When Winnie Ewing reconvened the Scottish Parliament in 1999, few of us would have thought that 13 years later Alex Salmond, leading a majority SNP government, would sign an agreement with the UK Prime Minister to allow him the legal right to hold a referendum on Scottish independence. Yet, here we are. In two years’ time, those living in Scotland will have the right to choose to stay in the UK or go it alone as an independent nation.
But those of us intending to vote need to know the likely implications of our decision before we make it. What will an independent Scotland be like? How will it be different from what it is like know? In short, what will it mean for each of us?
So far, Scots have seen internal wranglings within the SNP on Nato membership; consternation over EU membership; announcements about the intention to keep the pound and the Royal Family; and debate over Scotland’s share of the national debt.
While extremely important, these are probably not the things that ordinary people would cite as having a great impact on their lives each day and also quite unlikely to capture their imagination enough to make them want to vote at all.
We have just short of two years before the full-on official campaigns will start. Campaigns are not the time to start educating people on the benefits of voting one way or another. So, the Yes campaign must use the time between then and now to paint a picture of what an independent Scotland would and could look like, which both captures the electorate’s imagination and addresses their concerns, no matter how small.
Those living in Scotland but very close to England worry about things like if they will still be able to use the hospital in Berwick. Nationally, people want to know what will happen to their jobs and whether the benefits system will be the same, but also things like whether or not they’ll still be able to watch their favourite telly programmes.
Constantly reminding people of the things that can’t be done because Scotland is not independent won’t wash.
People need positive reasons to vote for change. Let’s hear about the practical real things, the things that can be done in an independent Scotland which would make Scotland a better place to live. That’s what will get people engaged, that’s what will make this constitutional debate real and that’s what will see Scots making the right decision, whatever that may be.
The Yes campaign is full of people who have dedicated their lives to working towards independence. There’s a huge amount of passion and drive there, which has been sustained for decades. They must know what would be so good about an independent Scotland. So let’s hear it and hear it in terms we can relate to.