Helen Martin: RBS closures add to case for independence

EVERY year we spend a week in Aviemore where shopkeepers, pubs, hotels and B&Bs, skiing and other activity organisations make their living from tourists. It's not 'rural and remote' in Scottish terms. But even there, RBS has earmarked their branch for closure.

Philip Hammond has been accused of fattening up RBS ahead of its sale to the City of London. Picture: Getty

How will all these shopkeepers and local businesses pay in their cash takings? How will tourists, locals and the elderly be affected?

Scotland’s Labour leader Richard Leonard has branded such closures as “economic vandalism” and blamed Chancellor Philip Hammond for “fattening up” RBS ahead of its sale to the City of London, rather than safeguarding the public.

Economic vandalism is too flattering. The UK Government’s refusal to oppose the closures is also an arrogant, ignorant and destructive attitude.

They don’t seem to understand how the economy (or anything else) works in Scotland, let alone the far distant Scottish Highlands.

Along with dismissing the devolution constitution and snatching back devolved powers, they are shooting themselves in the foot if they want a “precious” union.

Leonard is anti-Tory, but I’m becoming anti-Westminster. Yes, it’s currently a Tory regime but Corbyn (and perhaps even Cable) doesn’t have much knowledge about Scotland either.

The problem is not political alliance but the selfish, ill-informed, provincial London mindset held by any ruling party in Westminster.

Surely that was the whole point of introducing devolution in the first place? Wreck that and the only alternative is independence.