ON Scotland’s call for independence, which Mr Readman (Letters, Dec 23) declares cannot happen on the grounds the Scots don’t know what they are doing – so its okay for England to vote to leave the European Union but not okay for the Scottish people to vote to leave the United Kingdom?

In the case of the Scottish people, 54 per cent of people in Scotland voted for SNP nationalism, compared with 25 per cent voting Tory Brexit.

Compare that with the 2016 referendum, with Leave mandate 52 per cent compared with 48 per cent voting Remain. A very small mandate compared with the SNP’s overwhelming independence mandate.

But for freedom and democracy loving Mr Readman this is not good enough.

As for the comparison with Spain and Catalonia, if Scotland is “allowed” to pursue independence, then when independent they can in all international law rightly apply, and expect to be accepted, into the EU.

The case with Catalonia is enormously different. Catalonia has never been a “separate nation” within a “United Spain” of different nations. The comparison is entirely fallacious.

The truth is one cost of leaving the EU, of many enormous costs, will likely be the break-up of the United Kingdom.

And not just in the case of Scotland. Northern Ireland voted strongly to remain.

How long then before larger numbers of the Northern Irish people come the view their better future, for all their people, is in a United Ireland, in a United Europe.

Leaving England with one highly questionable benefit from Brexit, full-on trading with Donald Trump’s “America First” USA.

And our country still as deeply divided as ever.

And that Mr Readman is all the best of news for the UK is it?

TONY PRYOR

Charminster Road, Bournemouth