Keir Starmer is on the wrong side of Brexit fence - your views

Intro

Starmer’s on wrong side of Brexit fence

Scottish independence, the EU and coronavirus have polarised political debate on a scale high in personalised attacks and low on balanced conversation.

We have left the EU and hopefully we will all be vaccinated to successfully immunise us against this virus. This leaves independence.

Sadly, tiresome party political prejudice towards independence supporters is finding its way back into political discourse. Obviously our United Kingdom is still a disunited kingdom.

If Unionists believe in democracy, it is incumbent on them to recognise the right of the people of Scotland to want sovereignty, even if they disagree, and try to understand what it is that a reported majority of them do not like about the Union.

Paradoxically, two understandable and similar feelings were at the heart of the campaign to leave the EU.

Unionists who have shown disrespect should now show respect to independence supporters, whose heartfelt feelings to leave the Union are every bit as important as the feelings of those who wanted to leave the EU

I am disappointed when Labour l eader Keir Starmer fails to acknowledge the feelings of independence supporters, many of whom used to vote Labour, by persistently using the emotive word 'divisive' every time he talks about Scottish independence.

He may have at last come off his uncomfortable fence, but to do so to support the Tory's Brexit deal is a kick in the teeth to the people of Scotland who voted over-whelmingly to stay in the EU.

Keir Starmer has the right to oppose independence, but how he has the nerve to try to tell me I can't have autonomy like other countries is offensive.

Jack Fraser, Clayknowes Drive, Musselburgh.

EU won’t be rushing to welcome Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon has asked the EU to 'keep a light on for Scotland'.

Before any question of Scotland’s EU membership, the SNP would need to win a referendum on indep-endence. Boris Johnson has ruled out a referendum but even if there was a vote in favour, Scotland would not only lose a number of current UK benefits but face at least 10 years of austerity, as admitted by the SNP’s own Growth Commission.However, such austerity would be compounded by the effects of Covid.

Apart from any lengthy post referendum departure negotiations with the rest of the UK, with whom it would face a border, Scotland would be bottom of the list of candidate EU members and unable to fulfill the necessary economic,fiscal and monetary EU membership criteria.

Nicola Sturgeon is being less than honest with the Scotti‎sh people about the facts of EU membership.The EU is therefore unlikely to waste it’s electricity!

Tim Jackson,, Whim Road, Gullane.

Election delay may allow inquiries

It's increasingly suggested that May's Scottish elections will need to be delayed until later in the year because of the severity of the pandemic in Scotland. Regrettable yet understandable.

On the plus side, this crucially will give the SNP administration time to hold three inquiries, currently delayed until after May.

First into declining literacy and numeracy standards in schools; second into the educational attainment gap between the better and less well off ; and third to investigate why Covid-19 care home deaths in Scotland are significantly higher in percentage terms than in England. This could provide much-needed transparency on three key issues before we vote.

Martin Redfern, Melrose.