I have voted Yes in the referendum by postal ballot. My decision is the result of reading many books and hundreds of articles but more importantly speaking to people across the spectrum in Scotland. I have also listened to many speeches from the different sides. I was originally a Devo Max supporter but was disappointed to see that this was not going to be on the ballot. I am sure if it had been then Scotland would have voted overwhelmingly for it. However the additional devolution powers mentioned by Gordon Brown and others seem to me more like Devo Min. I have read the lengthy Scottish Labour Devolution Commission Report which was published in March. I was surprised and greatly saddened to see how it was unadventurous and lacking in any radical ideas. I had really hoped for more. It was only after reading Gerry Hassans book The Strange Death of Labour Scotland that I understood the extent to which radical ideas have been filleted out of the Labour Party. This was compounded for me by the way a pro independence speaker was howled down at the Scottish Labour Party conference. I quite liked the LibDems federation ideas and was surprised that the most radical ideas in the No camp came from the Conservatives. The question is - could I trust the three Westminister parties to come up with the goods? The way the least adventurous ideas were being touted at the last moment by Gordon Brown and were being signed up to by the other two parties suggests to me that only the minimal change is likely. Federation is unlikely as there is no real demand for it in England despite what John Redwood says. The risks to voting No have been well summarised by John Fitzgerald: -Relentless triangulation rightwards - Obsession with financial sector at the expense of the real economy - Failure to act on climate change: energy policy favours fossils at the expense of demand reduction and renewables - Push to privatise formerly public services (both Labour and Conservatives) - Push to make formerly universal social protections conditional and ‘earned’ (both Labour and Conservatives) - Possible Brexit (UK referendum on leaving the EU may well happen in 2017) - Playing with Nukes + ill-chosen wars of choice = major security risks - Ageing demographic + short-sighted immigration policy = fiscal timebomb Of course there are also significant risks in Independence. I do not expect to be financially better off for many years. I expect there to financial problems for several years until we can achieve stability and I do not expect the Westminister parties to drive a fair deal. I expect AND WELCOME an increase in the taxes I pay. I hope that council tax will be increased - holding down this progressive tax only benefits the better off and I am disappointed that the SNP government has maintained the freeze. I believe in higher taxes to pay for better services. I do not see any party either No or Yes saying that. I do not expect the SNP to become a left wing party suddenly but to continue on its moderate social democratic path. It has been disappointing in many ways but it is not the only voice for change in Scotland. I do however hope that the Scottish Labour Party will reinvent itself and gain its radical path again. It has a long hill to climb. What will be exciting will be the continuing mobilisiation of large parts of the population who have been disenfranchised by the poll tax and by their dislike of politiicians generally. I do not think that they will let the SNP indulge in too much backsliding. I cant say that Quakers have been much of an influence on me in this decision. In discussions we have tended to believe in the same directions but just disagree on the way. Although local meetings have discussed the Referendum in detail, the General Meeting for Scotland and Britain Yearly Meeting have in reality opted out. I am not impressed by people who prattle on about the need to heal Scotlands divisions post Referendum when they have refused to express openly their views pre Referendum. Tensions are getting higher now in Scotland prior to Thursday. I have read of No campaigners suffering abuse. My experience is that as a Yes supporter I have been abused and called a racist and selfish and sworn at. However the real reason I voted Yes was that this way there was a hope that Scotland could change direction and be a beacon of decency. It has been many years since I could say I was proud to belong to my country - whether Britain or Scotland. Involvement in illegal wars and the continuing obscenity of Trident and its replacement are major factors in my decision. I do not see the Wesminster parties opposing further wars or the replacement of Trident. I have been influenced by the ideas and examples of better ways of doing things. Lesley Riddochs Blossom (lesleyriddoch/blossom-the-book.html) is full of such examples from Scandinavia and I know from my own observations in Sweden that there are many better ways. Gerry Hassans Caledonian Dreaming shows how Scotland could improve - his Fifty Possible Policy Actions list ways that local democracy can be increased and a more open society created.gerryhassan/blog/how-to-make-a-new-scottish-democracy/ Finally the Jimmy Reid Foundations Common-Weal has had a significant influence on my hope for the future. As its final section says: These are broad themes for a transition from the current, failing free market model of economic and social development to a new and distinctively Scottish model of the Common Weal. Scotland is buzzing with people thinking about a better, more equal future and there is lots of work being done in different places. Just as the concept of neoliberalism encompassed a wide range (from Thatcher’s ‘can’t buck the market’ to Blair’s ‘we can help with the worst impacts of the market’), so the concept of Common Weal is broad and can encompass different ideas and different approaches. However, it’s very basis is that it is not simply a different version of what we have now. The last five years in the UK were simply a story of repeating the same mistakes from before. Without a fundamental change in our behaviour, we are going to continue to repeat the same mistakes indefinitely. Scotland - independent or not - must make a decision. If we continue on the current path the inevitable destination is greater inequality and ever fewer public services on which to rely. If we want something different, we have to choose it.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 16:22:46 +0000