Ive spent a long time thinking after the referendum and Ive made the decision to join the Green Party. I know that many people are joining the SNP, an unprecedented amount in a very short time, and I understand that a party with the core vision of independence is a big pull to many people. Where I disagree is that my political thinking isnt defined by independence, and never has been. I simply see independence as the best way to attain a government that truly represents common political consensus in Scotland, some people - a majority of people - didnt. I would also like to add that I dont want to be defined as part of the 45% either, although I did, proudly, vote Yes. I see it as divisive and feel that we should progress through the channels that were built and maintained by the energy that the 100% had during the referendum. I will not be joining the tinfoil hat brigade, regardless of whether or not the voting was flawed as I see it as counterproductive, and will only boycott the BBC because of other beliefs that I have, namely the cover up of paedophilia within television centre and not because of the bias in the referendum. I am delighted I can still watch Doctor Who on the iPlayer without paying a TV license while saving £140 a year. I said throughout the campaign that I was not an SNP voter and I would ask anyone who is joining them only out of hatred towards Westminster or love of the concept of independence to have a long hard look at all of their policies. My main gripe is a reduction in corporation tax. While I agree that inward investment is welcome, I think that companies should come to invest long term in Scotland to build stable jobs instead of the poverty wages that weve come accustomed to. I do like certain policies, the removal of Trident is one that Im particularly drawn by. The power that the SNP could wield after the next election should not be so great that they can do whatever they want without political opposition. This, I believe, is the biggest challenge for the independence movement. Parties with too much power become stale and unrepresentative of the views of the electorate and this could work against the very vision weve attempted to realise. Id urge everyone to actually calm down and spend a bit of time thinking about how we can make Scotland stronger, within the narrow parameters we have following the No vote, until we get another chance to vote for independence. Go SSP, go Green or go SNP if you believe in independence, fair enough, but please look at the policies of parties instead of the one definitive goal that they have. If the majority of parties returned to Holyrood are pro independence then another referendum will be realised anyway. On top of this, the amount of posts Ive seen accusing No voters of voting for war has been ridiculous. The question wasnt should we fight IS or not and while Im totally opposed to war over diplomacy I think the time has come to hold our politicians accountable instead of each other. This, again, just plays into the hands of the elite that many of us were supposed to be opposing. Im sure Ill get some shit for saying half of this but I dont care. I disagree that independence is the only way to reform the politics of this country. Furthermore, I refuse to be defined as Yes for the rest of my life. I may change to No just as quickly as many Nos have changed to Yes. I doubt it but its a possibility. We should all change our views dependent on what were being asked at different times. I love the passion that I can see in people about politics and urge everyone to continue that. Get involved in your community if you think it could be better. Lets educate ourselves and inform others. Lets be the beacon of democracy that we were talking about, until September the 18th when half the country took the huff and half the country stared at their shoes because of the debate they wanted to avoid, and try to understand why enough people didnt vote Yes and work with them to answer more of the important questions before next time. Many people wanted to vote Yes but didnt think it was the right time. Lets be proactive about it instead of reactive and be ready for the chance next time. If anyone thinks Im wrong feel free to tell me; Ive been wrong before. Im looking forward to a new Scotland. I wont stop badgering Cameron about our new powers either. Ive been enjoying that too much :)
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 16:43:17 +0000