Letters / An abundance of wool
Kennedy Stewart, in his letter (‘This isn’t an election’, SN 8/9/14), seems to be answering some one else’s letter, excluding the last paragraph which I will answer with a question to Kennedy.
If during the negotiations Salmond uses Faslane as a bargaining chip and gains a currency union by allowing the nuclear base to stay in Scotland and the UK government gain 50 per cent of all oil revenues through an international court, just how will we be able to change this and other negotiated agreements through the democratic process?
George Pottinger (‘Can’t make it simpler’, SN 11/9/14) seems to be under the illusion that the SNP won the last election by a landslide; Geordie since when did 23 per cent of the votes from the Scottish electorate constitute a landslide. Being elected by 77 per cent of the electorate would have been a landslide, exactly the same amount who did not vote for the SNP in the last election.
Just to make a point Geordie a proper example of democracy is the UK government agreeing to the Scottish voters having a referendum to decide their own future.
A referendum is a submission of an issue of public importance to the direct vote of the electorate, the issue being independence. Independence is a noun; meaning the state or quality of being independent. Sufficient income for comfortable self-support; a competence.
In other words the referendum is about independence and all that goes with it, direct from the dictionary and made even simpler than Geordie’s effort with all of his flamboyant vocabulary.
You may ask what goes with independence; well we don’t actually know because Alex Salmond and the SNP have not told us, making this referendum all about them.
There may be political and non political people conducting the negotiations but they will be acting under Salmond’s instructions and he is the person to sign off what has been agreed, still making this vote all about Salmond and the SNP.
Geordie there is an abundance of wool in Shetland but still nor enough for you and Kennedy to pull over our eyes, but keep trying – you have until Thursday.
Gordon Harmer,
Brae
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