Letters / Independence will lead to austerity
In response to ‘A letter to the Liberal Democrats’ (Peter Malcolmson)
In his grumpy letter (Taking charge of our own country; SN, 7 January 2020), Peter Malcolmson asserts that the “clear desire” of the Scottish people is independence.
Perhaps he has not checked last month’s election results. A vote share of 45 per cent for the nationalists in Scotland does not amount to a majority for separation, unless this is a new form of SNP arithmetic that the rest of us cannot comprehend.
In fact in 2014, 64 per cent of us in Shetland voted against independence. It is hard to see the contradiction in our elected MP voting with the clear wishes of his constituents.
There is no contradiction in the Scottish Liberal Democrat position that rejects nationalist border drawing, whether it is between the UK and the EU, or Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
There is, however, a contradiction between nationalist claims to be against austerity while promoting independence.
Independence will lead to austerity far greater than anything we have seen in past years. To claim otherwise is truly “disingenuous”.
Alistair Christie-Henry
Bressay
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