For me this is the most exciting election night since the US presidential election of 2008. More fascinating than any German regional or national election in the last ten years. So much at stake for the UK but also Europe in general. A bit scary, but I also very much like the fact that citizens get to vote on really big issues, like independence or choosing the leader of the sole remaining super-power. Much more exciting than simply choosing party bureaucrats as it often feels like in Germany. Still, Germanys democracy is on the national level less disfunctional than Americas and maybe the UKs as well. The Scottish independence movement is so strong because of the huge disappointment by Westminster. Most Germans and Americans seem to think this is about nationalism. No, its about democracy. Many Scots think that their voice inside the UK is not strong enough to get more progressive, social democratic, more EU-friendly policies, etc. The strength of the independence movement is the consequence of the screw-ups by Labor and the Tories 30 years ago, in the last 17 years, but also in the last 17 weeks. Therefore Germanys political elites will continue with consensus politics and shy away from big structural reforms, including those we need very much. So, elections will stay boring. A good old Scottish friend from Aberdeen would ask me: Is that good or bad? Well, both. Most US and German commentators focus on the potential negative repercussions in case the YES campaign wins. Understandable, but also unfortunate. The negative consequences could be smaller, and there could also be positive change. I do, however, believe that the NO campaign will win with a small margin tonight, because most Scots are concerned about the uncertainties of a split: currency, pensions, debt, membership in international organizations etc. Besides, Scots will also benefit from a NO vote as the the UK government has promised to give more powers to Edinburgh in that case. That was one of their bribes to convince them to stay in the Union. I hope the NO vote will win, but only with a small margin. This will continue to send shock waves across the UK and could lead to more responsive, accountable, progressive politics and strenghten the union. But hey, what do I know? Nobody can know for sure, what will happen. See this video, esp. at 4:40 theguardian/politics/video/2014/sep/17/scottish-referendum-explained-for-non-brits-video (Thanks for the link, Olaf Boehnke) Whats your take? Cosmo Macfarlane, Natasha Doff, Josh Posaner, Sean Kay, Fiona Adamson, Elias Gladstone, Bryony Taylor? P.S.: To counter the many awful Braveheart videos in social and online mass media, I would like to share this Trainspotting clip:
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:41:52 +0000
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