As an English woman who lives in rural Scotland, it never ceases to amuse me how wrong commentators are about Scotland (“Two years to ‘skelp’ Scottish nationalism”, Opinion, June 27). Yes, Scots will probably vote Labour to get the Tories out and remind the SNP that poor governance is not acceptable, but that in no way means they will give up on independence.
When you live in Scotland, you learn about an endearing, ancient and artistic culture that is welcoming and inclusive. It is distinctly different to the money-worshipping culture of England and the UK government.
What a mess the UK government has also made of its rule in England: filthy water, poor infrastructure, dangerous cladding, a health service where every major group of staff has been or is on strike; all permitted under its rule.
The Scottish government may have messed up on its ferries, but it also built the second Forth Road Bridge in record time and it sorted out the mess that was the central belt motorway system. It is also a leader in renewable technologies and reducing carbon emissions. It settled with its NHS staff with minimal disruption.
If the UK government were serious about the Union, then many of the decisions it took would have been quite different. With oil wealth, the Norwegians built a road infrastructure that knitted the disparate parts of their nation together. None of that happened in Scotland under UK rule, despite it being the hub of oil extraction.
Immigration is only seen as how it affects the English, yet Scotland is crying out for seasonal and full-time workers. The decision to take us out of the EU was not made by the Scots and they suffer from it, unable to access the wide range of regional funds from the EU; unable to easily work in Europe; and its great universities’ access to research projects is hampered.
Now, the regulator is minded to allow the Post Office to renege on some of its promises on universal coverage. The daily postie is a lifeline to many rural Scots. That the Post Office decision is still on the table for negotiating speaks volumes about the careless attitude to the reality of life in remote areas.
So to many Scots, the UK government has no interest in listening to what is important or necessary for them, and the relationship is not a Union of equals in any meaningful way.
So independence burns bright in many a Scottish, and even this English, breast.
Lesley Ellis
Coull, Aberdeenshire, UK
