Up until now, I’ve chosen not to broadcast my views on
Scottish independence publicly, but I feel now is the time to try and explain
why I’ll be proudly voting No on September 18th.
I’ve heard many arguments from both sides of the debate and
these have ranged from being extremely well thought out to ridiculously short sighted.
The most common reason for a ‘Yes’ vote seems to be that Scottish people are sick
of being controlled by a government they did not vote for. While I understand
that on the face of it, this appears to be true (after all, the Conservative
party won only 1 seat in the 2010 general election in Scotland), it’s not quite
as true as you might perceive. Almost 17% of the Scottish population voted Tory
in 2010: only 3% less than voted for SNP. It’s not fair, or factually correct
to say that we’re controlled by a government that nobody voted for. While I
cannot deny that David Cameron’s appeal does not stretch to many parts of
Scotland, our system of voting does a good job of disguising the fact that almost
of 1 in 5 of us are Tories at the ballot box!
But this referendum isn’t really about political parties (or
at least, it shouldn’t be.) Which party you’re going to vote for in next May’s general
election really should place no bearing on which box you cross on the ballot
paper later this month. It’s about what is best for Scotland (and what’s best
for you, as a Scot.) And not what’s best for Scotland next year, or in 4 years,
but for an infinite number of years to come: long after David Cameron has fled No.
10.
I don’t feel that I’m qualified to talk about the economic
implications of an independent Scotland. I’m not an economist. But I’m also not
stupid, and I know that Alastair Darling stating that we can keep the pound doesn’t
solve the problems that a currency union will inevitably bring. To sustain a
working currency union, we’d have to reach agreement with the UK Government
regarding regulation and fiscal policy and this would result in a lack of
control for Scotland (which surely defeats the purpose of an independent
Scotland?) Independence is just another financial crash waiting to happen. You
only have to look at the Eurozone crisis to see that a currency union without a
fiscal or banking union is a seriously bad idea.
I’ve read a lot of scaremongering over the last few days
saying that if we vote No, our NHS is going to be privatised. Please don’t be fooled
into believing this nonsense. Anyone who knows even the basics about Scottish
politics should know that our health system is completely devolved. A UK
government couldn’t even privatise it if they wanted to. These powers were
given to the Scottish government way back in 1999, meaning we have a
considerably different NHS to the rest of the UK. The only way that the ‘cradle
to the grave’ principle that the NHS is founded upon could change, would be if
Scotland wanted it to. (Not to point the finger, but did anyone else read that
the health service in Glasgow has recently awarded a major contract to Weight
Watchers – a private company?)
I know a lot of people are not satisfied with the way the country
is being run at the moment and think that money is being spent in the wrong
places. I have seen many Yes voters argue that we pay in more per head of the
population in tax than the rest of the UK. I don’t know if this is true or not,
but even if it is, do you honestly believe an independent Scotland will create
a more equal society? We will always have to pay for services we don’t use.
Think of the services that your local council provides and then tell me if you
think your council tax is worth it. Some people will always have to fund other
people’s lifestyles and living in a Scottish Utopia will not change that. The
fact is, we live in a country where welfare spending is 6% higher than the rest
of the UK and this won’t change. The annual benefits bill in Scotland is actually
twice what we bring in each year from North Sea oil and gas. And when it comes
to oil, isn’t it foolish that we are relying on a declining and finite resource
to fund our country’s spending? Many of the North Sea rigs are already at the
end of their life and if we can’t fund public spending this way, there really
is only one other option – tax rises.
No one knows what the Scottish rates of tax would be were
Scotland to become independent. Apparently Yes voters will be happy to pay an increased
rate of tax in order to bring about a fairer society, but I’m not sure how true
this is. I admit, the Yes campaign have not announced plans to raise taxes (why
would they?), but we would need to fill the black hole in the finances somehow.
Scandinavian countries that the SNP are aspiring to mimic have some of the
highest rates of tax in the EU. A study last year by KPMG (who I trust, since
they pay my wages) showed that Sweden paid the highest rate of tax at 56.6% followed
by Denmark at 55.5%. The UK’s highest rate of tax (45%) ranked in 11th
place. The Yes campaign really needs to be straight about how an independent
Scotland would be funded.
There are so many topics that I haven’t even touched upon
(unreliability of the Scottish banking system, the potential ill effects on
property prices, the relocation of Scottish business, the brain drain that will
come from graduates leaving to work across the border), but I will stop here in
the hope that if you are an undecided voter, you will make the effort to
research each of these areas anyway. Don’t make this about personalities. I
actively campaigned against Jim Murphy in the run-up to the 2010 General
Election, but I’m with him all the way when it comes to staying part of the UK
because I love Scotland, and I just can’t take the huge risks that an independent
Scotland will mean taking. I’ve heard a few people say ‘I’ve had to take risks
before and they’ve always paid off,’ but this is very different. We’re not
talking about a new job or relationship here, you can’t possibly compare. This will
be forever. Do your own research and ask what is truly best for Scotland, and
what is best for you and your family.
