Do you Agree that Scotland Should be an Independent Country?

So here we are, on Burns Day the 25th of January 2012, we have finally heard the question which will determine Scotlands future. We the people of Scotland have been waiting over 300 years to hear this question,and at last, finally, we have it!

The question when it finally came, was placed in very simple clear honourable terms and spoken with humble statesmanship. No bravado, no fanfares, no bombast,no stage management, just a plain honest question.

I often wondered if I myself would ever get to hear that question asked? I have lived my life, as generations of Scots before me have waited, hoping that some day I would get to hear it, and finally today I did, and so did All of the World.

Let me state that question again, I like the sound of it.
‘Do you agree that Scotland should be an Independent Country?’
I can give you my answer right now, and I don’t need to hesitate, or ponder my answer. Absolutely,and with complete confidence, in myself, my fellow Scots, both old and new, AYE, I do indeed Agree that Scotland should be an Independent Country, and I cannot wait to get started helping to make it so.

For once, I can agree with the Tories and New Labourites and the LibDems, there need not be another question on the ballot paper, this question suits me just fine.
However, I also agree with Alex Salmond and the SNP, if there is a clear desire expressed by a large portion of the Scottish people to have a further question on Devo Max,expressed through the Consultation process by the people, and if a Group such as Civic Scotland can frame it, then for fairness and democracy it deserves to be asked.
Personally I feel it is a waste of time asking it, because no Scottish Parliament can deliver it, only Westminster can, and as I have said before, I wouldn’t trust a Westminster parliament to deliver my messages! But If a large number of Scots want to hope against all hope, that they would honour such a representation, then ok go ahead,ask. No harm in asking is there? Is there??

The Tories and New Labourites and LibDems would say NO, they wouldn’t want it asked, even if there was an overwhelming desire amongst Scots to ask for more powers,short of Independence.
They say it is too confusing to ask for extended powers alongside the main question for Independence. Too confusing for whom? Do they think we are all Idiots and can’t tell the difference? Don’t Answer that!

Actually, their real reason for not wanting such a second question, is because they are really afraid that should we not choose by a majority to opt for Independence, they would have to accede to giving up some proportion of their power, if the answer to such a second question was in the affirmative, and make no bones about it, they don’t want to give up a thimble full of power, the peoples will or not! Therefore, the second question is an absolute No No for them.

In a sense,the presence or not of a second question is almost an Irrelevance, when placed next to the Real question.The all Important question we have all been waiting for.

‘Do you agree that Scotland should be an Independent Country?’

The starting gun to the debate proper of this question has now only just really begun. We will all be talking about it over the next two and a half years.

There will be lots of debate about economic feasibility, there will be debate about defence, and pensions, and Europe and Currency. There will be a Mountain of Negativity by those whose Interests lie with the British State, and their own personal gain. There will be a whirlwind of opinion, facts, figures,distortions and even down right Lies told. At times ordinary folk will feel as if they are being mangled in the head by it all. But for me,I don’t need to consider all that grandstanding and bluster and opinionated nonsense, by so called experts. I already know my answer, and I know why I have my answer, and I know full well, that Scotland will do just fine as an Independent Nation, taking its rightful place once more in this world.

All I need to know is very basic.

Do I believe that Scotland can manage just as well as Lithuania or Denmark? Yes I do. We Scots are well capable of looking after ourselves.

Do I believe that we should be able to make our own decisions over matters of Importance? Of course I do, I wouldn’t want to be some poor soul depending on someone else to make decisions for me, about what I want to do with my life. Why ever cannot my Country do the same for itself? We are not a feeble daft people are we? Ok , you might be? I know I’m not!

Do I believe that Scotland can do a better job of running it’s own affairs than Westminster does for us?
Yes I do, I think we have seen clear differences between how our own parliament has performed with both hands tied behind its back, with its limited devolved powers, than the God Awful Pigs Ear that the bunch of privileged unrepresentative tossers in Westminster have made of things. Could We honestly do much worse for ourselves? It would take some doing!

Do I believe that Scotland has fair representation on the Important matters exclusively in the control of the British State?
No I do not! There are 650 Mps in Westminster, 59 of these are Scots,currently only 6 of these do not have a conflict of Interest between party and Country.
When it comes to matters such as Nuclear Weapons, Benefits and Pensions, whether we send our young to war or not? Even if the will of the people of Scotland was totally against going to war in Afghnistan or Iraq, or anywhere else,and ALL our MPS said NO, we are still forced to war, if the majority of English MPs alone said Yes. This does not make for a partnership of Equals between Nations. We Instead become merely seen as dissenting county or region. We are not given our rightful place as a Sovereign People. We are outnumbered hugely by our much bigger neighbour.

But mostly If you asked me, why I say AYE?

I will tell you that All my life, and long before I even knew what politics was, I believed in Scotland. I Love my Country and my People. I Love our shared traditions and Culture and Languages. I Believe in me, and I believe in you, and I believe in all of us together.

We can make this a better Nation to live in, given the chance.
We can make our own way in the world, and we as Scots have done so for Centuries, shaping the world, so why not now?

We are recognised the whole world over, and Loved the whole world over. From China and Japan to Russia and France, to Canada and the States, to Australia and New Zealand, and all points in between. Proved yet again today,when the Press and TV from as far away as China came to hear our First Minister in Edinburgh Castle.

We even had one of our own descendants become the first man on the moon, but he didn’t settle there, so the moon sent no representative today, but it would have done, if it could I’m sure.
Did I say we also have a rather odd sense of humour? Ok, maybe not? We aren’t all perfect, but I have yet to meet anyone who is. The same applies to Nations, we are all here to do our best. If we do that, then we will do just fine.

So yes, of course I Believe, and I will always Believe in Scotland.
It is the easiest thing In the World for me to answer.
Aye, I do indeed believe that Scotland should be an Independent Country. Why the hell not??
‘