JEREMY Corbyn says that “Labour would not countenance a deal that left Britain as a passive recipient of rules decided elsewhere by others. That would mean ending up as mere rule-takers” (Jeremy Corbyn backs customs union after Brexit, thenational.scot, February 26).

Obviously it has never crossed his London-centric mind that this is a near perfect description of the position over the Brexit discussions being held in London by members of the English Parliament oblivious to the devolved parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the so-called other equal partners in this precious union.

John S Jamieson
South Queensferry

SO, how is this single-country customs union going to get off the ground? So far as I know, a customs union does not exist by itself. It is a part of the EU’s constitution. It’s not like EFTA, as that is solely a “free trade” small group of countries and not a customs union.

There are a few countries outwith the European Union that operate a customs union within the EU. These are Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey, and the Isle of Man. A few other countries, also not in the the EU, have a very limited access to the EU: Andorra, San Marino, and Turkey. Will a UK Westminster government under Jeremy Corbyn take on a mantle like that of the Channel Islands then? Alan Magnus-Bennett Fife I ENJOYED George Kerevan’s article (When indyref comes we need to be ready, The National, February 26), especially his reporting of the grassroots activity to achieve a win this time.

I agree that “the currency question” must be addressed before we can put forward a convincing case for Scottish independence but in order to “create a Scottish currency that gives us control over our wayward bankers, underpins the value of people’s savings and gives the Scottish Government control over the economy”, in my opinion, and those of the million or so of us who voted to leave the EU, this is not possible if we remain a member of that organisation.

This question must be dealt with by pro-EU independence supporters. We are not “headbangers” as Alan Hinnrichs claims (Letters, February 25), but independence supporters who cannot accept the economic and political choices made by EU leaders. I urge the grassroots movement working towards an independent Scotland to provide answers to our criticisms of the EU. Sadly, unless and until this problem has been solved, I don’t think another indyref will be successful.

Lovina Roe
Perth

THE letter from Frank Rodgers is a disgrace (Letters, February 26). I am surprised The National found space to publish his conspiracy-theory nonsense.

His letter praising Assad and Putin comes as the ceasefire in eastern Ghouta looks like it has collapsed. As Mr Rodgers tells us to look beyond the propaganda, it appears he is unwilling to dig any deeper than the press releases coming from Moscow.

Before the ceasefire in Eastern Goutta was agreed, more than 500 people died because of Assad’s barrel bombs. Many of the raids targeted medical buildings. Children starved, unable to get food. Doctors are overwhelmed.

This isn’t just coming from the mainstream media, it’s coming from every news organisation in the world, from charities and NGOs on the ground. The only place you won’t find these facts is on Sputnik.

Every time Mr Rodgers tells us to ignore the Western propaganda he is helping us ignore the death of innocents. Never forget that the Syrian conflict started as an internal uprising against a dictator. Then Russia got involved and it is now Moscow’s biggest foreign military adventure since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Putin’s chosen his side, and he can’t countenance losing.

Jamie Mackie
Glasgow

YES it’s a rosy time (pardon the pun) for us Scotland fans, and Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) must keep this going and not sit back and just rake in the cash. Invest in infrastructure and grass roots, because teams like Georgia, Russia, Germany, Spain and Canada are catching up fast.

We have punched above our weight for years, as not a lot of people play rugby in Scotland – approx 39,000 compared to our neighbours England who have nearly 2,000,000 registered players of the game. England Rugby are getting richer, if not the richest in the world, and can do things Scotland can only dream of, so now is the time to attract more to our game.

More academies, introduce to EVERY school (mandatory) and the SRU to fund and monitor. Long gone are the days that private schools feed the national team, because if we keep going on this road we’re doomed.

Yes, let’s enjoy it while we can. We’ve seen enough poor performances for years, so a massive well done on Saturday’s historic result. How far can this team go? If it can beat three out of the top four in a year, to the top!

Iain McEwan
Troon

I RECENTLY found an old top hat in the loft and would be happy to contribute it to the “Campaign for trying to make sense of the Government’s Brexit Plans” if any of your readers could possibly donate a rabbit.

Richard Easson
Dornoch