ACROSS the UK and Europe people turn down the heating in response to Government advice, and eat and buy less.

In the UK the rolling mortgage renewals cycle will double repayments (two per cent rising to 4% is a 100% rise), but hopefully no more than that; this will kill the housing market and slash household spending. Worse, if things don't stabilise soon, millions will be homeless and bankrupt.

The next Prime Minister will be forced to push through the cuts that Jeremy Hunt has signalled. The EU price cap has already reduced gas prices by 7%.

Put together, the above situation suggests inflation and interest rates will actually fall early next year.

Hopefully things will then stabilise. The still-high cost of living will be a cruel, overdue reminder that the good times for some are at an end and confirmation that politicians espousing Modern Monetary theory in the shape of "growth" and unfunded borrowing are snake oil salesmen, their supporters, believers and those who voted for them exposed as selfish and fools.

I sincerely hope Rishi "I told you so" Sunak becomes the new Prime Minister, unencumbered by Boris Johnson, and the above scenario and his own actions turn things round enough to tone down the clamour for a snap General Election.

This will enable the Labour Party to continue to get its act together and offer a compelling alternative to the Tories, and Nicola Sturgeon might well get her de facto referendum in October, by which time the UK will be over its Johnson-Truss nightmare and her vapid independence proposals and ongoing litany of failures should result in a high pro-UK turnout, a clear "no" and perfect excuse for her to leave the stage.

Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven.

LOGIC TESTED TO THE LIMIT

THE political tumult of the last few weeks has tested the logic of my nationalist acquaintances to the limit. A few weeks ago my independence-supporting friends were convinced that, as the Tory Party keeps winning Westminster elections, the only way to escape perpetual Tory rule was to become independent. Since then, as the Conservative Party implodes, it is clear that its hegemony is ending and a Labour Government seems ever more likely, they now tell me that the need for independence has never been clearer. No doubt if Boris Johnson were to succeed in his comeback as PM they'll say that is another reason we must have independence. But if he fails then, without question, that will also be the clincher.

Strangely enough, supporters of breaking up the UK never consider the failure of the SNP to create a favourable case for independence (ref the latest damp squib economic case) as in any way denting their faith. Every act, no matter what contradiction they have to embrace to believe it, is the final piece of logic that confirms their religiously-held conviction that independence is the magic potion that solves all political ills.

Alex Gallagher, Largs.

CHAOS ADDS TO INDY CASE

AS we head into one of the most difficult of winters, now more than ever we need a stable government.

We need a stalwart PM, scrupulously determined to get our hospitals, care homes and the most vulnerable safely through the upcoming blackouts and the cost of living crisis. Someone with the characteristics of Nicola Sturgeon would be ideal. Instead the UK leadership is the polar opposite of what is needed and is adding to the burden. This constant Tory navel-gazing means a massive lack of preparedness for the impending winter, tragically this will means lives being lost.

Has anyone done any calculations on how much time the Conservatives have actually spent being a normal government? Since Partygate I can only ever remember constant squabbling and infighting. Then we had a brief pause during national mourning and the Queen's state funeral followed by the Liz Truss-inspired economic meltdown. Now a new search for yet another leader, someone to lead a party that is clearly broken and unfit to govern. They have even been considering voting for Boris Johnson again, incredible given how many MPs rebelled against him. It's all nuts and they spend lots and lots of time not governing while doing this.

Chaos is running the UK; we have a non-government. As a result Scotland will also suffer this winter in the absence of a UK Government. All of this only adds to the case for independence, independence from the Westminster madness created in this post-Brexit era.

Paul Morrison, Glasgow.

• YOU’VE got to feel a wee bit sorry for any Martians planning a visit to our dear green and pleasant land any time soon. Any of their requests for them to be taken to our leader can only be met with a Stan Laurel-like scratching of the head and wringing of our hands at the extent of “another fine mess that we have gotten ourselves into".

Alastair Patrick, Paisley.

A BUNCH OF SELF-SERVERS

IT would appear that your regular contributors who constantly run down Scotland, Scottish independence and First Minister Nichola Sturgeon don't read newspapers, watch TV news or indeed, seem to live on the same planet as the rest of us mere mortals.

If they did, they might perhaps notice that their beloved United Kingdom is being run at the moment by a bunch of self-servers who care about nothing other than keeping hold of power, no matter what damage they inflict.

Dave Henderson, Glasgow.

HOW WE GOT TO THIS MESS

THE present disastrous state of the UK economy – despite 50 years of non-stop oil revenues – most certainly requires explanation.

The trail of disaster, I believe, began with Margaret Thatcher’s “Big Bang”: deregulation and privatisation of banks and other national assets. The subsequent corruption and criminal mishandling of bank and building society funds eventually consumed two major Scottish banks, many mutual savings banks and building societies – including Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown’s infamous raid on pension funds.

The oil money kept flowing in, but there was no investment in alternative sources of energy, no national investment in water or sewage, no concern to support key industries like shipbuilding and steel and total neglect of ordinary road and rail transport facilities. Private profiteering was – and still is – the ideology; public services and investment were not. In 2022, there is absolutely nothing to show for all that oil; nothing except ridiculous house prices in the south-east of England after Russian oligarchs and other mafia liked what they saw, and moved in with money-laundering.

Then came Brexit: removing the UK from EU financial regulations just in time to protect those shady deals and money handlers from unwelcome inspection. Collateral damage included the destruction of many businesses, especially food producers and exporters. Brexit also created a dangerous shortage of staff in the NHS and care services.

The rest of the world now shares daily commentaries on the economic, social, moral and constitutional mess in both Houses while the so-called Government and official Opposition flail around the various crises, exchanging personal insults, without one sensible, honest, positive or practical idea between them.

Scotland voted for none of this: above all, we refused to vote for the disaster of Brexit: that racist, imperialist, delusory propaganda which conned England's electorate into chaos and self-destruction.

Yes indeed, Westminster has finally imploded: the last few years have exposed the rottenness of a system that is as out of date and dangerously useless as the wigs, ermine and swords which dominate proceedings there: England needs a new system urgently.

I hope Scotland, having surrendered the oil revenues, having witnessed all the chaos, sustaining damage after damage, now asserts her right to pursue very different economic, environmental, social and international policies – first of all with independence and secondly by rejoining the EU.

Frances McKie, Evanton.

PR COULD HAVE SAVED US

AT the 2019 General Election to the UK Parliament the Conservative Party won 44 per cent of the votes. This gave it 56% of the seats, and a majority of 85 over all other political parties.

At the 2021 election to the Scottish Parliament the Scottish National Party won 48% of the constituency votes and 40% of the regional votes – hence approximately 44% of the votes cast. This gave the SNP just under 50% of the seats in the Scottish Parliament, but just five seats short of a majority.

These figures make me wonder whether the UK Government would have lapsed into its current state of chaos if there had been a more sensible voting system than first past the post for the UK Parliament.

Stewart Noble, Helensburgh.

Read more: Trussonomics didn’t fail. It was never put into practice