The Scottish Independence campaign is really heating up now, with our inglorious leader Cameron urging people in England to persuade their Scottish inhabiting friends and family to vote for the union. You have to admit it – those Tories certainly know how to antagonise people. I think I’m what is called a floating voter as I was of the opinion that I probably wouldn’t have made up my mind one way or the other before I even reached the voting booth, but much more of the silly nonsense which has been coming our way in Scotland and I’ll be leaning towards the ‘go it alone’ side long before we reach the 18th of September.
Even the European Union President has reared his ugly head and joined the fray. Apparently it’s his opinion that Scotland wouldn’t be part of the European Union if we become independent. It’s really funny but I can’t recall there being one squeak of complaint when the whole of East Germany was brought into the European Union on the amalgmation of East and West Germany. Of course the EU president just happens to be Portuguese and has a vested interest in not giving hope to the two parts of neighbouring Spain which want to break away and become independent. People in Scotland are happy in the EU but the same can’t be said for folks in England and it looks like the best way for Scotland to stay in EU would be to vote for independence, as a referendum about leaving the EU would almost certainly end up with the UK having to leave, including Scotland of course – against our wishes.
Did you know that we’re all doomed here in the North of Britain?! Aye, doomed!! Well we certainly are if you believe all of the talking heads who have made their way up here to tell us just that. We won’t be able to cope on our own and we certainly can’t keep using the British pound. They are going out of their way to tell us what a disadvantage it is to have oil. I’ve never heard that before – have you? That oil has been used to keep Britain afloat since the 1970s and it has just been squandered. I’ll never forget watching the TV news when the first test tube of oil was wheeched down to London, it struck me then that there was something very wrong with that!
I could go on for a long time in the same vein, but it was when English friends of ours (who now live in Scotland on a temporary permanent basis – so have votes in the referendum) told us that they would be voting for the Union just because they worried about England being forever engulfed by Conservative governments without all the Scottish Labour MPs who even things out at the moment that I began to lean towards a yes vote. Of course it’s those Scottish Labour MPs who are most aggressively against Independence, well turkeys wouldn’t vote for Christmas would they, and those MPs know that they would all be on the dole without Westminster.
The real trouble is that England is in such a bad way. London is over-heated economically beyond belief, it’s impossible to live decently in the place if you aren’t a millionaire. The north of England has always been like a completely different country compared with the south, the North is a nicer country admittedly but it’s also mainly poverty stricken because London gets such a big share of the available money.
Earlier this week there was a UK Cabinet Meeting in Aberdeen, the first one which had been held in Scotland since 1921 – and that says it all.
In fact most southern English people wouldn’t dream of visiting THE NORTH, never mind Scotland. It’s a rare English bird which ventures over the Scottish border, in fact when I lived in England for a few years I only met one person who had visited Scotland, and the ignorance is gob-smacking. They often think that it’s possible to ‘do’ Scotland in one day!
And I haven’t even mentioned David Bowie – I’ve always been a fan – but really, what was he thinking of?!
The English sound like my husband’s mom every time one of the kids tried to grow up and move out,
Peggy,
The English politicians certainly seem determined to hold on to us for some reason. I can just imagine D’s mom now!
I was stunned when my friend from Liverpool said her family never visited Scotland! They apparently felt there was no reason to.Good heavens.I would love to do a train ride through Scotland.
Lorraine,
That’s just a typical English reaction, I’m sure they would much rather go to Spain or Florida, but they have no idea what they’re missing. Make sure you go along the west coast if you ever manage that train journey!
I love that statement: “turkeys wouldn’t vote for Christmas would they”. I am not informed enough to have a valid opinion, but you have convinced me. I would vote for independence.
TracyK,
At the moment we feel we’re being blackmailed, every day on the news there’s yet another big institution saying that if Scotland is independent they’ll up sticks and leave, taking jobs elsewhere. I’m beginning to think that money is changing hands in brown envelopes!
I would be sorry to see Scotland leave, but of course it’s up to the people of Scotland to decide what is best and I wish you the best of luck whatever happens! Being from the north-east of England I have visited Scotland many times and have always felt more comfortable than when I’m visiting the south.
Helen,
We both have grandparents who were born in the north-east, I think there has always been a lot of movement to and fro for work purposes. The culture is much the same I think. Everything in the ‘home counties’ revolves around money – not people.
I wasn’t sure whether to make a comment or not – I wouldn’t dream of trying to persuade anyone to vote, either way.
We live in the English Borders but have a Scottish postcode and someone phoned up the other week, doing a survey for the Scottish government in Edinburgh to ask us how we’re going to vote??? I hope the postcode will change if there is a yes vote, or maybe we’ll be incorporated into Scotland. There would be so many things to change – not just the currency or EU membership and I dread to think how it would all be worked out – and the cost – the cost of the Referendum alone must be enormous!
We love Scotland and have visited there many times and not just because we live where we live (we’ve only lived here 4 years. I first went to Scotland in the 1960s. Our son and his family live in Scotland now and I haven’t even asked them how they’re going to vote. Although my 8 year old granddaughter told me last week that there’s going to be a vote and she thinks Scotland should stay in the UK.
My other granddaughter (13) has been mocked and bullied at school because of her English accent and hates school. She changes her voice now but still gets laughed at because they know she is English.
By the way, the people living in the south in the flood areas called Cameron and his cronies ‘wallies in wellies’ when they visited to see the situation – not all English people like or agree with him. But then I don’t put my trust in any politician.
I just think it’s all very sad and roll on September when there will be a decision – but what will happen then, either way it can’t see it will be good.
Margaret,
I should have said the areas around London, the home counties. It’s another world. I love the west of England and the south west, they’re far enough away from London not to be tainted by it, and are probably as ignored as Scotland usually is. There’s no need to change the currency at all, that’s just Cameron trying to throw his weight about, it’s as much our pound as England’s and as we are actually in the EU there should be no problem at all, we already fulfill all the conditions of membership. Eire used the pound and pund together for years.
The trouble about school is that bullies will always find something to get at you for, if it wasn’t her English accent it would be the colour of her hair, or height. For me it was my red hair and lisp, the trick is not to let them think it bothers you. In Essex we were mocked for our accent every day and that was by adults! It’s a shame that you’re just over that border, I don’t suppose the border will ever be changed, but I always think that Berwick on Tweed is very Scottish in looks anyway.
I haven’t had a phone call from a polster – yet.
Don’t get much news of this in the US. I had heard there was talk of Scotland going solo but didn’t know there was actually going to be a vote over it this year. The politics of it all is fascinating from my perspective. I hope the voted comes out for the best whatever that might be.
Stefanie,
At the beginning of all this I thought that there was no way that the Independent side would win but we’re getting a constant barrage of fear tactics from Westminster, they seem determined to hold on to Scotland for some reason. People will vote for independence just because they’re tired of all the bullying!
Katrina,
Well, I can certainly see that no matter what, the British powerful and EU powerful will try to manipulate Scotland and the Scots to the hilt over this one. This manipulation would enrage me if I were a Scot, and I wonder how you can keep a civil tongue in your head over the whole thing.
Judith
Judith,
It’s difficult to ‘keep the heid’ – we are just wondering which big financial institution is going to be on the news tomorrow, telling us that they’ll be deserting Scotland if we vote for independence. Today it was Standard Life.
Been following through my SIL’s Facebook posts – sounds like a very emotional and polarizing issue. Wouldn’t take a side as I haven’t a dog in this fight (other than family in Scotland).
Wiould be interesting to see how Scotland would fare on it’s own…but sounds like it could be a costly experiment…
Pearl,
It’s a difficult one, but at this rate the keep the union scare tactics will back fire on them as people begin to feel bullied. I don’t know of any country which has gone for independence who have ended up regretting it though.