Why I am voting YES
The first reason for my "yes" vote is that we may be able to get rid of Trident. Removal is not on the policy agenda of any Westminster political party. Everyone knows that Trident is useless against the complex threats faced in today's world. It is hugely expensive. Westminster want to keep it as it gives the UK a permanent seat on the UN security council. But Trident is not an independent UK deterrent. It is a US weapon system that UK would never use without US approval. Would we have Trident if the base were sited 30 miles from London?
We will be able to write a new constitution fit for the modern world (and we could choose to keep the Queen - God bless her Majesty - as Canada and Australia have done). We could even use a participative process involving many people as is currently happening in Iceland. We could be a better and less centralised democracy with more powers devolved to councils and localities. We would live closer to the centre of power. Our election results would not be skewed by peoples votes hundreds of miles to the south of us.
I am not a great fan of Alex Salmond but he is head and shoulders above all the other party leaders in terms of statesmanship and political leadership. The SNP has provided stability and good governance in their years in Holyrood. (By contrast, think of the mess that both the last Westminster government and the present one have made!) I believe Scotland would do better being independent. It is about time Scotland voted positively to change itself.
We have been bombarded by relentless scaremongering from the NO campaign, particularly over oil, currency and Scotland’s ability to complete internationally as a small, independent nation. In the last days before the vote it will get worse.
The oil that Scotland has is a huge asset and NO campaign propaganda about it running out is nonsense. The oil assets in the North Sea are coveted by Westminster and have been a major underpinning of the pound’s strength over the last 40 years. The pound needs the oil assets and would not wish to lose it. England is likely to be the loser, not Scotland. Furthermore, even if Westminster somehow refuses to cooperate with Scotland over the continued sharing of the pound, there are plenty of small countries that have successful independent currencies. Some would argue that Westminster is clinging to the delusion that the pound is still an international powerhouse.
Nine of the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world are small - six smaller than Scotland - some with oil and gas and some with a strong social, national and/or industrial policy, such as Singapore.
Tying Scotland, with its assets and potential wealth, to a steadily declining UK economy is a strange long-term idea of being better. A No vote would be a vote for the long-term decline of Scotland and would be backward looking.
The many cultural, social and religious ties between Scotland and other parts of the UK would not be broken after a Yes vote. Scandinavia, comprising three separate adjacent countries, share many cultural, social and religious commonalities despite being independent states.
We can remain a strong contributor to the British Isles, the Commonwealth, NATO and the European Union - inside or outside of the UK. We would have a stronger position in the EU as we would more than double our number of MEPs.
The UK government is negotiating away the NHS through privatisation that will be forced on us through the TTIP. (This was confirmed by an article this week in the Lancet)
People in Scotland are angry about the corruption in the Westminster system - remember illegal wars fought for imaginary weapons of mass destruction, rendition flights to torture destinations that landed in Prestwick, cash for questions, and the MPs expenses scandals. There are no doubt some honest and honourable MPs, but there are many who aren't!
Devolution is a grace or favour gift and can be withdrawn on a whim. Some powers have been withdrawn. The House of Lords removed the renewable obligation powers from the Scottish government with a single vote!
The YES campaign has a disadvantage as the media puts a Unionist spin on everything. (For example, the BBC report of the Queen's statement on the referendum: though the Queen said "It is a matter for the people of Scotland" the item ended with the commentator saying "If Scotland vote YES her majesty will be upset". That was not news but journalistic spin based on speculation to make the story more favourable to the NO side!)
The next few years may be messy. It will not necessarily be better immediately if we vote YES. Things will not happen as fast as some want. For the vast majority of life things will be unchanged. If there is a problem, it will be our guddle to sort out! Both Scots and English people are pragmatic and will sort out the many issues to be resolved. Have you ever heard someone from the Republic of Ireland say " I wish we hadn't become independent and were still ruled from London!" All we are voting for is the right to elect our own governments, raise all our taxes and spend them as we want - just like any other country. Telling us not to “go” comes over as: “We don’t want you to run your own affairs. You must always have the governments we give you.”
Independence is not about erecting barriers. The Scots and English would still be the closest allies. We will be able to cross the border freely as we can between the south and north of Ireland (and which we could, even at the height of the troubles.) Independence gives us a chance to build a country that better reflects the identity and priorities of the majority of those who live here (both “ethnic” Scots and those like myself who have come here and taken the land to heart).
Most people in Scotland follow Burns in our scorn of privilege and our pursuit of fairness. We would rather spend taxes on schools and hospitals than protect banker's bonuses or project our might around the world with nuclear missiles and foreign wars. These are high-minded values and they rarely guide the governments we get lumbered with in Westminster.
The people of Scotland are currently being bombarded with scare stories, threats and vague promises. The BBC has abandoned its neutral stance and seems to be campaigning for a NO vote. But we have spent two years thinking about the issues so we will not be deterred by the No campaign's panicky last minute reactions.
(This is my personal view and reflects the reading I and research I have done over the last year and a half. Authors I have found helpful and whose views you may find echoed in this blogpost include George Monbiot, Gerry Hassan, Angus Roxburgh, Ian Godden, Lesley Riddoch, Owen Jones, et al )
