Whilst speaking to people about the referendum, I have quickly come to realise that most folk are totally uninformed. They are crying out for information, unfortunately the mainstream media (MSM) have already taken a stance of supporting the union with Westminster. All be it with a few surprise front pagers backing independence, the majority have wonderful techniques of instilling the "fear" amongst their readers.
Headlines of overly exaggerated figures, job losses, currency, EU, immigration....you all know the ones. The thing that truly baffles me though is that folk who read these papers, and believe the headlines, know fine well that the papers are sensationalist, liars and all have an agenda or a boss man/woman encouraging the writers direction. Look at the Leveson inquiry, look at what horrors were unveiled in the media procedures. The other blatant point about the stance of the MSM is look where they get their orders and directions from.....yup well done, 10 points....their headquarters in London.
London.....That big city down in the South East of England, where the highest proportion of wealthiest households are. Where the wealth of the UK is gathered and where most of it stays. That big city and region where there is such a huge population there are more MP representatives than anywhere else. That place that influences the direction of politics all over the UK due to the fact they can outvote any other region. (Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland are all classed as regions btw. Union? Domination more like.)
So when these folk, who believe the Better Together blethers or MSM headlines, argue with me I struggle to have a comeback as how do you convince someone who believes something they know for themselves is a media spin?
This has been a few of my attempts:
Naysayer: "I don't want to swap London for Brussels..."
Me: "Well right now we kinda bend over and touch our toes for London, it would just be a nod of the head to Brussels."
Naysayer: "But why have a kid-on version of independence?"
Me: "Why would it be kid-on?"
Naysyer: "Aye well......"
<convo end>
Naysayer: "The union has worked well so far"
Me: "Really? Give me an example....."
Naysayer: "Erm.....eh.....Defence. MoD."
Me: "You do realise that we have Trident 30 miles from our largest city, the same defence that is too unsafe for South of England? And the majority of our military bases in Scotland have been radically reduced."
Naysayer: "But an independent Scotland wouldn't have an army!"
Me: "Why not?"
Naysayer: "Eh, erm....I read it in the Mail."
Me: "Would the members of the forces from Scotland no longer want to serve Scotland? Do we not have a right to a share of the MoD's assets?"
Naysayer: "I suppose...."
<convo end>
Naysayer: "I don't want to be in the EU after independence so I'll vote No."
Me: "What''s wrong with the EU?"
Naysayer: "Prisoners get human rights!!!"
Me: "But we have human rights too, get rid of the EU human rights convention and you are affected."
Naysayer: "But then Padeos, murderers and rapists don't get them."
Me: "And either will you!"
Naysayer: "So?"
Me: "Ok, thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of your day."
<convo end>
The bottom line is that a bit of pragmatism has to be employed in all these arguments. Why will an independent Scotland be any different from any other independent nation in the world? Why are we always referred to as "Seperatists" and "Breaking up the Union"? Because it makes it easier to promote that fear-mongering, repeat it enough and folk will start to believe it. However I believe the Scottish people are wiser than that, they wouldn't let their neighbour next door to them control their finances and they don't avoid walking down the street in case a bus crashes into them on the pavement. The awakening is spreading, the No campaign realises it and some of the stories coming out of their corner are getting rather amusing.
Sunday, 9 June 2013
I'm a Scrounger
At 14 years old I donned my kilt and peeny. A waitress at Knochendarroch hotel, it wisnae very easy.
In Pitlochry, that’s the way it wis, work your fingers to the bone.
Didnae matter though, those pennies I made were my own.
Odd jobs here and there as I worked through college and uni.
I even worked for the government, I was a photographer too,
I know “ya beauty!”
But I got sick, couldn’t continue that dream career.
So I had to review what I could do, worked in the science centre up here.
But then once again, illness reared its ugly head.
It tried to keep me down and keep me in ma bed.
So I worked for myself, and returned to education.
Who could have known I’d get even more sick, causing so much frustration.
After weeks in hospital, needles in my spine.
I kept telling myself that I was gonna be fine.
More tests than I had at school,still no-one knew what to do.
That’s when I had to go down to the bru.
They were very nice, helped me out a lot.
But now all has changed and they seem to have forgot.
We are not all scroungers, in fact none of us are.
Westminster government has just gone too far!
Every day I hear on the news, about benefit fraud, folk not paying their dues!
But I did! I made my NI contribution, this truly is unjust retribution!
Millions of folk rely on the state.
I know it’s not ideal but let’s make no mistake,
the Scottish parliament opposed such cuts, Scotland put their most vulnerable first!
Doesn’t matter though, Westminster rules!
Lets stop listening to these godamn fools!
Millionaires, Etonian school boys, all pally pally telling us what to do,
never not once has any of them had to sign on at the bru!
While billionaire tax cuts are passed through as policy,
the poorest are attacked. How is this democracy?
The worst of it is the division it will cause,
folk judging us as cheats,lazy, worse than dirt on dogs paws!
Our UK government telling us we are not worthy without evidence.
How can we remedy this? Lets vote YES to Scottish independence!
In Pitlochry, that’s the way it wis, work your fingers to the bone.
Didnae matter though, those pennies I made were my own.
Odd jobs here and there as I worked through college and uni.
I even worked for the government, I was a photographer too,
I know “ya beauty!”
But I got sick, couldn’t continue that dream career.
So I had to review what I could do, worked in the science centre up here.
But then once again, illness reared its ugly head.
It tried to keep me down and keep me in ma bed.
So I worked for myself, and returned to education.
Who could have known I’d get even more sick, causing so much frustration.
After weeks in hospital, needles in my spine.
I kept telling myself that I was gonna be fine.
More tests than I had at school,still no-one knew what to do.
That’s when I had to go down to the bru.
They were very nice, helped me out a lot.
But now all has changed and they seem to have forgot.
We are not all scroungers, in fact none of us are.
Westminster government has just gone too far!
Every day I hear on the news, about benefit fraud, folk not paying their dues!
But I did! I made my NI contribution, this truly is unjust retribution!
Millions of folk rely on the state.
I know it’s not ideal but let’s make no mistake,
the Scottish parliament opposed such cuts, Scotland put their most vulnerable first!
Doesn’t matter though, Westminster rules!
Lets stop listening to these godamn fools!
Millionaires, Etonian school boys, all pally pally telling us what to do,
never not once has any of them had to sign on at the bru!
While billionaire tax cuts are passed through as policy,
the poorest are attacked. How is this democracy?
The worst of it is the division it will cause,
folk judging us as cheats,lazy, worse than dirt on dogs paws!
Our UK government telling us we are not worthy without evidence.
How can we remedy this? Lets vote YES to Scottish independence!
I would vote No if…
I would vote No if…
A few tweets that I have seen recently under #indyref and #voteYes have been about #BetterTogether supporters deciding to support Independence. A question was raised by a user “How many Yes voters have changed to No voters?”, which I thought was a really good question. I asked myself would I ever be persuaded to vote No in the Independence referendum. I gave it some serious thought.
The Scottish government, who so happen to be presently the SNP, are asking the people of Scotland “Should Scotland be independent?”. (Which, by the way, is the official question now, I personally thought “Do you agree…” version was acceptable as it was the government asking the people if they agreed with them but that’s by the by.) They are promoting the possibilities of Scotland if we regain independence. These possibilities have yet to be ironed out legally, but still real potential actualities.
What if it was Westminster telling us how good Scotland is, how much we contribute to the UK economy. Telling us how valued we are as a people and culture. Reciting positive possibilities for the future of Scotland under a continued union, telling us about how Westminster is going to invest in us. Alas this is not the case, there are no positives of remaining in the union as all the arguments coming from the No camp are based on the uncertainty of some post-indy issues or reciting credentials that an independent Scotland could also have. They seem to be promoting fear and they themselves seem uncertain. But it really shouldn’t be them and us, as I have said before, it is all of us Scottish folk wanting the best for Scotland.
When I am presented with an article or report that suggests remaining in the UK is more beneficial than independence, I give it serious consideration. I will read the document and see what it is conveying. Most of the time it is in relation to statistics based on Scotland’s current fiscal status, e.g.: we cannot afford to run ourselves. However such statistics and figures become null and void after independence. Scotland currently has no borrowing powers, therefore we cannot have a deficit. This was pointed out to me recently by a fellow twitterer..er (?!), and I have yet to find a suggestion of otherwise. Also often with these reports presented to me, oil and gas revenue is not included as there is a potential that due to UK contracts there would only be a population ratio share rather than a geographical share. But yet again there is no such international law that would support England having a share of Scotland’s coastline and oil. I must also add that in no way do I think oil revenue alone will secure Scotland’s future, however it is a key fund that can help with the development of renewable energies and other industries.
So…would I ever vote no? Potentially, if the UK government was asking a referendum on “Should Scotland remain in the UK?” I would still vote for independence. For I truly believe that it is only the 5,254,800+ people of Scotland who should decide the future of Scotland not the 610 Ministers of Parliament representing England, Wales and Northern Ireland in Westminster, and the 775* unelected Lords appointed by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons.
*figures vary due to lifelong peerage and salary
A few tweets that I have seen recently under #indyref and #voteYes have been about #BetterTogether supporters deciding to support Independence. A question was raised by a user “How many Yes voters have changed to No voters?”, which I thought was a really good question. I asked myself would I ever be persuaded to vote No in the Independence referendum. I gave it some serious thought.
The Scottish government, who so happen to be presently the SNP, are asking the people of Scotland “Should Scotland be independent?”. (Which, by the way, is the official question now, I personally thought “Do you agree…” version was acceptable as it was the government asking the people if they agreed with them but that’s by the by.) They are promoting the possibilities of Scotland if we regain independence. These possibilities have yet to be ironed out legally, but still real potential actualities.
What if it was Westminster telling us how good Scotland is, how much we contribute to the UK economy. Telling us how valued we are as a people and culture. Reciting positive possibilities for the future of Scotland under a continued union, telling us about how Westminster is going to invest in us. Alas this is not the case, there are no positives of remaining in the union as all the arguments coming from the No camp are based on the uncertainty of some post-indy issues or reciting credentials that an independent Scotland could also have. They seem to be promoting fear and they themselves seem uncertain. But it really shouldn’t be them and us, as I have said before, it is all of us Scottish folk wanting the best for Scotland.
When I am presented with an article or report that suggests remaining in the UK is more beneficial than independence, I give it serious consideration. I will read the document and see what it is conveying. Most of the time it is in relation to statistics based on Scotland’s current fiscal status, e.g.: we cannot afford to run ourselves. However such statistics and figures become null and void after independence. Scotland currently has no borrowing powers, therefore we cannot have a deficit. This was pointed out to me recently by a fellow twitterer..er (?!), and I have yet to find a suggestion of otherwise. Also often with these reports presented to me, oil and gas revenue is not included as there is a potential that due to UK contracts there would only be a population ratio share rather than a geographical share. But yet again there is no such international law that would support England having a share of Scotland’s coastline and oil. I must also add that in no way do I think oil revenue alone will secure Scotland’s future, however it is a key fund that can help with the development of renewable energies and other industries.
So…would I ever vote no? Potentially, if the UK government was asking a referendum on “Should Scotland remain in the UK?” I would still vote for independence. For I truly believe that it is only the 5,254,800+ people of Scotland who should decide the future of Scotland not the 610 Ministers of Parliament representing England, Wales and Northern Ireland in Westminster, and the 775* unelected Lords appointed by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons.
*figures vary due to lifelong peerage and salary
There are worse things to admit to….
There are worse things to admit to…. I recently read a brilliant article about the journey of one woman becoming more comfortable with her nationalistic tendencies. However the one thing that made me almost cringe was her seemingly ashamedness of wanting her own country to become self-determined.
I am unashamed. I also didn’t like the suggestion that a writer, or artist cannot be affiliated with a political party. I am a Scottish National Party member. The reason I support them is because of what they have so far achieved for this country. Free prescriptions, free university education, free bus passes for the elderly, care in the community, frozen council tax….I could continue but I feel these things are what affects most of us most of the time. You need some antibiotics, you don’t have to pay. You want to finish that degree, you will be financially assisted. You want your Granny to come visit next week, she can get a bus for free. You slip after a night out and need some physiotherapy, you don’t have to wait too long. You want to pay less council tax, so do I. The point is that so far the SNP have done very well for Scotland, more so than the Westminster Government.
This is why I will be voting Yes in the independence referendum. Also contributing to my deep rooted searing passion is the fact that when I meet folk, the worse thing I can say even to a staunch unionist isn’t that I support independence, but rather that when they ask “What do you do for a living?”, my response is usually sheepishly “Nothing. I am an unemployed, disabled artist.” The artist part is debateable though. What is un-debateable is the stigma that has now been caused by being “unfit” to work. The sheer despicableness that David Cameron and his Government has shown to folk like me is without doubt an attack on the most needy in the community. While all my friends continue to work and gain pay rises that reflect inflation, I am stuck forever more, being poor. I can’t even move out from my mothers as I could now be taxed on a spare bedroom that I would need for my carer. Don’t think for a wee minute that I am one of the many children of benefit culture, I had a 3 bedroom flat on the South side of Glasgow, studying in my third year for University and my partner worked extremely hard to pay the mortgage. I was lucky though as I was funded by the SNP to get my degree, what was unlucky was falling ill. This could happen to you or anyone you know at any time. Nothing is certain. That is why all the questions relating to the uncertainty of an independent country doesn’t phase me. The union of Great Britain doesn’t seem too certain just now. Independence is a glimmer of hope in an otherwise gloomy London outlook.
I have had many debates with friends and strangers regarding independence. The overall consensus seems to be that everyone wants better for Scotland, just that some folk have different opinions on how this can be achieved. Its not us “Nats” and they “unionists”, it is all of us Scottish brethren. We have to come together to appreciate what is happening in Scotland right now and how we have been ignored for too long by the Tory government, that’s one thing we can all agree on….we don’t like Dave and his cronies. With an independent Scotland we can control 99% of Scotland’s revenue, right now we only control 15%. With an independent Scotland we can get rid of Nuclear weapons from outside our most populous city. With an independent Scotland WE can decide what is best for our country.
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