh

SO, the UK Government won’t drop the VAT bill for the police and fire services in Scotland because they are national, not regional, bodies.

The UK Government says the Scottish Government was told the changes would mean ineligibility for VAT refunds, but does anyone see the logic behind this? Why should it make a difference to the question of VAT application?

In addition, we are constantly told by Unionist politicians, on one hand, that we are a region and not a nation, but on the other, they are refusing to refund £35 million of VAT a year because these services are national bodies! This is yet another example of our “equal partners” playing games with Scotland.
Dennis White
Blackwood, Lanark