Sunday 7 September 2014

AN INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND



THE CASE FOR INDEPENDENCE IN FIVE POINTS

1Scotland is a country, and like any other country it deserves to get the governments it votes for. As part of the UK, that happens well under half of the time. We don’t affect the outcome of UK elections, so the rest of the UK doesn’t need our help - so why keep subjecting ourselves to governments we rejected at the ballot box?
2Scotland will be wealthier as an independent country than it will inside the UK. Even before you discuss possible savings from policy changes (like more sensible defence spending), Scotland subsidises the UK by billions of pounds every year, according to Westminster’s own figures. The longer we stay in the UK, the poorer we’ll get.
You’ll never get a UK government minister or a No campaign figure to actually say straight-out that Scotland is subsidised by the rest of the UK - give it a try if you like. Instead they’ll try to confuse the matter and change the subject by talking about things like spending and debt (see the Questions section of Chapter 2) in order to make you believe it’s true without having to directly lie to you.
Think about it this way - if Scotland was actually being subsidised by the rest of the UK, don’t you think the No camp would be shouting that fact from the rooftops every minute of every day?
3Scotland’s future is bright. Oil will last for decades yet, and we sit on the brink of a renewables bounty that could make the entire historic output of the North Sea pale into insignificance. But the UK can’t be trusted to manage it - Scotland is the only country in the world ever to discover oil and get poorer, and unlike almost every other oil-rich nation, Westminster put nothing aside for a rainy day. It also hid Scotland’s wealth from its people for 30 years.
4We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Threats that Scotland will be ejected (even temporarily) from the EU are hollow, impossible to ever put into practice. The same applies to border controls. Nobody can stop us from using the pound. No country poses a military threat to Scotland, and the only reason terrorists might attack us is because we’re part of the UK. We’ll still get to watch the BBC.
5People are sensible. At the moment, the No campaign has a vested interest in making things sound like they’d be as difficult as possible for an independent Scotland. But the day after a Yes vote, the opposite instantly becomes true - it’s then in everyone’s interest to sort everything out as quickly and cleanly as possible.
If you accept that the EU would want Scotland as a member - and it would - then nobody gains from making that process slow and complicated and awkward.
If you accept that the rUK and an independent Scotland would still be major trading partners and allies - which they would - then nobody gains from a hostile, drawn-out negotiation process.
All parties will seek the best deal, of course, but businesses and people alike want life to continue with as little disruption and upheaval as humanly possible. Nobody wins from a negative approach, and no government will cut its nose off to spite its face.
Reference http://www.theweebluebook.com
               http://www.snp.org

23 comments:

  1. I remember back when the Poll Tax was first brought in as an experiment in Scotland - which shows exactly what the UK Tory government thought and still thinks about Scotland and her people.
    If I were a Scot I'd vote "Aye".

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    1. I agree,
      I to would vote YES for I believe that every nation has the right to govern it's self.

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  2. I agree with you, Heron, and apparently the Scots do, too. The polls are showing Aye. I have to smile and think of the caricatures of the dour old Scot of few words. It's taken up to two weeks to the vote to get a word from them.

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    1. Thanks Joanne. I think it is more a question of being canny (clever) than dour :)

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  3. Just came home from three weeks in Scotland. Wonderful time spent in a beautiful country that has resources and strong, resilient, intelligent people. I hear the YES has tipped the scale and hope they go it alone on the 18th. They are a nation and should handle their own affairs.

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    1. Anne-Marie I have never had a bad holiday in Scotland, other than a bit wet at times. You are quite correct they are a nation and very capable of handling their own affairs.

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  4. I remember the Poll tax too and the misery and poverty it brought to Scotland. Scotland has never voted for a Tory government so why should we be ruled by one (note that I say Ruled). I am pleased to say that we are becoming very united behind the Yes vote and at present are ahead in the Polls.
    Keep it up Scotland, United we stand. Gawn Yersel

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  5. Well said Margaret ! As only a true Scot can say :)

    Scotland Forever / Alba gu brĂ th !

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  6. In all honesty, I have no opinion on the Scottish issue other than that people should be allowed to determine their own future if they so wish, and in a democracy that means anything over fifty percent (I think). However, I'm personally not convinced that belonging to the EU has any economic advantage. But that's another story altogether...

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    1. Val. Thank you for your comments, to which I completely agree.

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  7. I think economic figures depend on which article you read and the same goes for whether the yes vote or the no vote is ahead in the polls. It may well be that a vote for independence would be better economically for the rest of the UK. Anyhow it's up to those Scots and other nationalities to decide, well those that actually live there at this moment in time and I know that has been a bone of contention amongst my Scottish friends who are temporarily down South and who do not have a vote at all on the future of their country.

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  8. I must say that that is the clearest, most concise account and justification I have read. So thanksfor that.

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    1. Thank you Pat I am pleased that you found comprehension.

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  9. Your points make for a very good argument for Scotland to be independent Heron ……. it's just that I hate change and love being Great Britain ….. also, we need Andy Murray !!!! hehe XXXX

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    1. Thank you for your comments Jacqueline, I appreciate what you say however, the term Great Britain is a geographical term and not a political one. The benefit of Scotland being independent is huge and amusingly it will mean that you can go abroad without getting your feet wet :) x

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  10. Great summary Mel. I think they should vote yes, I'm sure it will be better for Scotland. After all, our repellent politicians don't give two hoots about Scotland, unless they can dump something there or use the beautiful land to make money. It may be shaky at first but will all smooth out eventually.

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    1. Thank you Suzie I am certain that you are correct.
      What made me grimace was a the remark "That once you have left you can't comeback"
      I have yet to hear of any country that has asked to return to British dominance!

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  11. I've gone to ground and am licking my wounds. Funny how you can rationally 'know' something but still hope that it would be otherwise. I voted Yes. It was a No. Though there is sudden constitutional upheaval and I suspect we may yet see the end of the British State. I was always a Labour Party member and activist. Weaned on internationalism. But this beautiful opportunity we had to break free from the British State was decried as an evil act by many of my (now former) Labour colleagues and comrades. They saw 'nationalism' and... well, you know the shadow cast by the ethnic nationalism which is guilty of genocide and institutional hate - they attached it to the self-determination movement that was the Yes Campaign.
    Ultimately I think that it is only a matter of time - maybe another decade or so before Scotland finally is Independent. It is my sons and daughters and their friends who will make that happen. :-)
    Lovely blog!

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    1. Thank you for your comments mujerlibre. I believe the referendum result was as Gerry Adams said recently and I quote:
      " Reacting to the news that the people of Scotland have voted against becoming an independent country, Gerry Adams TD described the result as a victory of "fear over hope".
      The Sinn FĂ©in leader told reporters he believes a section of the 55% of Scots who voted 'No' to independence were "frightened by the tsunami of pressure from London."
      He said those who voted 'Yes' were voting for hope and looking towards the future.
      "This decision demonstrates that the people are sovereign and that change is possible. The union is no longer fixed, it is in the ownership of the people,"
      ref: http://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/24386

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    2. Acute observations from Adams - and I can't help agreeing. Thanks for sharing that.

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  12. I love it when folks come together and share opinions. Great site,
    continue the good work!

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  13. An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who was doing a little research on this.
    And he in fact bought me dinner simply because I discovered it for him...
    lol. So allow me to reword this.... Thank YOU for the meal!!
    But yeah, thanx for spending time to talk about this topic here on your site.

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