Advertiser letter31 It seems many people have been persuaded to believe that independence for Scotland is too risky and that we must remain dependent on UK government from London to survive. The Better Together campaign has so far successfully diverted attention from the risks and threats of remaining in the UK. Supporters of a “No” vote say Scottish independence would put the health of our economy at risk, but avoid mentioning that it is Scotlands North Sea oil which has been keeping the UK economy afloat for the last 30 years. The greatest threat to developing our huge offshore renewable resources comes from Westminster’s drive towards nuclear power and fracking for gas. ‘No’ campaigners threaten that an independent Scotland would risk our EU membership, but avoid mentioning that the biggest threat to our being in Europe comes from the Tories and UKIP leading the charge through the exit door via a UK in/out referendum in 2017. They say independence would threaten the strength of our public services, such as social care, day nurseries and education, but avoid mentioning the £25 billion UK austerity cuts which will severely affect Scotland and these services after the 2015 general election. They say that an independent Scotland would put at risk our welfare, pensions, and free tuition fees, but avoid mentioning the poor existing level of UK pensions, the UK plans to increase the pension age from 2020, and the increasing student debt outside Scotland. They say that independence would threaten Scotlands health services and that Scotland would be too poor to fund free prescriptions and free personal care prescriptions, but avoid mentioning that Scotland is a wealthy country, which has for decades contributed more in taxation to the UK Treasury than it has got back in Westminster funding. They say that independence would threaten Scotlands security in a dangerous world, but avoid mentioning the increasing amounts of the UK defence budget, which will have to be spent on the multi-billion pound cost of unusable nuclear missiles and a second aircraft carrier, which will be unaffordable and mothballed. There are bigger threats to the things we value from voting ‘no.’ Saying ‘Yes’ gives us the opportunity to create the society we want to live in.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 08:45:34 +0000
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