THE Scottish Government either has a mandate to hold a fresh independence referendum or it does not (Convention to look at how to bridge the gap to indy, The National, September 22).

The First Minister’s recent remarks are so incoherent as to be almost meaningless, but taken at face value, they are a statement that this government may never hold a referendum: “Previously, rightly or wrongly, I was of the view we should decide now, that at this point of time, give or take, depending on exactly when it [Brexit] became clear, we should do this. I am now saying, OK, people are not ready to decide now that we will do that, so we have to come back to that and decide, when things are clearer, whether we want to do it and what timescale we want to do it in.”

The whole morality of a mandate is that it is an instruction given by the electorate and accepted by the government which it has voted into power. If the decision (as distinct from details of timing, procedure etc) is left to the government, that is not a mandate.

If the Scottish Government itself now claims that it is under no obligation to hold a referendum, that is tantamount to denying its own mandate. Not only is this a betrayal of the electorate, but it is also a foolish hostage to fortune, because it gives Westminster a rational excuse to withhold consent by simply retorting “By what right?”

Nicola Sturgeon is fond of saying that the decision is for the people. If the people have given her government a mandate, she is under a duty to carry it out.
Alan Crocket
Motherwell

HOW disappointing that it looks like we are going to have to taste the harsh failure of Brexit before we can gain the independence that would free us from it.

Deferring indyref2 until after the Holyrood 2021 elections appears no less than a confidence builder to hold a referendum.

Shouldn’t we rather make those 2021 elections principally about independence, with the SNP putting all their eggs in the independence basket; victory the only mandate we need to win self-determination for Scotland’s future?

Yes, it would be a bold move, but faint heart never won the day. And we could have a full and proper debate leading to the vote.

Let’s stop messing about. Give us real hope for our future and get the job done.
Jim Taylor
Edinburgh

I WAS amused by your front page: “Scotland has no voice at key Brexit meeting” with a picture of “Fluffy” Mundell (The National, September 22). Has this man ever actually spoken for Scotland? There is a possibility I suppose he may on rare occasions have squeaked for Scotland.

What is the point of this man at Cabinet meetings? No-one there is remotely interested in what he might squeak, mainly he is useful for fetching the coffee.

Scotland sadly has placed itself in the position of being a footstool for the English Government by voting no at the referendum and then sacking 25 Scottish MPs who actually did speak for Scotland. I really have to wonder at my fellow countrymen. Here at home we have a colonel, a gap-toothed open goal and God only knows who on the Labour benches squeaking against their country. I often wonder to myself, how can I possibly be a Scottish Nationalist.
R Mill Irving
East Lothian

COUNCILLOR K McLaren how right you are (Letters, The National, September 22). If there is anyone left anywhere who thinks Theresa May is capable of competently filling her post as Prime Minister her speech to the UN must surely have cemented her condition as delusional. Our First Minister has noted that it is impossible to make any human connection with May – it seems to follow that Mrs May is incapable of seeing herself as others see her. Each and every day she reinforces her own belief that the UK is a force to be reckoned with. If she set out to antagonise, offend and insult the other nations of the world (that she wants to trade with!) she could not improve on her current performance.

Scotland has a chance to leave the Westminster shambles behind but when to hold the next independence referendum?

If we wait until the full horror of Brexit unfolds we go forward on a negative. For everyone who says: “vote ‘yes’, it can’t get any worse” there will be another who votes no because “things are already bad enough”.

The reality is Scotland would be so much better making its own decisions so let’s approach the next independence referendum in a positive frame of mind because we really HAVE to win.
M Graham
Stenhousemuir

I WOULD like to take the opportunity to say thank you to Callum Baird and his gang of little helpers for the excellent job they continue to do for all of us in the independence movement.

To this I must add my support for the upcoming 10p price increase which you tell us will be along on Monday.

Apart from the fact that The National is the only paper in the whole of the UK which supports our point of view, even if you judge it only on the basis of its general content it is a bloody good read.

It is vitally important that you continue to survive and flourish and for that an extra sixty pence per week is a very small price to pay.
George M Mitchell
Sheriffmuir, Dunblane