By SCOTT MILNE (FW)

 

‘There is now a natural majority for a Yes vote. By a factor of nearly four-to-one, people agree with us that decisions about Scotland are best made in Scotland, not by Westminster’

That was Alex Salmond talking at a march last year in Edinburgh to support Scottish independence. A clear case of him using selective evidence to prove his point - a classic politician’s conceit. Four to one? There are no clear indicators yet as to how the country will vote on September 18 2014. One can easily find stats to suit an argument, polls are not scientific.

 

These types of figures should be taken with a pinch of salt, and it is irresponsible for someone in his position to throw around stats in such a way. It’s easy to pander to a crowd that are already on your side, he faced no opposition making fanciful claims there. Salmond has yet again proven that he is not the man to lead this country away from the United Kingdom.

 

Furthermore, this is not the right time to divorce a union that has kept all British countries in good stead for over 300 years. The bottom line is that the Yes campaign have failed to make their case. There are so many issues that have been left unanswered, or answered dubiously.

 

For example, no pro-independence speaker has been able to explain what will happen in an independent Scotland with regards to currency, national defence and the economy. What is the point of Scotland breaking up the union if we keep the pound and the Queen is still the head of state? And that’s without even mentioning the mystery of Scottish EU membership. The way the Yes campaign have painted Westminster, you would think that Scotland has been an oppressed country, part of a mad dictatorship regime. They seem ignorant to the many benefits that the union has bestowed upon our country.

 

We already have an elected government of our own that has enough powers to ensure we have our destiny in our own hands. Holyrood have governing power over education, health care, housing, agriculture and more. And we also have the security that comes from being a part of the union to provide national security, foreign policy and social security and economic policy. In short, we have the best of both worlds.

 

With a majority government in Holyrood, with no obvious opposition in place, the SNP have a stronghold on Scottish politics for the foreseeable future. With the UK government currently in a coalition, and an opposition government that may actually mount an effective fight against the government, Westminster now have, ironically, a more representative and competitive political landscape by comparison.

 

In a way, it’s a shame that the one question referendum will be a simple yes/no answer. It’s a topic that is far too thorny to be effectively answered so briefly. I would like to say yes, just not under the current circumstances. The day may come when Scotland can again become an independent. But now is not the right time.