Change the narrative from the S30 order vs de facto indyref debate

Every General Election is an indyref – even Margaret Thatcher agreed on that one, so that’s that part out of the way. However, continually asking nicely for a Section 30 order is a humiliating tacit acceptance that Westminster is supreme. Let’s not do that again, eh?

Now is surely the time for a People’s Referendum – a national conversation on what the people actually want in the form of a multiple-question poll, not just the narrow Aye/Mibbie/Naw three-question option.

The questions should be something like, in no particular order of personal preference or national desirability:

1. Should Scotland be an independent nation?

2. Should Scotland remain in the United Kingdom?

3. Should Scotland renegotiate the terms of the Treaty and Articles of Union with England to form a Federal Union where each nation (England, Scotland, Wales, plus the Northern Ireland partition) has an equal vote?

4. Should Scotland continue to host nuclear weapons?

5. Should Scotland build more nuclear power stations?

6. Should Scotland join the EU?

7. Should Scotland join Nato?

8. Should Scotland retain the monarchy?

9. Should Scotland be a republic?

10. Should Scotland, like Switzerland, have regular referendums on many subjects? (perhaps at every national election – council, Holyrood, Westminster – that would help to keep costs down and allow a national opinion poll every two to three years)

Each of those questions (and others) should instigate a lively, even divisive, debate but one that would be invigorating and clarifying too.

This advisory-only poll should be issued on the same date as the next UK election, whenever that may be, for the reasons at Q.10 above. It might even help increase turnout and elector engagement.

Would Scotland show a preference for independence when the only way to enable other preferences (“No Nukes” or “Not My King”) is by breaking from Westminster rule?

The current Scottish parties of any colour might not like some of the answers but they would be hard to ignore. That’s what discussion, persuasion and democracy are all about. But whichever way the votes go, the Scottish people will have spoken, and been heard loud and clear. Advisory? Aye, right.

Alan Laird

Stirling

I AM really glad, from a political point of view, that I no longer live in England. When I moved to Scotland more than 12 years ago, I had to research the Scottish Parliament, being still a member of the Labour Party.

I found Scottish Labour were nothing more than an opposition party, opposing for the sake of it without debating policies in order to reach a possible agreed compromise when necessary.

Conversely, the SNP government appeared to be the socialist party I had always believed my vote for a Labour government in England counted for. At that time I knew nothing about the independence movement and its SNP roots, which, however, didn’t interfere with my decision to change my political party membership for the SNP.

Reading The National on Monday, and the article about Alan Cumming and Anas Sarwar, left me without doubt about the, in my view, worsening state of the Labour Party. If Sarwar wants to be in power, regardless of the lack of socialist policies, then he is far from being ideological but rather a politician hell-bent on a career.

It is quite possible to be in power and to be ideologically pure. The current Tory government is the perfect example but for all the wrong reasons. Once upon a time, way back when, the Labour Party was somewhat ideologically pure but for all the right reasons, so far as the working-class voters were concerned.

Today, it has become a carbon copy of the Tory Party. It’s tragic that the only proposition Keir Starmer has for Scotland is to “reduce bills, create jobs, and provide energy security” whatever that means. Scotland can do all of that for itself, and so much more, as an independent country.

We have more people in employment than England. Yes, bills need to be lower, which would be possible with independence. Energy would not be an issue, having the wherewithal to provide it in bucketloads for ourselves and England if it would choose to purchase instead of stealing our resources.

Alan Magnus-Bennett

Fife

GERRY Hassan was yet again using The National to further the cause of Labour. Really, editorial team???

Labour offer Scotland nothing but the same as the rotten-to-the-core Tories. The millionaire Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar can spout forth that he knows what Aberdeen and the North East needs, what Ayrshire needs and what the islands need. The reality is he knows nothing apart from what his London Labour masters tell him.

Voters in Scotland left Labour long ago and now we have more arrogance from them, thinking we in Scotland would cast aside our right to independence and vote for them! There are very few folks in Scotland who have any idea what Labour stand for – apart from the Union.

I look forward to our independence campaign and watching the millionaire and the pantomime dame Jackie Baillie doing the bidding of their London masters – offering Scotland no vision and no future. The 5.5 million of us in Scotland can do much better than playing second fiddle to the 60m English and Welsh voters.

Mr Hassan says he supports independence – his recent columns would suggest otherwise.

Jan Ferrie

Ayrshire