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| Will my home city become the capital of a newly independent Scotland? |
Let me put my cards on the table. I have never been a member of the Scottish National Party and have no desire to become a politician anytime soon. I was a member of the Conservatives between 2009 and 2012 and left the party for a mixture of reasons - losing interest in party politics in general and being unable to support many of the decisions being taken by the UK coalition government, plus it's overall performance in a variety of issues (such as failure to stay successfully on track to tackling the UK's deficit).
But also, despite initially favouring Ruth Davidson for the leadership, I felt that the Scottish Conservatives took the wrong direction when Murdo Fraser's plans for disbanding the party and creating a new centre-right political party for Scotland were rejected. I felt then that my place in the party had disappeared and let my membership expire. I am approaching the issue on Scotland's constitutional future as an individual and I am only speaking for my own self now. I'm not really left or right anymore. I see myself as more of a pragmatist if anything (some may argue that I'm more of a populist, but I don't see things that way!).
Firstly, I want to congratulate everybody, Yes, No and those on the fence on what has been one of the most enlightening and thrilling debates of all time. Political apathy has well and truly been defeated for the first time in around three decades or so and we should all be proud of that. With a turnout of well over 80% to be expected, it is clear that many people want their voices heard on what is clearly a very important issue.
Despite there being some unpleasant moments of friction between some supporters of the two sides, the vast majority of people have debated the issues in an environment of respect and dignity. Although differences of opinion undoubtedly create some sort of disharmony, it is fair to say that none of us want to live in a world where everybody agrees with each other on every single last aspect or issue in life - where's the fun in that?
On Thursday, the nation's voters will be asked whether Scotland should become an independent country. It's fair to say that both options on the ballot paper carry a mixture of benefit and risk.
Let's start with the Yes option. Nearly nobody disputes that Scotland is more than capable of being a superb, prosperous and successful independent nation and that we are more than capable of running our own country. We are a wealthy country that has been blessed with a range of resources such as our talented population, oil and water. We also appeal to many tourists as a country worth visiting. We also have demonstrated to our friends all over the world that when we hold international events in the areas of arts, culture and sport, we are world class.
And we need to do much more in order to properly reach out to all corners of the globe. We need to become the number one place for business to come and invest in - after all, investment brings employment and prosperity. Although the level of investment into Scotland has increased over the last few years, we need to do far more to achieve that goal. People get terrified of the word competition, but I think it is the reality of our world today. We need to stand up and take our own unique place in what is becoming an ever more dynamic and globalised world.
Evan Davis' excellent documentary "Mind The Gap: London v the Rest", which was broadcast on the BBC, demonstrated to me why Scotland needs to take responsibility for all of it's economic matters. Now please don't get me wrong, London is a fabulous city and I visit the city a lot and enjoy my experiences there, but it just feels like it is prioritised too often over other parts of the United Kingdom for investment and economic growth. There simply aren't enough job opportunities for people my age in Scotland, nor is there enough support to help our future generations come out of secondary or tertiary education and into a successful career and good quality of living.
People like myself have had no choice but to leave home in order to further a career. And if I'm honest, although it's great to travel around and have a different environment every now and again, I actually resent having to face the idea of having no choice but to leaving my own country in order to make progress within my own life. My friends and family live here and I want to live, work and build my life in Scotland and I seriously think that the country needs much more autonomy in order to take it's own direction economically.
But I also acknowledge that there are risks that will be taken with independence. Many people are still anxious about the currency issue and wonder whether we will still be using the Pound Sterling. However, I am very confident that whether we end up in a currency union or not that the currency we currently have will still be the one we are using in the immediate aftermath of becoming an independent country. However, I do believe that one day, like other nations such as the Republic of Ireland and Australia, we will have our own currency (such as the Scottish Pound for instance). There's nothing to fear from that - these nations and many more started out in a similar way and then over the years they used their own currency and have gone on to be successful since.
And what about the No option? Well, we will still remain a nation state within the United Kingdom as it stands today. I guess not much will change - we'll still have the BBC, have MP's representing us at Westminster and retain British passports. But as far as the constitutional issue is concerned, dare I say this but I fear that after many years of debate and ideas being exchanged and discussed that we will end up with nothing. It's all well and good to hear the three main parties who support the union propose ideas for more new powers for Scotland. But from what I've heard in the news over the last week or so, it's just not good enough.
It seems like we will only get some powers and nothing like devolution max. And what's more, that option isn't even on the ballot paper - it could have been though. Also, how will MP's and voters react in the rest of the UK? I think very few people there will happily approve of the idea of giving Scotland any more powers. Whilst I applaud those on the No side aspiring to see more devolution taking place in Scotland, I strongly think that it is not achievable. The idea of devolving more powers to Scotland in the aftermath of a No vote is politically impossible and probably won't gain approval at Westminster.
I have to applaud the current administration at Holyrood for it's competence in ensuring that policies such as free NHS prescriptions and the abolition of tuition fees for students in Scotland have been implemented - ensuring that you have appropriate policies in order to cater for the social needs of the population is vital. Although I do agree that welfare reform is necessary, I do not feel comfortable about some of the things that have unfolded. The rise in the number of food banks is troubling and the way the welfare system is run is frankly not working effectively. Also, the policy of the spare room subsidy has proven to be an absolute disaster and should never have been implemented in the first place. If Scotland's voters don't want such policies, then why should they be brought about in the first place?
On another note, I am absolutely sick, tired and fed up of listening to some people who doubt our capability to run our own nation. I feel that the decision I am about to announce has been vindicated by the events of this past week - the scare stories which illustrate that some sort of an economic catastrophe will hit our country have been nothing short of ridiculous. I'm actually really angry, hurt and very disappointed about the way my country has been treated, sneered upon and viewed over our future, because of the referendum - call me emotional if you want, but this decision is a mixture of head and heart. It's a democratic decision. The world will respect it and if we are set to become an independent country then I would expect there to be a degree of anticipation for us to take our own place in the world.
I respect the views of everyone whether they are voting Yes, No or don't intend to vote at all. I have no doubt that we all, whichever viewpoint we accept, want the best for Scotland. I absolutely condemn any intimidation, abuse or questioning of anybody's patriotism within this debate. Whilst I am more than delighted to debate the issues with anybody in a calm, constructive and dignified manner, I will have absolutely no time for anybody who is looking for trouble of any kind (and it doesn't matter what stance you take on the debate either!).
And finally, I could go on and write a book about all of my thoughts on the future of our country, but I don't have time. And you probably don't have time to read them either. Which is why I'm going to declare that after weighing all of the risks and benefits, I am convinced that the benefits of Scottish independence outweigh the risks. I am supporting a Yes vote and I'm ready to embrace the independence of the Scottish nation (if it happens).
Thank you very much.
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