Enough Scots seem to have enough intelligence to realize that they would gain considerable liability with independence while obtaining almost no realizable advantages
The much anticipated referendum on Scottish independence has been set for September 18th 2014 by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. A single question will be asked on that day - "Should Scotland be an independent country?"
For the uneducated amongst us – also known as Rush Limbaugh’s “low information voters” (LIV’s); Scotland is the most autonomous of the four members of the United Kingdom, which also includes England, Wales and Northern Ireland. At one time it was an independent country from its foundation in the Early Middle Ages (traditionally 843) until 1707, with the Treaty of Union and subsequent Acts of Union formally uniting the countries into Britain. Although it sounds simple enough, Scotland and England shared the same monarch under separate crowns for 104 years until unification was achieved; rivaling the snail’s pace of the modern day American Congress.
The move back towards independence has come considerably faster. Once advocates had a willing accomplice as Prime Minister (Tony Blair 1997-2007); Scottish devolution began to move forward quickly. Unlike his Conservative predecessors the current Prime Minister, David Cameron, has not stood in the way of Scottish overtures for formal separation. Cameron’s complicities are rather ironic considering he was elected on a promise of a referendum for all of Britain on EU membership, which he apparently has no intention of fulfilling.
The drive for Independence is led by the Scottish National Party, supported by the Scottish Greens. (Greens are environmentalists, not a dinner side). Scotland’s Labour party is caught in the middle, on one hand valuing the power structure they currently have that may be diminished, on the other hand duty bound as all lefties are to support any cause based on emotion and fictional solutions.
With this in both minds, Scotland's Labour leader Johann Lamont welcomed the naming of the date when the issue would be settled once and for all. But she criticised Mr Salmond for letting Scotland "languish" for another 18 months before the actual referendum is held. Lamont was quoted as saying "The truth is Alex Salmond knows if he held the referendum now, he wouldn't just lose it, he would be routed," she also raised legitimate questions about how currency and EU membership would function. Consensus in Scotland is to be EU members, but nobody is saying what would happen if the rest of the UK decided to pull out.
The Labour leader is probably right about the outcome. Polling shows 50-60% against, with less than 40% in favour. Hence the existing Scottish provincial government has already brought forward separate legislation which will allow 16 and 17-year-olds to take part in the vote. This shows a degree of desperation on behalf of the First Minister. If independence was such a good idea, why cannot more support be garnered?
Lowering the voting age is one thing, Salmond’s rational for the date leaves you with your mouth open. He said "We had to stay clear of the great sporting events next year - the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup. We had to steer clear of the school holidays because we wanted the maximum number of people to have the opportunity to vote. Also, we didn't want to do it too late after the clocks go back. So September 18 stood out as the best possible day."
Yes First Minister, the people will be so glued to coverage of the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup they can’t make time to pop down to the polling place for half-an-hour. Avoiding Celtic – Rangers games (aka sectarian violence) is understandable, but this hardly has the same appeal.
Then please explain to us how the school holidays will lower turnout. If anything, those newly enfranchised 16-17 year olds would now have time to show up, unencumbered by homework responsibilities. They might be LIV’s, but they can probably manage to fit in a trip to the local village hall without government assistance regardless of whether school is in or out.
Finally understanding is required as to how the change back to winter time makes a difference. One might have a point if you’d chosen the weekend when it happens, but this election is on a Thursday (like all UK elections) six weeks before the clocks go back.
In the end, it will likely prove to be a big waste of money. Enough Scots seem to have enough intelligence to realize that they would gain considerable liability with independence while obtaining almost no realizable advantages. They might enjoy the satisfaction of checking British Passports at Hadrian’s Wall, but as national debt rises and the government is forced to react like the Greek’s and Cypriot’s; they may decide that relative autonomy within the UK is a much better deal.
