The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #155459   Message #3658963
Posted By: GUEST,Scabby Douglas
10-Sep-14 - 06:34 AM
Thread Name: BS: scottish independence
Subject: RE: BS: scottish independence
I dont't know (and am not much interested in) what Akenaton's views are on this matter, no offence, Ake, just that I'm not voting for Akenaton on Thursday. I haven't met Alex Salmond, but I do believe that Alex Salmond is capable of espousing causes or policies that he doesn't personally care that much about if it should be expedient, which is another way of saying: he's a politician.

For what it's worth - not worth much, as it's purely my opinion - the SNP administration went to a lot of effort to demonstrate their support of, for example, same-sex marriage. They won't now rescind or dilute that, even if some individuals were opposed to the policy. It's in law. And so much of the discussion and rhetoric in this campaign has been about a "fairer" Scotland, there's a massive groundswell of support based on that aspiration. How much of that will come to fruition, I don't know. I do know that any measures which were seen to diminish that or to backslide from even the current position would be met with hostility and anger.

And as for "second-class" citizens, the Yes campaign is demonstrably supported at agenuine grass-roots level across all cultural and ethnic groupings. There's a commitment to accepting and welcoming immigration - and that would be impossible to square with the kind of volte-face that is being suggested here.

Independence would not grant the SNP government free rein to do whatever they like immediately afterward - There's a Scottish election planned for 2016. So I expect some commitments to be able to be delivered soon after independence, some to take years to be delivered, some maybe decades, and some will fall by the wayside as circumstances change. That's how life is. But it would be for the electorate in Scotland to choose the government that best reflects the direction we want to take.

Independence is not the end of the journey. It's not a destination - in fact it's just the first step on the journey.

As I said, I'm not voting for Akenaton's vision of Scotland, or even for Alex Salmond's. I'm voting for the chance to change how things are done.

I don't mean any disrespect to Akenaton, everyone is entitled to their views, no matter what I or anyone else may think of them. But if I thought there was a hint, a whiff, of wild promises being casually made now that would be swept away or reneged on later, I would not be voting "Yes".

And to some extent, the arrogance of the Better Together campaign supported by a biased media, lazy and complacent journalism has fed into this decision as well.   The Scottish members of the anti-independence campaign should know this, it's not a new characteristic of Scots. We don't like being lectured to, dislike being told what to do, hate being told what's good for us. We resent it to the point of going out and doing the opposite. It's not a pretty trait, I'll grant you. The Scots word is "thrawn".

So, 8 days to go. We'll see what happens.