 | 'A secret Whitehall dossier written 30 years ago has revealed that
Labour ministers were concerned about the case for Scottish independence. The information was kept confidential at the time to keep Nationalism
at bay. The paper was obtained by the Scottish National Party under freedom of
information legislation. Written by a leading government economist in 1974, it sets out how oil would have given Scotland one of the strongest currencies in Europe.' BBC News, 12 th September 2005. |  |
OUR esteemed chancellor, on a flying visit to Livingston in support of a candidate whose manifesto seems to consist of nothing more than a eulogy to the late constituency MP, informs us that he has "managed to steer a course of stability in the UK economy with no return to Tory boom and bust", contrasting this with an "independent Scotland relying on oil prices which have veered wildly between $10 and $70 per barrel".
Are we to assume from this that Mr Brown has, himself, made no use of these oil revenues in "steering his course"? Perhaps he would publish figures to show how his UK budgets would have "stacked up" with oil revenue deducted, so that we can all marvel at his mastery of the economy? If this is not the case, perhaps he could then tell us all where the £200bn-plus of revenues, accrued since the inception of the North Sea oil exploitation, has gone.
I know I am possibly being a little bit greedy and hopeful, but could he also tell us with what he intends to purchase the replacement for Trident and if, perhaps, it might not be cheaper and safer to house this system in the south of England, where he can best keep an eye on it. In the event of Scotland being silly enough to declare itself independent, divorcing Trident from the Clyde could be messy Ð and costly.
Donnie MacNeill, 65 Pentland Park, Livingston.
Following on from Allan D Forrester's letter (September 19) on your profile of Charles Gordon, there seems to have been a plethora of newspaper profiles of both Labourite by-election candidates across the written press over the past few days, culminating in a full-page eulogy of the late Donald Dewar in your own newspaper on September 19.
Is it simply a coincidence that no newspaper has felt it necessary to give the same publicity to the two personable SNP candidates, both of whom have a good chance of winning their respective seats?
Gavin Fleming, 517 Webster's Land, Grassmarket, Edinburgh.
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