By EMMA MUIR (FW)

 

Scottish independence is going to be a prominent topic of debate in the countdown to September 18 2014. Many people have already voiced their support or disdain of the subject in papers and online. I however, am still completely undecided. Why? Because I feel both sides haven’t produced a solid enough argument for me to decide.

 

I come from a mixed English-Scottish family, which hasn’t made my decision making very easy. My dad is English and a Tory and my mum is Scottish. Both are anti-independence, mostly because they have a “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” attitude.

 

I, on the other hand, grew up loving the idea of independence. I won’t lie; Mel Gibson’s Braveheart may have a little something to do with it. I love the idea of being independent, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the right choice.

 

Many nationalists argue that we’d be able to support ourselves from the revenue we get from North Sea oil. Scotland accounted for 96% of the offshore oil industry in 2011. The SNP are also proposing an oil fund, similar to what Norway has, which will take a percentage of the revenue earned from the offshore production. The SNP claim that this will be worth around £450billion and will provide us with a safety net. That’s pretty reassuring.

 

UK Chancellor, George Osborne, has warned that should we gain independence there will be a rise in the taxes we have to pay. The Yes campaign has stated that only London and the South East of England create more in taxes per head of population than Scotland does.

 

Does this mean we can afford to keep our free prescriptions, university tuition and bus passes for the elderly?

 

The Yes campaign website fails to answer that, but has promised that the welfare system in place now will be protected. It states that government figures for the current bill for benefits, state pensions and other tax credits, shows that Scotland uses 38% of taxes raised in Scotland, the bill for the UK as a whole is only slightly higher.

 

Again, pretty reassuring. So why am I still undecided? Easy: there are a few unanswered questions.

 

For example: Nato. The SNP has already said that we would remain a member should we gain independence, but here’s the bit that’s confusing me: they’ve also stated that an independent Scotland would not have nuclear weapons, so why should we be part of Nato?

 

Another issue that hasn’t really been addressed is job losses. Companies such as Standard Life and Fas Lane have already stated they will pull out of Scotland if we gain independence. That’s at least 10,000 jobs gone. One of the questions that is constantly thrown at me when I’m discussing the referendum at home is “how many jobs are the SNP prepared to lose to gain independence?”, and it’s a good point, one which desperately needs addressed.

 

Don’t get me wrong, at least the Yes campaign provides figures and statistics for its argument, which is more than can be said for the Better Together campaign. Their website is very basic and from what I saw provides more opinion than facts. Despite this lack of information, a recent poll suggests most Scots favour the Union.

 

For me, it isn’t so much a case of “could Scotland support itself independently?” I’m sure it could, but for me it’s a question of honesty. What are the two sides keeping from us and why aren’t they telling us?