FOR once, amazingly, I am in complete agreement with the Tories and their supporters. The result of the independence referendum in 2014 should have been, and should now be, respected. If that were the case, the question of independence would almost certainly have been settled for at least the fabled generation.

If David Cameron had immediately instituted proceedings in parliament for the act, promised in the famous Vow, to enshrine Holyrood in law, the result of the referendum could have been respected. If he had likewise passed the act, promised in the Vow, that turned Sewell from a Convention to a law, it could have been respected. If, above all, he had as promised guaranteed our membership of the EU, by passing a law that put responsibility for that choice in the hands of Holyrood for the future, it could have been respected. If Cameron had not immediately introduced English Votes for English Laws to a parliament which the Treaty of Union specifically decreed was no longer an English one, but a joint UK one, in which both nations had equal voice and equal respect, it could have been respected.

READ MORE: Unionists denying our indyref2 mandate may be doing us a favour

To Westminster, the Tories and other Unionists who whine that Scotland should respect that vote, I say, “you had your chance to dispose of the question for a generation or more and you have had plenty of time since 2014 to implement the Vow in full.”

So when will you HONOUR YOUR VOW?

L McGregor
Falkirk

I WAS disappointed to hear on the first post-election Radio 4 Any Questions show that the SNP guest who was scheduled to attend had cancelled. The show was being recorded in Essex and the presenter said something along the lines that after sleepless election nights he wasn’t surprised it wasn’t an appealing prospect for an SNP representative to travel south to take part.

At this rare moment when the UK as a whole has the Scottish political landscape on its radar, and national media shows with huge audiences are offering the SNP a platform, why would such a valuable opportunity be squandered? The very best SNP representatives must be present in the national media wherever possible to speak on behalf of the Scottish people who have elected them or, as in yesterday’s Any Questions show, MPs from other parties are free to proclaim on Scottish issues like indyref2 without challenge.

Kirsty H
Renfrewshire

I MOVED to Scotland three years ago when I could sense that England was beginning to change for the worst. I really feel for my family and friends that I have left behind now that an extremist right-wing government has been elected. I feel sorry for the Labour voters in the Midlands and the north-east in particular who have “lent” their votes to Johnson in the false hope that he will be their salvation in delivering their Brexit and “building the 40 hospitals for them” and investing in their areas.

It will be a miracle if he keeps to his promises – he hasn’t in the past. He just wanted a huge majority in the Commons to do whatever he likes. With the collapse of the Labour party under Corbyn’s leadership and the LibDems’ failure to make any inroads, the moderates have nowhere to turn. What a tragedy for them.

As a country Scotland must hasten our resolve to gain our independence and finish for good the failed Union.

Susan Rowberry
Duns

IT’S strange how you can come to hate perfectly ordinary words and phrases. “Once in a generation” must be the phrase most loathed by Yessers. It was rolled out again yesterday morning on the Sophy Ridge and Andrew Marr programmes. We can’t have another indyref apparently because we’ve already had one and we should respect the once-in-a-generation vote.

Be in no doubt, as Nicola would say, this ridiculous phrase will be hurled at us relentlessly in the months to come. Surely there is a straightforward response to this.

We have now in Scotland a new generation who weren’t old enough to vote in 2014 but certainly are now. As 11- and 12-years-olds in 2014 they were too young to vote but as 16- or 17-year-olds now, they do most definitely have the right to vote on the future of their country. Is this not the new generation apparently required?

We should furthermore explain to these new young voters that Boris Johnson intends to try to deprive them of their democratic right to decide their own future. We all know the result of telling a teenager that you will not allow them to do something or other, don’t we!

These young people, coming fresh to the fight, will swing the balance and help us regain Scotland’s independence. Any of you out there with a child, grandchild or friend who is one of this new generation, please tell them about the great power they wield and that Westminster is attempting to deprive them of it. They are the future of our sovereign people of Scotland.

We have now reached the post-election phase of “we won, so be quiet and know your place”. This will be enforced without fail by both the Tories and mainstream media.

Janet Baker
Fortrose

THERE is currently a high level of distrust in politicians and political process. The campaign for an independent Scotland needs to ensure that it reaches out to those who are inclined to remain with the devil they know, and assure them that their views will be represented in the shaping of a 21st-century Scotland. Why not include MSPs from other parties in the independence negotiating team following a successful indyref2, or make the first post-independence government one of national unity, like a war-time government?

Wendy Graham
Aberfeldy