Your eulogising editorial on the Scottish National Party, its current leader and its stated policies fails to address their failure to give unambiguous clarification regarding the funding of measures to achieve "social justice" (Why independence will flow from a socially just Scotland, Editorial, October 18). As I understand it, Mr Swinney would increase income tax on "high earners", but this is unlikely to meet the full cost of measures required to achieve the "fair and humane" governance which you ascribe to Scottish Nationalism.

As a reasonably financially comfortable non-high earner, I have long favoured increases in income tax across the board proportionate to the ability to pay to maintain public services. So far, however, neither the Deputy First Minister nor anyone else in the Scottish Government has informed us if such an approach would be pursued in an independent Scotland because to do so might cost votes, a perception which, presumably, motivates the continuing refusal to pursue a fair and humane agenda by unfreezing the Council Tax.

I would welcome a clear elucidation, in brass-tacks detail, as to what exactly, politically and socially, is "social justice".

Duncan Macintyre

Greenock