WE opened the curtains on Thursday morning to about three inches of snow. For the last few days it been sub-zero at night (minus eight on Monday) and scarcely above zero during the day. It’s worse west and north of here, and this spell is forecast to go on for a week or more. But when we see the UK forecast, things are different “in the south”.

London and the Home Counties are experiencing a wee whiff of cold weather over the next day or two, but then they return to a regular pattern of temperatures five or more degrees warmer than us. Nature allows such differentials in the English/Scottish experience, but the Westminster government allows no differential allowance in coping with them.

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The removal of the Winter Fuel Payment is another glaring example of the totally inappropriate “one-size-fits-all” policies of the Union, and the action of stopping the allowance is much more serious for fuel-poor Scottish pensioners than it is for pensioners in the south. This unfairness joins a long list, amongst them our exclusion from Europe against our will and the imposition of an immigration policy which is aligned with southern priorities and permits no exemption for workers in the Scottish farming, fishing and healthcare sectors.

We protest, but can be ignored, because we are a decided minority and so don’t count. Only independence will allow us to deal with such matters with no interference. 50% of our population already appreciate this, and this proportion will gradually increase as such unfair policies persist.

Ken Gow
Banchory

THE old joke goes that if you were to ask someone from Ireland for directions, he/she might say “well I wouldn’t start from here”. This surely is very apposite for where we in the indy movement are at present.

Sadly we don’t have a mandate just now that will force the UK Government into granting us a new Section 30 order. Also the Scottish Government believes that after the ruling of the Supreme Court, the acceptance of reserved status for this issue in the devolution settlement 25 years ago denies us the legal autonomy to have our own referendum.

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In exposing the non-story that Kate Forbes had outlined a route when she clearly had not, the letter by Sandra West in Wednesday’s paper met my full agreement. The SNP have no route and continue with their serial “missteps” to take us further down the cul-de-sac we have been travelling down since 2014. Sandra asks for a route to be forthcoming in the event that we increase our support to around 60%.

Crucially, let’s recognise that to overcome the hesitancy in my “Irish” analogy, we must get ourselves to begin the route from a settled base of around 60% indy support. There is no alternative but to unite and initially focus on this goal. Forget about routes until we get there because if we don’t, we will find the route in front of us permanently closed.

Let us instead please focus on how we can convene as dispirit groups and parties and agree strategies to achieve the increased mandate we need. Without it, forget independence. With it we could see the fog clear to reveal the route to leave this “voluntary union”.

Campbell Anderson
Edinburgh

I CANNOT agree, for several reasons, that the only way to achieve independence is through a plebiscitary General Election.

First and foremost, using only the next GE means waiting another four-and-a-half years, far too long to create sustained momentum, but long enough for Westminster to dream up rules to scupper us. Secondly, the franchise for a GE excludes many of those most likely to support independence, such as 16- and 17-year-olds and new Scots. Thirdly, voting is inevitably influenced by a variety of concerns, not least the performance of the incumbent government. Finally, if the recent GE is any indication, the long period of inaction on independence may well disillusion too many current supporters. If it were to sign the death warrant of the SNP as the largest party leading us to our goal, any chance of independence would disappear for at least a generation.

READ MORE: Most Scots pick independence as top choice for constitutional change, survey finds

I therefore still hold to my view that we need to use the much shorter timescale to the Holyrood election to campaign vigorously, together and individually, to convert the undecided, one by one, to our cause. Doing so with all possible urgency over the next six to ten months and then, as I previously proposed, holding a referendum under the Referendums (Scotland) Act 2020 Act could destroy the Unionist claim that there is no appetite for an independence referendum.

Such a mandate from the sovereign people would impose a duty on our elected representatives at Holyrood, regardless of their personal wishes and any Westminster blocking attempts, to implement their instructions. Do not forget that Westminster set up the devolved parliament on the instructions of the sovereign people imposed by a referendum.

No campaign can engender enthusiasm without a fixed timescale and identified goal. Without progress on moves to prepare for independence, 2026 could become a repeat of the recent GE.

L McGregor
Falkirk