It may not come as a surprise to John Milne (Letters, March 20) that I am what is often referred to as a natural Labour voter. My father was a Highland railwayman all his life, as were his father, grandfather and great grandfather before him. They were all lifelong trade unionists, some holding senior positions within the NUR/ RMT. My father was a Labour Party member, councillor and activist. I have been a trade unionist all my life and, for a period, a shop steward. I was a Labour member and activist for some years. My whole family are voting Yes, for independence - that is six former Labour voters. I am not a nationalist but I am a Scotsman. Scotland is a nation and I am an internationalist. I feel no affinity with the political and commercial construct that is the British state, and particularly those who run it. I have no love for those who represent Better Together, especially Alistair Darling. Mr Darling is a career politician who stands to lose much if Scotland becomes independent. His motivations are selfish but he is not alone in that regard. He has little credibility, in my eyes, having been in charge of the banking regulation that facilitated the recent collapse. Supposedly we are all paying for it and will be for decades to come. Unionist politicians are keen to tell us were part of the most successful political union in history; were better together. The Union is currently run by Tories, the state is massively in debt, wages are stagnant, the cost of living is increasing by the week, services are being cut annually, the bankers are paying themselves obscene bonuses again, energy prices are pushing increasing numbers into fuel poverty, there has been an almost exponential rise in the number of food banks and the gap between rich and poor continues to increase, with Scottish child poverty standing at about 25%. Believe me when I say that the only reason the No vote seems complacent is because much of that component simply doesnt believe the Better Together message. That someone says theyll vote No doesnt speak of their conviction - it speaks of their fear and uncertainty of change. Scots wanted Devo-Max as a voting option, not because they see that as an end in itself, it is simply the desire of a cautious and confidence-lacking people; a stepping stone on the path to full independence. Polling shows that Scots would prefer independence, but in their own time. The pace has quickened and the time scale changed. Our only option is to vote Yes. Roddie MacLennan
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 00:37:05 +0000