Readers' letters: Mundell’s record no help to Scotland

I received through the post today another glossy A3 leaflet from Mr David Mundell headed "Community with David Mundell MP". It purports to be a newsletter, but in reality is simply another piece of self- agrandisement.

The Mundell puff piece is full of snippets of "information" setting out all the wonderful things that he has been doing for his constituents.

The reality is somewhat less than wonderful. Mr Mundell has been a Tory MP for decades and was for a long time a Westminster government minister.

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As such he can take credit for things his government has achieved for Scotland (can anyone think of any?) but he also bears personal responsibility for its failings. Let us examine those.

The Tories have been in power for the last 12 years. In that time what have they achieved? The highest inflation for 40 years; the highest taxation in 70 years; the biggest drop in living standards since 1956; the biggest fall in wages since records began; UK trade performance at the worst level on record; UK businesses crucified by Brexit red tape and extra costs; farmers and fishermen without the support they had from the EU and which they were promised by Boris Johnson; chaos at airports; unpicked fruit and vegetables rotting in the fields; 2 million adults unable to afford to eat properly every day; millions of children living in poverty; increased use of food banks; increased homelessness; fuel poverty and falling life expectancy.

The Tory government tries to suggest that all these manifest failings are caused by the pandemic, the Russia/Ukraine war, world economic conditions and so on. Anything but accept that they themselves bear a large responsibility for the situation the UK is in.

Scotland hasn't voted for a Westminster Tory government since 1955 but it keeps getting them because other parts of the UK seem to want them. There's no accounting for tastes.

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But the only way Scotland can avoid having decisions made for it by Westminster is by leaving the UK and forging its own path as a wealthy, medium sized independent country. If Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland can do it so can we.

David Howdle, Kirkton.

Independence offers us a bright future

David Smith (‘Scexit is like Brexit made much worse’, letters, 2 August,) is being disingenuous at best.

He need only look at how Ireland has thrived and how the Northern Ireland economy has performed better than any other of the component parts of UK plc since Brexit, due to its shared border.

The recent Scottish Sovereignty Research Group conference in Dunfermline featured well thought through and presented proposals for a future Scottish currency (including how pensions and savings would be managed) by economists and accountants, as well as a coherent and integrated defence plan based on Scotland's genuine defence needs, including preparing for climate change, by a retired UK military officer.

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Cut out the shroud waving David and face the future! It's bright for Scotland with our educated and productive population and natural resources.

Marjorie Thompson, Edinburgh.

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