FRANKLY surprised by the strength of some of the negative comments regarding the SNP MPs’ visit to Ukraine. I could only agree with the sentiment if they had joined a “fact-finding” visit to the Bahamas or similar destination, or were personally contracted by arms dealers – neither of which is the case.

Ensuring that some of our politicians are fully versed in the issues a newly independent state will by necessity face is vital if we are to be able to hit the ground running immediately after the transition to independence. We won’t be granted the luxury of time to understand the way the world works after independence, so we should be disappointed if our representatives were not making best use of their time now.

Scotland should not attempt to play international police or power-broking functions but should play its part in support of UN agencies as a mature first-world country, as similar nations such as Norway and Ireland do.

Irrespective of how close our political relationship with the rest of Europe becomes, our economic performance and security is inextricably connected to the future stability of Europe. This stability is unfortunately highly likely to be under threat for the foreseeable future in Eastern Europe and potentially the Balkans, so having a well-developed view on this from Independence Day plus one is essential.

Gus McSkimming

Ardrossan

ALYN Smith served a long 15 years for the SNP as a member of the European Parliament. During that time and towards the end of his service he received an ovation for a speech where he asked the parliament to leave the lights on for Scotland to find its way back after the Tory government took us out of Europe against our voted will.

Soon afterwards, after Brexit took its place in UK politics, he was elected by Stirling as an MP for the SNP again. Since then his contributions to The National never fail to comment something about his EU parliamentary experiences.

Just recently he went with two other SNP parliamentary colleagues to the Ukraine on a made-up mission ostensibly representing Scotland. No-one asked them. It was all their own idea in order to extend their understanding of the situation.

All well and good, you might suggest. Well mebby aye or mebby naw. Others might ask, what is Alyn Smith’s mission as a politician?

Good question, as I have not heard much of what he is doing to support Scotland while serving his Stirling constituents in Westminster. Or indeed what he has done for Stirling itself.

So I agree with Kevin McKenna’s view of Alyn Smith posing as a world statesman on his two-day delegation visit to Kyiv in Ukraine (Won’t get fooled again? That doesn’t seem to apply to UK voters, Feb 9). And might I suggest at the Scottish taxpayers’ expense given its us who pays his salary.

Alan Magnus-Bennett

Fife

I AM extremely relieved that both your columnist Kevin McKenna and my old friend Brian Lawson share my deep scepticism about why the SNP leadership appear to be leading cheerleaders for a corrupt English Tory government, anxious to deflect attention from domestic scandals, by cuddling up to the Ukrainian government. Many SNP members and activists will I am sure share their concern.

I want to place on record that all nations, including Ukraine, have the right of national self-determination. Sadly, with his characteristic dripping condescension Alyn Smith MP portrays Scotland’s interests on the international stage as a false choice between continuing to fly along in the slipstream of Anglo-American interests as part of Nato after independence – regardless of the continual and long-term danger this may pose to the security of the Scottish people – or being “irresponsible” (We must act like a state if we’re serious about indy, Feb 9). Presumably Mr Smith believes then that non-Nato EU members such as Austria, Sweden and Ireland are part of an axis of irresponsibility by quite sensibly not wishing to surrender their national sovereignty to Washington DC.

Officially neutral countries, like those three, often contribute to UN peacekeeping missions and in that sense both punch above their weight in international defence terms, and also show considerable responsibility to other sovereign states riven by civil war, external threat, or similar military discord.

The SNP’s traditional defence stance was based on the primacy of the UN, not on any action which Nato may decide to take in its own interests. Mr Smith and the current SNP leadership can try and justify their new multilateral credo in defence terms (as shown by the SNP response to the last Westminster defence review), but after two centuries of Scots being used as cannon fodder by successive Unionist Westminster governments in many wars and conflicts, please forgive my lack of enthusiasm simply because the new Scottish Defence Force has a saltire and not a Union Jack. Independence is about the option and choice of doing things differently, not just perpetuating a broken status quo.

Cllr Andy Doig

Scotia Future

Brian Lawson raises an important point, what the hell are SNP MPs doing getting involved in the UK’s overseas adventures re:Ukraine? It’s about time Alyn Smith, Stuart McDonald and the rest of the SNP MPs remember why they were sent to Westminster - they were meant to be settling up Scotland’s accounts in the UK, not settling down to become part of the UK establishment. This comes on top of my local SNP MP - Gavin Newlands – telling constituents that there is no hunger for independence! If that’s the case then he – and his colleagues Smith and MacDonald - aren’t doing their jobs properly. They were sent to Westminster to represent Scotland and protect our interests while fighting for Independence, not to become part of the corrupt Westminster machine. If this mob of SNP MPs won’t fight for Independence then they should resign and let someone else do the job.

Allan Whitehouse

Paisley