This might not do any no voter or
undecided any good, at the end of this blog you may wish to consider whether
the news you hear is to be believed. But it is also my desire to reach
out to my friends in Europe, who are most likely being misinformed from a
reliable, or if not once a reliable news source in the BBC and supposedly
honest government and G7 Member called United Kingdom.
Therefore, in this
blog, I shall explain to you, as if it's not clear to you now, why I have
turned from believing in Great Britain to believing now in a smaller
Scotland.
Since I returned from Berlin,
Germany, my eyes have opened and I discovered something about myself and how I
view this world with suspicion, but with more belief.
The fact is, whilst
you know I was a proud Scotsman and talked many times of its culture, food,
sports and various dialects I was also perfectly happy being a Brit!
So why now, that suddenly the face
change? What sparked the turn around to now support a campaign that is
full of environmentalists, nationalists, radicals, socialists and those
slipping the bird too new danger?
Fact is, I have been using my
credit risk analytical brain again and whilst at first glance I read of
Scotland being independent was some sort of joke "It won't happen, just
because we voted SNP doesn't mean we'll get independence, us Scots are canny,
as we will vote for the free stuff, but not ever pay for it or try to get more
powers from Westminster!"
But you know, I then got more
thinking, as I remembered of my stay in Aberdeen for over a decade and there
were many conversations between pals in a bar (I took this more as the beer
talking at the time) that if Scotland was to be independent, we could afford it
due to Oil and Gas!
I joked as I remembered trailing
through Dundee City Centre and the constant din of Sir Sean Connery's voice
"vote SNP...." back in '92! It's still laughable, but then
isn't any campaign to attract voters?
Speaking of laughter
and campaigns and before I start using the sentence “now I’ve done my
research…” the fact is did!
Scotland has always been returning
a surplus into the UK economy, even the UK figures reflects this, go and search
“Scotland” under Wikipedia and the facts about the Scottish Economy are
there.
What also bothered me, was that the
campaign I was initially going to support, the No vote, really do have some
pathetic facts. First of all was the
currency, now I explained to my friends in Berlin, all about how the United
Kingdom is basically England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but all
together. Or in another way, when
explaining this to my fellow German I asked “Wie gut sind sie in Geography?”
and it’s a common mistake for a German to say, “ah you are from England” (never
a good thing to say to a Scot) I often tried to explain how a once independent
nation, came together via a union and formed a currency, to which the response
was “so you became England as well…”
Those nights in Berlin, were long
to explain, but fun at same time, especially when in the Irish bar over a few
expensive €5 Guinness pints.
Let’s get to the point, as my fellow German did, Scotland is already in
a currency union, the claim by Westminster to keep the pound if Scotland goes
independent is really laughable. Another
way to put it, is basically we have a heap of debt, instead of you helping us
to pay it off, we will pay it all off because why have austerity when you can
have all the responsibility?
I am scratching my head at that
one, especially as a former credit risk analyst, I mean how does a bank respond
to a client who suddenly makes that decision?
By simply updating its probability
of default to a higher risk and its profile of the client as well as
securitizing assets if any.
The fact is Scotland has been
always producing a surplus, yes I said it again, it seems almost unbelievable
doesn’t it? A GDP f £150 Billion surely
not? Farming, Fishing, Food and Drink Industries in the £10 Billions of
revenue, what!?
Then there is Oil and Gas Revenue at
£30-32 Billion every year or more.
So economically all great numbers
for Scotland. Of course from the
Pro-union side Oil is supposedly running out and we don’t produce a surplus we
are given grants from Westminster every year or a subsidy…
So why is it that we have foodbanks then? Well good question and to be honest I don’t
know! It could well be that we have £1.3
Trillion debt to pay off, England has a £72Billion railway to build from London
to Birmingham, not to mention a Nuclear Weapon system that is out of date and
paying basically through the nose for.
It would appear that the UK has been trying to keep up with the “Joneses’!”
so to speak.
Not convinced, perhaps watching a video on Food banks shall bother you even further?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ZMwp1elXw
So why leave England with it all to
deal with all the debt after Scotland's Independence?
Surely it’s best to stick together or ahem… Better Together.
You see, that’s the thing we have one part of
UK producing assets and another spending (under the illusion of
Investment).
If your liability is
greater than the assets, then it’s time to look at the balance sheet and make
some changes to the business plan.
Scotland is not running away from its debt by going independent, far
from it!
First Minister Alex Salmond has
more than one occasion said we’ll pay our share. In fact we’ll keep the Pound as a currency
too. Additionally if there's no Currency Union, England loses £25 Billion in Trade with Scotland. Really can't see that happening or the Chancellor George Osbourne saying no to that either.
Furthermore Scotland also intends to be in
European Union, why leave the Worlds biggest single market? Why, well quite simply we need the workers
from Europe and also Scotland’s population is declining slowly. Also better representation for Scotland
should hopefully result in better relations within Europe too and trade. Compared to the European Referendum in 2016, Scotland won't have a vote and the decision for the whole of UK is left to England? Democracy in action no?
Further evidence of the Westminster democracy is when Europe itself, turned its back on the UK.
Let's take a trip down memory lane to the Juncker vote - 26/28 European Nations voted for Juncker as European President, someone who is for Social Reforms. Being quite honest, I am all for Social Reform, especially after the banking crisis and corrupt politicians selling themselves for money and not representing its people. Or as the Finnish Prime Minister said about the UK "we need to wake up and smell the coffee", sadly he is right!
Although I do raise the question as to
whether Europe itself is working! Being
told what subsidies we are getting and how to spend it is hardly making
Scotland free of its money!
So there is some negativity in this Independence campaign, but that’s
the only biggest problem that Scotland has had for centuries! Scotland can no longer be a dour and negative
country. Being quite honest I am sick
and tired of the amount of potential that Scotland has, but never achieving!
Always the potential but never quite doing enough and even if we do something
we give ourselves criticism! As the Comedian Frankie Boyle once summed up about
John Logie Baird on inventing the Television and was congratulated, to his
reply “Aye its nae bad, but there’s fuck all on!”
This reminded me of how I was at a church sermon in Aberdeen and the
Minister gave his first sentence regarding Scotland’s match with Italy. The result to qualify was that we had to beat
Italy to progress to the World Cup.
Basically wrote off our chances and said we’ve no chance! That bothered me and I even told him, where’s
your belief??
The result, Scotland scored, but
lost to Italy after a poor decision by the referee and offside goal! Figuratively speaking a result similar to
Independence vote in 1979…
It seems to me, we are happy being the dour, negative and even happy to
be sad and seeing ourselves fail.. We’re
good at it! Scotland needs to get off
its fat surplus’ and take control of its own future. Currently we are sheep to Westminster, it’s a
shame that no one realizes this, BBC are querying how we will afford it? It’s the wrong question and the wrong facts.
Scotland can and always had the
resources, we need a bit of belief in ourselves.
As my late Pastor once said about
faith “Just do it, the rest will fall into place..” Now that was a sermon I listened to and have
taken to realise in 2014! Scotland has the power and that’s why I’m voting yes!
