Why pro-Europeans shouldn't back Scottish independence

Unstoppable march? Scottish independence demonstrators in Glasgow, in January 2020 - Credit: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

Scotland’s departure from the United Kingdom would lead to more of the politics pro-Europeans have fought against.

Douglas Alexander’s excellent article seems to have stirred up some nationalist reaction in your letters page but none seems to answer the fundamental question raised, which is that if you think Brexit is a mistake, then why on earth would you think that Scexit is a good idea?

Creating new borders, grudges and hurdles to trade and to people is an evolving disaster from Brexit but would be a catastrophe from Scexit.

By all means push for greater federalism – as Germany has – but not for the greater divisions which nationalism brings.
Colin Garwood

Regarding Steve Richards’ article, ‘Why is Boris Johnson more worried about Scotland than Northern Ireland?’, he has certainly hit the nail on the head when he comes to describing the Brexit debacle and its debilitating effects on Scotland and Ireland.

As Richards said: “Johnson is a gambler.” That is not OK when he’s gambling with people’s lives and livelihoods.
Cris Fulton

Steve Richards is spot-on. Johnson’s cavalier improvisations endanger reigniting “what was once known as the ‘Irish Question’”. I am reminded of a school tutorial back in 1971-2, discussing what might help answer that “question” at the height of the Troubles.

I suggested that as the UK and Ireland were now both applying to join the Common Market, our belonging together in the (then) EEC could form a context in which tensions could ease, as the border became less divisive, and both communities could see their identities affirmed. So it proved. Johnson’s Brexit has up-ended that.
Anthony Thacker
Hinckley

• Have your say by emailing theneweuropean@archant.co.uk. Our deadline for letters is Tuesday at 9am for inclusion in Thursday’s edition. Please be concise – letters over five paragraphs long may be edited before printing.