Readers' letters: Bailey shoots down Tory economic claim

But Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey's candour on the effect of Tory economic policies can leave the country in no doubt that Tory profligacy in general, has got us into this mess.

It's not just the story of markets being shocked by the mini budget. Disbelief was as important as shock because few market movers and shakers nowadays believe in the simple philosophy of cutting taxes to simulate growth.

Andrew Bailey tells us that Brexit has reduced our productivity massively. It has also increased prices of food imports and cut access to invaluable workers.

So the government of Brexit-supporting premier Rishi Sunak can't simply pass all blame for our demise onto the usual Liz Truss associates, mini-budget and all.

In the months ahead people will want to investigate why during the Tory party's watch our country has done so badly compared to others in G7 in terms of GDP, productivity and recovering from Covid.

There was an arrogance during these post-Brown years and a cavalier attitude to truth, to managing costs, to wastage of money on projects and to making the rich pay their share. A smiling, clean-shaven premier won't make us forget that.

Andrew Vass, Edinburgh.

Wind turbines mostly foreign owned

Leah Gunn Barrett says "Scotland has great energy potential" (16 November).

First, it is not Scotland's electricity. It is produced by wind turbines which are mostly owned by foreign companies and they put it into the National Grid.

Could an independent Scotland afford to build a Scottish Grid and get Scottish taxpayers to pay for it? This Scottish government has a long record of failures.

Wind turbine owners in Scotland have received constraint payments of over £1 billion to date and this will escalate. At present these constraint payments are charged to every energy bill in the UK.

If Scotland goes it alone then Scottish energy consumers will have to pay for constraint payments made to the owners of turbines situated in Scotland.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow.

Clyde frigates are major Scottish boost

Congratulations to BAE Systems Maritime on the award of a £4.2 billion contact for an additional five Type 26 frigates, on top of the three already under construction.

This UK government contract award ensures continued support for 1700 jobs at Govan and Scotstoun well into the next decade.

The BAE Systems MD, Sir Simon Lister, also announced a further infrastructure investment at Govan of between £100-£200 million. A real success story for Clyde shipbuilding.

Jim Houston, Edinburgh.

Out of date energy figures are no help

Nicola Sturgeon has been caught out being ‘economical with the truth’, this time over funding from Westminster.

Recently she has been exposed as citing untrue statements about Scotland’s wind and wave power and even Lorna Slater had to admit that the figures quoted are out of date.

Assuming SNP supporters only read newspapers which are sympathetic to the cause of independence it is little wonder that many of them believe this steady drip of SNP propaganda.

There must be something somewhere in Holyrood legislation where MSPs can be held accountable.

Ian Balloch, Grangemouth.

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