Conegamer said:
It'd be a bad idea if they go their own way. Having watched and followed through the referendum most of the Yes votes are through belief and general dislike of the English, concentrated by Salmond and the SNP. Very very few Yes voters are doing it because it'll be better economically or because Scots would be better off, because odds are that won't be the case.
It's the same thing as in this thread. People like throwing the idea of independence about but when it comes down to the finer details, often it just doesn't make sense to be in a worse position than what they are in now.
That's how it feels for this, and if Scotland vote yes (which still seems highly unlikely IMO) then they will find that out the hard way. |
This is gross simplification of the discontent that people in Scotland, Wales and some regions of England fell. And the economic arguments on either side don't add up. Put quite simply, many economists can't forecast accurately what will happen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29219837
The swell of support for independence and greater devolution in recent years isn't down to dislike of the English, it's down to widespread political apathy, fear of a lack of alternatives, and disatisfaction with a Westminster system that isn't representative of the current UK. I'm not saying everybody feels that way, but enough people feel that way in Scotland because they didn't vote for the coalition government that has the power to impose a lot of unpopular policies and rules on Scotland, despite Scotland's devolved Parliament. There's an increasing feeling along these lines in Wales, and in Northern cities like Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. They're just not as advanced or as strong as they are in Scotland, particularly because in Wales most people realise Welsh independence is impossible without major economic restructuring and improvement. But the feeling that there's an unrepresentative political class in power is widespread across the UK: hence the gains of UKIP at the expense of most other mainstream political parties. UKIP are reaping the benefits of the anti-establishment vote in England, particularly in Conservative heartlands among right-leaning voters, while the SNP and the independence cause are reaping similar benefits in Scotland.
Dismissing peoples desire for independence as anti-English sentiment is narrow and misleading. There are real issues at stake here, and real signs that the United Kingdom, as it is politically, economically and constitutionally, isn't fit for purpose in the 21st Century. That's what a lot of Scottish people are feeling, that's what more people in the North of England and Wales are beginning to feel.
This independence referendum is a result of a centralised, out-of-touch government underestimating just how centralised and out-of-touch Westminster rule is becoming. Up until the last week or two, nobody in Westminster took the possibility of Scottish independence seriously. If Cameron had half a brain, he'd have offered the Scottish people a "devo-max" (basically handing all powers except defence and foreign affairs to the Scottish Parliament) option at the ballot box, and the Union would have walked the election easily, by reforming itself. Instead Cameron attempted to preserve the status quo with a Yes/No vote he and the rest of his government assumed wouldn't come close to being lost. In doing so they've walked into Salmond's trap. Whatever happens now, you can't put the lid pack on the box. Several million Scots look set to vote for independence, and the entirety of Scotland is more politically active and energised than it has been for generations. Is that energy going to dissipate overnight, or even in the months ahead, with a UK wide general election on the horizon? How will Wales, Northern Ireland, and the English regions feel if Scotland either gains independence, or if Scotland has more power devolved? Is the rest of the UK going to accept that? I doubt it, and I hope not.
I don't think Scottish independence is the right answer today. A less centralised and powerful Westminster, though, is an entirely sensible option for the UK. It doesn't mean the Union is any weaker: it just means those peoples bound in Union have more control over their own affairs. We need a more balanced economy, more job creation outside of London, higher wages, more productive infrastructure, and a more politically engaged and active electorate. We're not going to get that under the current model, because it disengages and disenfranchises entire regions and even countries of the UK. Hopefully the referendum is going to kick start a process whereby we reform Parliament, the electoral system, engage in some form of seperate political representation for England, and grant devo-max to Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Either way you vote, the issues aren't simple, and shouldn't be belittled. I'm not wildly against Scottish independence, but I'm not in favour of it, because I think the best chance we have for real reform across the UK, is an energised Scotland driving change for all of us from within.
(for those interested, I say this as someone half Welsh, half English, raised in England but living and working in Wales)
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