Andrew Marr interview demonstrated the FM's commitment to independence

Marr tried to attack with the traditional anti-independence, Unionist barbs about border controls, EU rules, the size of Scotland and the deficit, and almost entirely failed to question the FM on the Scottish election and the SNP manifesto.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon makes passionate defence of independence under BBC grilling

Nicola Sturgeon responded with an outstanding interview full of passion about Scotland’s ability to flourish as an independent country, how Scotland is being held back as part of the the broken Union (which we never vote for), and showing her highly intelligent debating skills, especially when she explained that Marr was making the case for independence.

I would recommend that any independence supporter who is concerned that Nicola is not fully committed to an independent Scotland could do worse than watch the Marr interview.

Definitely the highlight of the campaign so far.

Gordon Ferrie
Straiton

HOW glad we all must be to note from Sunday’s Andrew Marr programme that the complaint by the First Minister about her treatment by Marr during her last interview was not upheld by the state broadcaster.

How right Marr was to regard the reprieve by his employers as carte blanche to treat the FM with contempt and repeatedly point to the sheer ridiculousness of imagining that an EU state cannot survive economically with a land border with a non-EU country as the examples of Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Spain (with Morocco in regard to the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla) clearly demonstrate. As everyone knows, these states are bordering on economic collapse.

Marr was right to warn the advocates of Scottish independence that they will not face up to the reality that negotiations for independence to adjust border arrangements in the event of a decision to leave the United Kingdom and rejoin the EU are fraught with difficulties too great to overcome.

Can they not understand that the 1992 “Velvet Divorce” between the Czech Republic and Slovakia was a disaster for both countries and the 1905 dissolution of the Union between Norway and Sweden was so long ago that it does not offer a useful precedent? The bonds of history between our two nations cannot be breached without ruin befalling our tiny nation so dependant on trade with our mighty neighbour.

I seem to recall that many years ago Andrew Marr wrote in The Battle for Scotland that eventually Scotland would regain its independence and that he has predicted the same outcome more recently. His more recent published works and TV programmes about our Glorious Empire clearly indicate that his years in London have borne out Samuel Johnson’s dictum that “The noblest prospect which a Scotchman ever sees, is the high road that leads him to England”.

How grateful we Scots must be to him that he now so clearly sees the dangers of independence and firmly upbraids our First Minister for advocating a course of action which so clearly will lead to the ruination of our country.

Alexandra MacRae
Forfar

IS there any explanation why those opposed to Scottish independence think that treating us like we are all stupid means they can get away with it?

Apparently a “hard border” between England and Scotland when Scotland goes independent will destroy Scotland. No such thing as a “hard border” exists, of course. The UK has just chosen a “hard border” between itself and 27 European countries. So the UK is not trading with Europe? What utter rubbish. The fact of the matter is that deals are readily reached – as is the case with Norway and Switzerland, for instance, neither of which is in the EU, and the notion that England (which exports more to Scotland than Scotland does to England) will give that up is absurd.

Interesting to note that the Republic of Ireland, which used to be hugely reliant on exporting to the UK, now has a majority of its exports to Europe (and is building big ferries to take its goods direct into the continent.)

David McEwan Hill
Sandbank, Argyll

GARY Dicker said that the way the Scottish Government is handling Covid is “like being a criminal if you have had Covid” and that “teams have been doing their best to fight it”. Surely people realise that this is a highly contagious, dangerous virus? It is not having the disease which is a crime, but not obeying the law and ignoring the precautions put in place to minimise its spread.

We have here a group of young and generously paid players who think that, because of their celebrity, the rules do not apply to them. It should not be up to the FA to impose fines on the club, but up to the club to impose large fines on the players. This money could be send to countries with the most serious problems tackling the disease.

Pete Rowberry
Duns

WE used to hear so much about the delays etc that were experienced over getting the Covid jab, but nobody seems to say anything when they get it right. Well, I’ve just had my second one, within the stated time period of 12 weeks. I was in and out again within 25 minutes, and that included the regulatory 15 minute wait to ensure I was suffering no ill effects.

A very big improvement on last time and to be congratulated. Well done all those concerned.

Charlie Kerr
Glenrothes