THE spectacle of Alex Salmond threatening to block off Scottish waters if an independent Scotland were not allowed to join the EU leaves me more certain than ever that he and Nigel Farage are alternate sides of the same coin.

Two isolationists, hell-bent on breaking up the alliances between nations. Both suggest that the challenges nations face are all solved by resenting others who are allegedly taking things from them, jobs, homes, resources. Both appear unaware or disinterested in the fact that we live on a finite planet.

With an ever-growing human population, and an ever-growing consumption of resources, we have two options. The first is the Salmond/Farage approach: retreat and operate on the basis of every-man-for-himself; an unmanaged scramble by each nation to grab all the resources they can lay their hands on.

The second option is to recognise that working together to manage resources, control waste and pollution, and ensure the fairer distribution of wealth is in the long term interest of us all.

Co-operation with neighbouring countries in the EU, and with the UN, isn’t always easy, but the Salmon/Farage alternative is a road to conflict and chaos.

Christian Vassie, Blake Court, Wheldrake, York.