For the last wee while some of you may have noticed some news coverage about Scottish independence. This post is about the value of an independent Scotland for me, so if you are not interested in politics then move along. It will all be over in a few months and you will likely never have to hear about it outside of history again.
If you follow me on Facebook or twitter then you will have seen a plethora of posts about this subject. I have mostly kept this subject away from my company except for a small post about donating to Yes Scotland. I think that you can guess which side I come down on. However, there is a nefarious dynamic to the debate.
I have been appalled by the bias of the BBC and the mainstream media in general. Steven Borg warned me that my faith in the BBC was misplaced but I failed to listen. I am listening now, and even the BBC’s own internal regulatory body has sanctioned it more than once for its position. Indeed, as we enter the final 200 days, there are tight rules forcing all media to be impartial. We can already see many that are flouting the rules. If its negative for the Independence debate, then it gets plenty of airtime, if its positive, it gets ignored.
Just look for coverage of the circa 2000 people who protested outside the BBC, or the fake reports of 34,000 people turning up for Armed Forces Day ! Now that was a farce.
For me, the question of independence is one of value. Value for me and for my children and their children. This is not a decision that I take on the basis of short term financial gain / or loss, nor even one of the wants and needs of my ancestors. I believe that Scotland should be an independent country. I believe that there is more value in being independent and being able to control our treaties with everyone, including England.
Some key issues for me:
Yes, the future is unknown. In fact, I would suggest that I have a much greater chance of knowing what the future holds with iScotland than with rUK. Both the Scottish government and the Westminster parties have laid down what they believe the future will look like. It is, however, just a prediction as no one can know what is around the corner.
If you take all of the scare stories out of the picture what will change? What do we know for sure?
How about a little exercise?
I get asked, time and again, by both Europeans and Americans, which way I think it will go. While I support Yes Scotland (with money not just with platitudes and ’likes’) I really do not know. The polls are so close, 3-5 points in it, with a large group of undecided and it is really hard to tell. This is a contest that will go to the wire, and have both sides pulling out the stops as we get closer to a result. It will either be a vista of democratic beauty or a brawl of epic proportions. I know what I am expecting, and we all need to be aware of the dangers ahead as well as the values.
I don’t expect it to be pretty, but I am looking forward to Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, debating Alistair Darling, the chairman on the No campaign. Whatever happens on September 18th there will be a lot of unhappy people above and below the border.
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