A lot has changed in the time that I have actually paid more than a passing interest in politics. To be honest, I never paid attention to anything prior to 1986, but that is the year I moved south. A few years later, in 1990, the poll tax was introduced to England and people were up in arms about it; someone asked me why I wasnt protesting and my answer was simple: what did you do last year when it was introduced to Scotland? The response was as expected: nothing as it didnt affect them then! Since then I have looked more at the situation between Scotland and England more closely, more so since I started my own personal journey around Scotland, looking more in to our history and culture. I have said for a long time that it doesnt matter how we vote in Scotland when it comes to Westminster; whoever the south of England vote for is the party that will be in power. But voting up here has changed, very dramatically, over the past few years. Prior to 1997, all attempts to get some sort of Scottish Parliament up and running all failed for one reason or another. Now maybe Braveheart did play a part in 1997 in getting Scots to look at themselves in a different way, but we got some power for ourselves (and even a say in English matters where we shouldnt really have!) and since then the momentum has kept going towards Scotland determining its own future... which with the SNP gaining so many seats in our last election leading us to this historic moment. I said even before a referendum was agreed that I would like to live in an independent Scotland. I dont know if tomorrow will see that dream come true or not, but I do think there is a chance it will... tho like most people I dont think I could say with any certainty how it will go. More than anything else tho I am interested in what will happen on Friday; when we wake up that day it will all be over and we can start looking to the future of Scotland as an independent nation or otherwise. Whatever the outcome is, some people arent going to be happy. If the vote goes for independence we will hopefully start to get some ideas of how this brave new Scotland will work. If the vote goes against then we will hopefully start to get some ideas of how this not so brave new Scotland will work. Either way there will be a lot of uncertainty, but the people of Scotland, irrespective of how they voted, need to move in to the future we will have created and do the best we can.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 22:08:30 +0000
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