By Jim Stamper
I find Brian Barbour’s perspective in his letter (Scotsman 27 November) very difficult to comprehend. He mentions failures of the SNP not setting up a Scottish energy company but doesn’t seem to question the UK Government not doing so, despite energy being a retained power. Instead UK Governments sold off all our oil and gas resources to private companies leaving us exposed to extreme energy price increases following the Russian / Ukraine conflict with very adverse resultant effects including huge inflation. He doesn’t suggest the UK Government should be taking public ownership of the Grangemouth refinery despite the UK already having insufficient refinery capacity.
He mentions the BBC being soft on Scottish Government’s underperformance yet mentions the ferries which are never out of the BBC news unlike the London underground, HS2 etc. He mentions cuts to Local Authorities finance but no mention of UK Government Economic Austerity policies imposed since 2010, specifically to reduce public spending and which directly affects funding available to the Scottish Government. These policies have reduced resources and the salary values including in education and in the NHS, resulting in strikes in England. NHS strikes would have caused huge suffering in Scotland and cost the Scottish economy millions if they hadn’t been avoided due to negotiations with the unions by the Scottish Government. Negotiations under the leadership of the Health Secretary, Michael Matheson. Not something mentioned much by the BBC. Although I’m sure I have heard Michael Matheson’s name mentioned the odd time in the BBC recently.
It is urgent we gain independence before the UK Government privatises our NHS, further damages our public services and continues to privatise our green energy and defiling our beautiful country with huge pylons to enable private companies to provide electricity to England.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Scottish Water would #1 for privatisation. While much public money has been spent during the life of the Scottish Parliament on modernisation, demands that the publicly-owned body to install monitors at overflows could be a harbinger of things to come. 🤔
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Brian Barbour is a typical anti- independence Scot. These are the people who have closed their minds to the success of devolution and how independence would make Scotland an even better place. There are no soft NO’s. They are closed minds. My parents were against devolution but later saw the light. They told me that none of their friends would admit that devolution had been a success and were constantly in search of negatives. They will die off in time but meanwhile westminster is robbing Scotland of everything it can before the day comes.
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