Time is running out for us ‘Don’t Knows’!
Highland News Group reporter Nick Humphreys moved from his home town of Shrewsbury to Inverness 17 months ago and has observed referendum fever grow as next month’s climax nears. Now settled in the Highlands, he casts an unbiased eye over the campaigns and arguments so far as he endeavours to make up his own mind on how to vote.
AS an Englishman living in Scotland, I have the best interests at heart for the future both sides of the border.
Like many people I’m concerned not only with what a Yes or No vote means for the economy of both countries and the post-vote relationship between them, but also what ends up in my back pocket at the end of the month.
At this stage, I’m a “don’t know”, and time is running out in terms of making sense of the argument and deciding which side to trust.
As the vote draws nearer, tension in both camps seems to be at an all time high, and debates between even the closest of friends are becoming so heated that many descend into petty arguments, causing some to feel intimidated and not want to express their views.
Just this morning on my drive along the Culloden Road on my way to work, I could barely count a lamppost without a sign for Yes Scotland, Better Together or both plastered smack bang in the middle – a concept I don’t understand.
After so much talk and for such a long time, surely one sign in the street isn’t going to sway voters, let alone hundreds of them.
Many people I’ve spoken to about the debate are sick to the back teeth of it all, and a lot are even considering not bothering to vote.
But nevertheless an important decision has to be made, and it’s one which people living in the North should strongly consider and must take the opportunity to have their say.
The Yes camp insist cash generated from tourism, oil and gas among other things would make an independent Scotland one of the 20 richest countries in the world, and if the nation cut ties with the rest of Great Britain it’d mean more money for the hard-working people of the North.
Continued free education, a fairer welfare system, cheaper energy bills and cheaper tax are just some of the promises made by the Yes campaign, which all sounds great – but making promises and delivering them are two very different things.
Bizarrely, what we still don’t know is what currency we’ll be using if we vote Yes – the British pound is governed by the Bank of England and several political parties claim independent Scotland won’t be able to use it.
First minister Alex Salmond insists that if Scotland can’t use the pound, the country won’t take on it’s share of national debt, which somehow I don’t think will be accepted as a solution.
Better Together believe it would be in Scotland’s best interests to stay part of Great Britain because the union is one of the strongest economies in the world, and together both nations can have more influence in the European Union (which an independent Scotland may not necessarily get elected to) and across the globe.
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They also suggest a Yes vote may throw up barriers regarding trade with the rest of Great Britain, where Scotland does most of it’s trading.
If Yes Scotland are to be believed, Scotland may become a wealthier nation – but would that come at a cost for my home country?
One issue that may come to a head if we vote Yes is border control between England and Scotland – having to show my passport when driving home would be a strange feeling.
The trouble is, people want a better situation than the one we have now – Great Britain is still in a recession and the gulf between the rich and the poor seems to be constantly getting wider.
People in Scotland could be swayed into a Yes vote purely as a result of not liking things the way they are, but would it be wise to take a gamble based on guesstimates and promises that may or may not be delivered?
Voters are likely to choose their side based on a mixture of emotion and logic – let’s hope on September 18 people take their chance and have no regrets.
