‘No’ business leaders not representative

I trust the Scottish people will see through the vested interest of a group of conservative businessmen who have grouped together to add the fear factor, the same ones that some
politicians and the Labour Party have been using to scaremonger so far (Letters, 27 August).

The No campaign has not made the case for staying in the UK at all; on the contrary it has simply sniped at the positive proposals of the Yes campaign.

It has failed to see or ­imagine the energy, drive and ingenuity of the Scottish people to make a go of a new regime, preferring to remain safe, tied to the slow, steady decline in the UK’s wealth, to number 22 in the world in terms of GDP per capita.

It does not see the opportunity to break free from this decline and set out on a path that is much more adventurous and rewarding to follow the paths of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Singapore, all more successful small countries with higher wealth per capita than England (or the UK).

I am not an Alex Salmond or SNP fan, but I was saddened by the negative campaigning of the politicians, especially Better Together leader Alistair Darling and the Labour Party, who in
my opinion have betrayed the interests of the Scottish people.

I am now even more saddened by the risk-averse 
and conservative attitude of some of the business community who definitely do not reflect the whole business thinking, attitude and 
analytic foresight that they try to portray.

There are plenty of businessmen like myself who believe Scotland would be better off as independent.

As an international businessman and someone who has lived and worked in the oil and gas and aerospace industries I do not subscribe to their views, since I believe the oil is not “running out” as they would have you believe; nine of the top ten wealthiest countries in the world are small countries with their own currency; and many smaller countries have prospered serving a global economy that has become easier to access rather than more difficult over time.

Ian Godden

Chairman

Glenmore Energy

The 130 signatories of “business letter” provide a good example of Tory manipulation at work. They write collectively, listing various businesses, but say they are doing it in a personal ­capacity.

That being the case, why are they not writing their own letters with no mention of business affiliations?

They claim to have studied “both sides of the argument”. This is only half true. I study both sides of a political argument, but I have a stand and need to know what the opposition says.