In this weeks County Antrim Post I have a piece on the impact that a YES vote in the #indyref will have on Northern Ireland The decision made by the people of Scotland on Thursday will have wider implications than just for our Caledonian neighbours. A Yes vote on Thursday would be the biggest constitutional shakeup since the Act of Union 1800 and the partition of Ireland and will recast our relationship with the other nations on these islands. If the Scots vote No, the increased powers transferring from Westminster to Edinburgh will see calls for more powers to be devolved to the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies, as well as renewed calls for the establishment of an English Parliament, shifting us towards a federal United Kingdom. Scottish independence would cause a political earthquake that would rock the government in London to its very core and would cause tremors that would be felt in Northern Ireland. Our ties to Scotland are social, economic, political and historical. For the Scots to secede from the Union will inevitably call into question our position within the Union and will restart a public debate about where the future of Northern Ireland lies. Win or lose on Thursday the Scottish National Party has shown the world how an independence campaign should be conducted. Without firing a single shot they have brought their country to the verge of independence. This has been a wholly peaceful campaign based on ideas and policies. It has highlighted the absolute folly of the IRA campaign and that the carnage they brought to this community has not advanced the cause of Irish nationalism one iota. We have seen Scotland grow and mature as a country since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 whilst, sadly at the same time we have seen stagnation and division in Northern Ireland. At a time when the British government is talking about offering Scotland more powers in an effort to secure a No vote we see the failings of our own Executive as the DUP and Sinn Fein once again threaten to collapse the institutions over their failure to agree a deal on welfare reform. Whether the people of Scotland vote Yes or No it is the democratic process that has been the true winner. The people of Scotland have been able to engage in a grown-up, sensible debate on the future of their country. They have debated the big issues and they have done so in a way that has made the country stronger. Whether or not Scotland decides that it is Better Together or if it says Yes to Independence it will emerge on Friday morning as a radically altered country, but one that can count on the continued support and friendship of the people of Northern Ireland.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 15:27:42 +0000
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