Yes, we know it is forever! Reading the BBC news website, articles from various of the UK’s news media pages, and following social media with fascination, it is very clear that the week of 8th September 2014 can easily be considered amongst the darkest of periods in Scotland’s history for truth and democracy, an appalling cauldron of one-sided bias and spin, and who is to say it won’t get worse today, or tomorrow? However, we can surely hope that on 18th day of this month a true bigger picture will emerge, a picture which reflects the enthusiastic, positive, buoyant and determined mood of the majority of the people of Scotland at the prospect of slipping the harness and going a different way. Like very many of you I am sick to the back teeth of hearing phrases like “You do know if you do this there is no going back, this is for good”. Well it may surprise some to know that yes indeed the massive and still continually burgeoning grassroots movement for change in Scotland are fully aware that this is forever. That is why it is called Independence, not separatism, not nationalism, Independence!. If I ever hear the words “strength and security” in the same sentence again and “What Alex Salmond and the nationalists will tell you is…” for the rest of my life it will be too soon. How many times do we all have to point out that the majority of people committed to an Independent self-governing Scotland are absolutely nothing to do with the Scottish National Party or First Minister Alex Salmond? The Yes Scotland Campaign is a huge colourful diverse band of people of all persuasions, with wide ranging political beliefs or none at all, but they have one significant major thing in common, they believe that Scotland will be better off in control of its own destiny, a country managing its own finances, its own resources, its own services for its people, a country committed to social justice, the reduction and eradication of poverty for its citizens, and strong public services to meets their needs, a country where the people who live there get to decide who governs them, for their benefit, and not be treated as a resource rich province to be plundered at will and otherwise ignored. You’ve had it all this week folks. Your ears must be bleeding. Mind you didn’t we all say last weekend, following the announcement that was inevitably going to made, information that couldn’t be suppressed any longer, that the momentum is clearly showing Scots moving towards a Yes vote in increasing numbers, that all of this extreme scaremongering was coming your way? You’ve had the Prime Minister of the UK David Cameron, who earlier in the campaign when he was feeling smug about how the polls were doing, had suggested that he “wasn’t getting involved as the Referendum was a matter for the people of Scotland” dramatically cancel Prime Minister’s Question Time in Parliament, hoist an unwilling Saltire over the top of his residence in some sort of a gimmick that fools no one, and charge up to Scotland as part of a gang of three, with his insignificant dodgy offsider( who surely must be regretting his former choices of political parties to jump into bed with) Nick Clegg, and the leader of what used to be the Labour Party Ed Miliband. He, and them, were coming to speak to, and listen to, the people of Scotland apparently. It is interesting then that the only people he spoke to during his much publicised visit were an invited politically sanitised audience behind closed doors. When did he speak to the rest of the people? Did he do a public walk-about in Edinburgh, in Glasgow, in Dundee, Aberdeen perhaps? Did we miss something? What kind of a society is it currently you have in the United Kingdom where the Premier of that state does not feel confident enough to go out into the streets of Scotland and talk to its people convincingly about his views on their future, or indeed, despite many invitations, agree to take on the First Minister of Scotland one on one, toe to toe, in a debate about Scotland’s future? Surely if he is that committed, confident and caring about the people of Scotland he should be jumping at the chance to make a clear convincing argument that backs that up? He’s heartbroken apparently! I would suggest however that he’s only heartbroken at the prospect of going down in history as the Prime Minister in charge at the time of the greatest significant change in the history of British politics, the final demise of empire. Alex Salmond, the SNP, you, me, the majority of the people of Scotland are not building a new empire, we are helping to end an irrelevant one, and we are joining the world! Then you’ve had train loads of politicians from down south charging up as quick as their expenses accounts will let them, imploring you all to stay with the Union, in not so many words saying things like “Honest folks we’ve got all of these great new plans for giving you more powers in Scotland, em, em, that we’ve just thought up! To get them all you have to do is vote against getting full powers!” In the final days of this great debate, after postal votes have already been made, this is indeed embarrassing and a clear sign of desperation. Do they really and truly think that the people of Scotland will believe all of that guff? I’m entirely disgusted at the Labour Party’s behaviour in all of this farce. If there is such a thing as an afterlife the founders of this once great movement for social change are surely weeping. You’ve had the Governor of the Bank of England (The central bank of both Scotland and the rest of the countries of the UK) tell you that currently Independence is “incompatible with sovereignty” citing that there would need to be cross border ties and banking rules before there could be any deal brokered on a currency union between Scotland and the remaining United Kingdom. His comments provided further clarity to a statement he previously made in January of this year. He also said that “The opposition of Britain’s three main political parties to discussing common rules covering monetary, fiscal and tax policies meant a currency union could not get off the starting blocks”. Bear that in mind folks, because that is crucial. Nothing he has said this week is any different in its intent to anything he said previously, or is in any way unanticipated by the current Scottish limited powers Government with regards to their future negotiations and settlement discussions with the remaining United Kingdom after a mandate for Independence has been provided by the people of Scotland on 18th September. The crux of the matter is this, currently, as we all know, Independence is hypothetical. We all saw the massive scaremongering about the currency and financial markets earlier in the week, where in reality the trends in the markets have been consistently declining for months. This sudden decline was directly attributed to a lack of confidence in the markets because of the possibility of Scottish independence. Perhaps in this case yes, that was a factor, but markets fluctuate constantly anyway and financial confidence is going to be an important influence on the outcome of the settlement of Scotland’s financial future. On the 19th of September, if and when there is democratic majority decision by the people of Scotland to mandate self-government, the position changes completely, and Mr Carney has been canny enough to give himself wiggle room to be able to make further comments should freedom for Scots to choose their own government be the outcome. If Independence is the choice of the people those involved in negotiating the settlement of assets and debts on Scotland’s behalf will have what they don’t have at the moment, something significant, they have financial leverage. Scotland owns part of the physical assets of the UK. Scotland owns part of the Bank of England’s assets, an Independent Scotland has sovereign rights over the resources of our country. We’ve all seen the wee graphic on Facebook and Twitter which reflects that Scotland has 8.2 per cent of the population and then goes on to list the assets we have, all in far higher percentages than 8.2 per cent. This asset base is significant in any settlement. Every scare, every negative comment, every attempted bribe, that is uttered by the UK government up until the polling booths close on 18th September become entirely irrelevant, in the event of a Yes vote becoming reality. In this case the first and most crucial priority for the Westminster government will be to ensure they are operating in a stable financial market. The second priority would be to ensure that Scotland takes responsibility for its share of the UK’s debts. Thirdly in any negotiation they will be seeking to establish shared ownership of some assets. There is no other option for them at that point, when the people of Scotland have made their democratic commitment to take control of their own assets, unless Westminster wants financial markets to take severe damage and a long term hit, and Scotland to not take on a share of the UK as a whole’s debts, but to back track, and agree to a currency union. They know it, we know it and the Governor of the Bank of England knows it. That is why he made sure he made reference to the fact that it can’t work whilst the three major parties disagree with it. There will be a currency union, and it will be done quickly and efficiently in a timely manner to ensure that confidence is maintained or rebuilt in currency and the UK’s assets in financial markets. The Bank of England will make sure that any real or perceived barriers are removed or negotiated, and a currency union between Independent Scotland and the rest of the UK will be established. Then this week you’ve had threats of divorce from everybody and their auntie, large Financial Service Institutions, Big Business, massive Corporations, the lot, all telling you that if you vote Yes they are for the off and heading south. Please, if you actually believe all of that, particularly if you are of a younger generation who hasn’t seen this type of bullying and manipulation being brought to bear on the people of Scotland before, do a bit of research into the 1979 Scottish Assembly Referendum and the 1997 Scottish Devolution Referendum. Check out what threats were made prior to these important key moments in Scottish history and then have a look at whether these companies actually left Scotland, or in fact have prospered ever since, and are still making profits whilst located in Scotland. Then satisfy yourself with your decision on which way to vote. This issue of financial institutions shouting from the heavens that they plan, in the event of independence, to create registered offices down south is yet another red herring sent forth to frighten and sow doubt in you. These companies make most of their money in England where the majority of the population and their business customers live and operate. As part of any large corporation’s strategic planning they must constantly scan their markets for risk, therefore it is normal business practice to make contingency plans for themselves in the event of such a significant change in the governance of the UK’s financial control. All they are doing is creating registered offices. As outlined in the Scottish (limited powers) Government’s White Paper there is an intention upon Independence, to promote business development and job markets, to reduce corporation tax below the level of what is currently charged in the rest of the UK. Contrary to the negative headlines, rather than drive business away from Scotland this will in fact encourage them to continue to operate there and other Corporations or new business to start-up operations north of the border. The scary stories are nonsense folks, based on the fact that they don’t expect us to understand any of this stuff other than the headlines that they want you to hear. The First Minister in his press conference to the International Press Corps yesterday made it clear that these Financial Services companies are not threatening job losses or movement of business out of the Scottish market, if any of the local media were listening. On that subject can there be any clearer proof to us all that the mainstream media is completely biased when, at the same event, a BBC journalist asked the First Minister a spurious question, which basically inferred that every bank and major financial institution in Scotland was deserting and heading for London, oh, and also the oil is about to run out, was followed on by the BBC News reporting over and over again that the question went unanswered? When in reality, the First Minister gave a full seven minute answer, and a follow up response. His response,which the ladies and gentlemen of the International Foreign Press, who clearly can see what is going on in the UK at the moment, actually gave him a round of applause for, was an answer also which significantly exposed a serious breach of the UK’s financial regulations, the leaking of sensitive market information to the press.Will that even be reported? Do they think that because of their massive last minute shock and awe campaign of spin, threats, bribes and scaremongering that the people of Scotland have changed their minds and will accept remaining in a relationship where they have no representation or say in their futures? If they do I think they are assessing the picture very wrongly, very wrongly indeed, This is the time folks. If never in your life you have been interested in anything to do with politics, and never again in your life intend to be interested in it again, please, I implore you, for just this next seven days get involved! People who have committed themselves to voting Yes will not in the slightest have been changed in their resolve this week by any of the nonsense you have all seen and heard, but undecided voters may be rocking a bit Please continue to engage them, reassure them, show them the facts. Your enthusiasm, commitment and passion to create a better future for the country we all love dearly is to your credit. Freedom Come All Ye.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 06:09:28 +0000