Generally I avoid political posts. This isn’t through lack of something approaching vague convictions. Rather, I suppose, it’s an increasing awareness that black and white answers to anything are increasingly difficult – and any search for concrete facts (not just those stories that handily confirm our preconceptions) borders on becoming an errand for fools (though I wish not to discourage those with a genuine desire for what is right or true). I guess I’m one of those quite comfortable saying “I’m not 100% sure where I stand” on numerous issues. And so it is with tomorrow’s biggie. Thankfully my opinion doesn’t really matters on the issue, nor should anybody really care what us English folk have to say, but I thought I’d offer some random thoughts and musings on the topic because, ya know, some things irritate me and I kinda wanna address them. Actually, there are loads of little things that bug me: the Negative Norman approach from the “No” camp has bordered on the silly – there might be some areas of uncertainty, but all of this, “You won’t be able to keep the pound”, “You’re totes not getting back into the EU”, “All of your businesses will leave!” and “The Border Collie you so dearly love will be oh so upset and confused and depressed in the event of a ‘Yes’” is frustrating. From what I can see it’s a mixture of falsehoods, uncertainty and, when based on truth, comes hand in hand with a distinctly petulant attitude. The very idea of trying to reprimand Scotland by smacking its bum and taking away its toys is patronising nonsense, unbefitting of national relations, and I want nothing to do with it. It is, however, reasonable for regular people to have worries, concerns and fears. “Project Fear” it might be sometimes, but the labelling of people as “cowards” or “not truly Scottish” (from either side) is, I think, unhelpful. It’s also frustrating when people seize upon rumour or misinformation and propagate it, merely because it supports their case. That mega oil-field off the Shetlands? I don’t know. Maybe. It’s possible. I find it odd that Cameron, as foolish as he can be sometimes, would draw attention to it by going over there, but… maybe. That’s not a helpful answer though, and the economic case for a prosperous Scotland can be made without it, so why bother? Likewise, endlessly circulating the Jim Murray story (as ugly as the egg incident might have been) ignores the various incidents of misbehaviour on the part of Unionists. What else? The media bias in favour of the “Better Together” camp has grated a bit. Articles supporting independence often seem like token bones thrown toward the crowd to create a mask of impartiality. I don’t think it’s fooling anyone, and it’s the BBC, a news organisation I generally trust, that has been one of the worst offenders; the “Yes” camp have every right to find it frustrating. Having said that, it’s not a great idea to endlessly cast doubt on everything that goes against you, just because it’s being reported by the mainstream media. The polls are incredibly close now, and I’m fairly certain they’re an accurate enough reflection of actual opinion, but there have been times people have said, “That polling company is owned by so and so and therefore the results can’t be trusted!”, only to change their opinion when the same company shows a swing in their favour the following week. Whatever the case, polls don’t count towards the final results, so get campaigning and do your best to ignore them. Complacency won’t help you, and Assumption is Failure’s mother. The most frustrating part of this whole process is, for me at least, the endless imputations of malice and deceit; Alex Salmond might only be a self-serving, power hungry, egomaniac because for your narrative that’s a helpful spin on his personality; likewise, as much as they frustrate me at times, Brown and Darling are not “the Ev1l”, collectively responsible for destroying the economy (at the very least, a global economic crash cannot be laid solely at the feet of one or two people); Unionists aren’t all cowards; Nationalists aren’t angry racists; people who hold opposing views might, ya know, be pretty awesome people. And with that incoherent fart of the brain, I’ll leave my Scottish friends with a message of good luck – whatever you end up choosing. If you leave, I hope you prosper and have the best freaking party ever on hearing the news. And if you stay with us, well, let’s try to make things better together – if you’ll allow me to say that without vomiting on my shoes. How would I vote? Probably “Yes”, if I were Scottish, though part of me does have a sentimental view of the union. But whatever, it’s not my opinion that counts, nor should it be. And heck, the above probably reads like the words of a namby pamby ditherer with a pseudo-moralistic disposition, so ignore me and do what you feel is right. I’ll be raising a glass of whisky (definitely not “whiskey”) either way. Again, best of luck.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 19:47:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015