Im going to weigh in on the independence thing, since the latest thing is to put more effort into your argument on the merits/possible pitfalls of independence for your 400 Facebook friends than youve probably put into any of the school or university essays youve ever written. And you know, its kind of a big deal. Im voting Yes. Im voting Yes because I have a memory that, incredibly, stretches longer than a few weeks. I remember asking my parents what went wrong with New Labour and Blair and them telling me they slowly realised, after being led for twenty years by one of the worst governments anyone north of Manchester had ever seen, they had been betrayed by the one party left that claimed to stand for the working class of this country. Labour had, in order to regain power, had become the Conservative-lite party. I remember slowly realising that the War on Terror, which started when I was 11, wasnt a war on anything of the sort, but in fact a controlled geopolitical war over resource control. I dont buy into the notion that Scotland wouldnt be at less risk from terrorism as an independent country. When was the last time a small, peaceful nation - the kind of nation we would become - was targeted by a major terrorist group? There will always be a risk, but to me, the risk of attack will be greater if we remain part of the country that has killed, injured and displaced millons in the middle east over the past 13 years. I remember the utter dismay I felt a few years ago as I watched many of our elected representatives pulled up for taking taxpayers money and using it on moats for their castles and individual kennels for each of their twenty dogs and Jacobean Ruffs for their dinner parties. They got a slap on the wrist, and now their salaries are increasing by £7,600 to £74,000 in a time where many public employees pay is frozen or increasing well below inflation, in a time of austerity and budget cuts that are pushing people into poverty and hardship. I remember the government announcing that the poorest people in our society would bear the brunt of austerity through brutal welfare cuts, while parliament - apparently committed to nuclear disarmament - agreed to spend more than £100 billion in the near future replacing nuclear submarines. At the same time, one million people in the UK rely on food banks. Unforgivable. I remember seeing Nick Clegg on the first televised debate before the 2010 election and thinking weve finally got someone who sounds in touch with the people of the country. I then watched him and his party abandon their principles as Liberals when they formed a coalition with the Conservatives. I remember shaking my head in disbelief in the run-up to the Alternative Vote referendum in 2011 as the polls showed the electoral reform this country is desperate for would fall at the first hurdle - an incredible 68% of the pathetic 42% turnout chose to vote against making our parliament fairer and more representative. That will be always one of my markers for where this country stood at this stage. The great British public couldnt be bothered finding out what was wrong with the first past the post system or why Alternative Vote would give THEM a bigger voice and make their country more democratic. The faith in the power of people I mistakenly held was lost after that vote. It has been restored by the Yes campaign - at least half the country is no longer afraid and that fills me with pride. I remember feeling helpless as I entered the polling station for the first - and last, if we remain in the UK - time knowing I was about to vote for a party that had no chance of victory in my area. My vote didnt count. Thats the reality of living in the UK - unless you live in a regularly contested constituency, your vote will not count in the vast majority of general elections in your lifetime. I cant claim to understand the economic intricacies of the situation, and neither can most people. But what many have failed to appreciate is that economics is as open to interpretation and personal philosophy as any other field - thats why weve had economists and businessmen take both sides in the debate. Economists disagree as often as philosophers and scientists and politicians. What I do know is that there are very few small, resource rich countries that fail, economically or otherwise. I have every confidence in the ability of the people of Scotland to survive, and thrive. Questions remain over currency, however we can be sure that a healthy independent Scottish economy would be in the UKs best interests, therefore the chances of them hammering us post-February 2016 are slim. We have all agreed for years that Britain is an unequal, broken country. So why now are we clinging to it? Why are there still people who claim wed be better together? Were expected to take the word of David Cameron, whose party deleted all of its recent speeches and campaign information from its website in an effort to cover the broken promises. Ed Miliband, whose party abandoned the working class that it once spoke for? Nick Clegg, proud owner of the worst political gaffe in recent memory when he held up a sign pledging not to raise tuition fees then proceeded to raise tuition fees in the coalition. These promises were hearing over new powers for Scotland can easily be reneged upon, or even blocked by the parliament which has started revolting already. They promised us devolution in 1979 and we didnt get it until 1997, and that was under a different government. Will we have to wait until 2032 to get these new powers? Will we even get them at all? If you want to talk about uncertainty, look no further than a Westminster promise. This is about those who have been left behind by austerity and successive governments by the elite, for the elite. Sure, wed still be run by politicians. But your vote would be 1 in 5 million, not 1 in 64 million. I truly believe that as power is more directly visible, those that hold it become easier to hold to account. Smaller countries that run themselves well are more transparent, more personal, and typically more progressive. There is no reason we cant become all those things. I appreciate there are challenges. Nothing is certain and no one claims that Scotland will become a utopia. But this is a chance for a clean break from the UK which has come to stand for hypocrisy, an elite ruling class, illegal wars, class division, overbearing privatisation, and many other wonderful things. If the result is as close as polls suggest, its clear there is a real appetite for change in this country. We dont get the governments we vote for - in fact the way we vote very rarely changes the government we get. Democracy has failed this country and will continue to fail if we remain in the UK. A No vote will be a victory for the elite we claimed to be tired of only a few years ago. A Yes vote will give us a chance to create something we dont have to be embarrassed to be a part of. If you vote No, thats fine. Youre still my friend, probably. Or maybe I just keep you on Facebook to laugh at your terrible status updates. But I hope you vote Yes, because at this point, it HAS become about hope over fear.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:40:59 +0000
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