Only division will result from vote

I CAN’T decide whether to support Scottish independence or not. Being English, I have no vote, yet it would be nice to see a “Yes” if only to have an end to the braying “William Wallace” xenophobic Scottish minority, who see England as the cause of all their ills. Yes, we’d have to tolerate the increasing smirks of Salmond and Sturgeon, but that would be temporary.

I always laugh when I see a Scot shout “vote yes and get rid of the Tories!” Was it Alec Douglas-Home who said the consequence of Thatcherism is Scottish independence? Then here’s an irony. The Nationalists will implement a left wing agenda on Scotland’s fragile economy. I give them 10 years. The mess they make will fracture their support. The 16 per cent who vote Tory in Scotland will grow to a Tory-led Scottish Government, charged with cleaning up the socialist mess of the Nats. Don’t laugh!

But to see a “no” vote gives instant pleasure of seeing the smirking Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon in total despair. Whatever happens, Alex Salmond will succeed in only dividing his nation.

From: Chris Foote-Wood, Brook Terrace, Darlington.

I HEARTILY agree with Labour MP Fabian Hamilton that this country needs a written constitution to enshrine the rights and responsibilities of UK citizens and our democratic institutions (The Yorkshire Post, September 8).

Our unwritten constitution allows the Prime Minister of the day to become in effect an elected dictator. Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair in particular both used this to impose their personal views.

Every PM wields immense power and patronage, appointing ministers, life peers, senior civil servants, quango heads and so forth. Mr Hamilton also supports fixed term parliaments – both long-standing LibDem policies. What a pity we have had no support from his party.

From: Robert Craig,Priory Road, Weston-super-Mare.

THE leader of the “No” campaign in Scotland, Alistair Darling, spoke on the Today programme in response to polls showing neck and neck for Scottish independence (The Yorkshire Post, September 9).

What is clear is that the London-based political establishment does not “get it”. George Osborne’s offer of further devolution is too little, too late. If the Scots fall for that, they would be buying a pig in a poke. The only hope for the Better Together side is a federal Britain. That federation would not survive for long with one member (England as currently constituted) having 84 per cent of the population. If matters have not been left too late, it is now time to fulfil Herbert Asquith’s 1912 “Home Rule for all”.

The UK should now become a federal state, but with six members; not four. These being England, north of the Wash, “Saxland”, south of the Wash, the federal territory of London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Home Rule for England north of the Wash (with an English parliament in Leeds), and the federal territory of London is needed, because Whitehall’s preference regarding the standard English regions has been thoroughly rejected by the voters, as was apparent from John Prescott’s attempt to force it through in the North East 10 years ago.

Builders and the green belt

From: Alec Denton, Guiseley.

REGARDING comments attributed to Jeff Fairburn, the chief executive of house builder Persimmon (The Yorkshire Post, September 2), we all agree we need more houses and that some will have to be built on green fields, but no, we do not need all our green fields covered by mile after mile of four-bedroom detached houses with an occasional token “affordable” terrace.

What we need are homes our children can afford and a resumption of the proper social rhythm of home, then children and then school, instead of the huge unplanned influx of established families into the suburbs, who then expect their children to walk straight into schools that are already full to overflowing.

Mr Fairburn blames planning restrictions for the failure to build affordable homes where they are needed, but cannot provide a solution that will get new homes built on the many acres of brownfield space, such as the former Kirkstall Forge site, that still lie empty. If the big builders cannot afford to build on brown field sites, they should sell them to those who can and until these sites are utilised, no green field sites should be released.

The reality is that we see developments coming first and then councils trying to force a collapsing infrastructure to catch up afterwards.

A bloody rampage

From: Malcolm Nicholson, Barwick in Elmet, Leeds.

THE Islamic state in parts of Syria and Iraq is nothing to do with religion, political principle or any morally lofty crusade, it’s just rape and pillage. No wonder this scenario appeals to radicalised youths. They see an exciting future cutting off heads, snapping their fingers to any girl they fancy, acting like lords of the universe. I have no idea how David Cameron plans to stop this happening and neither, I suspect, does he.