Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland, has launched a booklet, which will be delivered to every home in Scotland, outlining the case for Scotland to remain in the UK. The key facts from the weighty Scotland Analysis series of papers have been distilled into an easy to read booklet with lots of pretty pictures.
I’m glad to see that it really is the key issues – the economy, currency, pensions and international influence that have made it in to the final version. I do sometimes worry that we end up talking about stuff that doesn’t matter at the expense of the most important priorities. Alistair explained the rationale behind it:
The Government has produced plenty of detailed analysis and evidence over the past year of so explaining why Scotland benefits from remaining part of a strong United Kingdom.
On matters like currency, pensions, trade and defence the evidence is very clear. Scotland is better off staying in the UK and better off having the best of both worlds. We have more opportunities and greater security in the UK while also building up the powers of the Scottish Parliament.
This is a once in a lifetime, irreversible decision so people need to be sure about the choice they make in September. This booklet presents the facts and will help make the arguments clearer.
You can read the whole thing, and enjoy the pretty pictures, here. There’s also some much improved social media tie-in with the You Decide 2014 Twitter and Facebook pages.
It’s not going o set any heather on fire, but a bit of calm is what we need after a febrile and fraught week. We’ve seen the First Minister refuse to sack his Special Adviser despite clear evidence that he broke the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, taking a swipe at the Telegraph for daring to print the evidence that he did. We’ve seen J K Rowling vilified by nationalists for making a big donation to Better Together, a mother who happens to be a member of the Labour party accused of using her own child for political gain and called an idiot, a quisling, a liar and a fool. We had the spectacle of a yes supporting blogger who thinks it’s ok to describe people as “sewer-dwelling vermin” screaming for evidence that that mother had received online abuse when, as I discovered, there was plenty on his own website.
It’s been a bit sad that one of the most persuasive pieces of writing I’ve seen on the referendum, J K Rowling’s own statement, has been lost in all the kerfuffle. This is one of my highlights:
My hesitance at embracing independence has nothing to do with lack of belief in Scotland’s remarkable people or its achievements. The simple truth is that Scotland is subject to the same twenty-first century pressures as the rest of the world. It must compete in the same global markets, defend itself from the same threats and navigate what still feels like a fragile economic recovery. The more I listen to the Yes campaign, the more I worry about its minimisation and even denial of risks. Whenever the big issues are raised – our heavy reliance on oil revenue if we become independent, what currency we’ll use, whether we’ll get back into the EU – reasonable questions are drowned out by accusations of ‘scaremongering.’ Meanwhile, dramatically differing figures and predictions are being slapped in front of us by both campaigns, so that it becomes difficult to know what to believe.
I doubt I’m alone in trying to find as much impartial and non-partisan information as I can, especially regarding the economy. Of course, some will say that worrying about our economic prospects is poor-spirited, because those people take the view ‘I’ll be skint if I want to and Westminster can’t tell me otherwise’. I’m afraid that’s a form of ‘patriotism’ that I will never understand. It places higher importance on ‘sticking it’ to David Cameron, who will be long gone before the full consequences of independence are felt, than to looking after your own. It prefers the grand ‘up yours’ gesture to considering what you might be doing to the prospects of future generations.
Even the Better Together campaign might be finally getting it. I like the new No Thanks slogan and the 100 days to go video.
The polls are still all over the place, from 60:40 against independence to one Survation poll this week suggesting a Yes win if people think that David Cameron will still be Prime Minister. Let’s hope that J K Rowling’s words have some effect and that this will be the week where both campaigns will have realised the importance of setting a good example of respectful, engaging debate from the top down.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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10 Comments
“I’m afraid that’s a form of ‘patriotism’ that I will never understand.”
Wanting to break away from a union that intends to break away from THE Union (EU) is not ‘patriotism’ . It is cold hard logic. And we have never been accused of being financially ignorant of our options. The offer from Westminster is not without it’s own significant downsides which is of course glossed over.
So it comes down to trust in Westminster or the EU. Being financially patriotic, I make my decisions based on the experience of Westminster’s promises and what Westminster actually delivers.
” The polls are still all over the place, from 60:40 against independence to one Survation poll this week suggesting a Yes win if people think that David Cameron will still be Prime Minister.”
Does this Survation poll say how big the Yes vote will be if people think that Nick Clegg will still be Deputy Prime Minister?
I notice that he has not been top of the list of Better Together speakers flown up from London to tell the people of Scotland what’s good for them.
What Caron doesn’t want you to know is that the Sunday Express (about as far from a friend of Yes Scotland as you can get) did a survey which found that
“In a worrying development for the Better Together campaign, 21 per cent of those planning to vote Yes have received abuse or threats compared to just eight per cent of those planning to vote No.”
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/463823/SCOTLAND-AT-WAR-Death-threats-shame-both-camps-as-fight-for-votes-spirals-out-of-control
8% is 8% too many but 21% is much worse.
The abuse directed against the yes side includes death threats…
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/378240/Sturgeon-sent-death-threats-on-the-web
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/crime-courts/man-25-accused-of-salmond-death-threat.23332506
Here is a link to a conviction for threatening a Yes Scotland campaigner only yesterday.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/referendum-news/man-fined-200-for-anti-catholic-facebook-threat-to-yes-scotland-campaigner.24461959
And JK Rowling herself accused yes campaigners of being “death eaters”. Fans of her series will know what that implies. (I prefer Worst Witch myself.)
And since the world cup has started here is a prominent no campaigner insulting England…
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/463822/So-much-for-Better-Together-Jim-Murphy-insults-English-team
So weigh it up for yourself. Which is worse? A case of mistaken identity that was quickly and fully apologised for or death threats? 21% or 8%?
Getting back to the real issues. Alistair Carmichael has admitted today that other than the bits and pieces in the Scotland Act that are happening anyway, no extra powers will be guaranteed for Scotland in the case of a no vote. This confirms that only a YES vote can bring more powers to Scotland. Only a YES vote can get rid of Trident from the Clyde and only a YES vote will give the Scottish parliament the powers that it needs to use Scotland’s wealth and resources to deliver more and better jobs across the country. Most of all only independence can guarantee that Scotland gets the government it voted for. A YES vote is not about nationalism. It is about being able to actually deliver a fairer society with a stronger economy for Scotland. It is about democracy.
Do you think if England lost 8-0 to Italy tomorrow, John Tilley would blame Nick Clegg ?
No, but Paul Barker would analyse the figures and prove that with Clegg at the helm, England would soon be back on top!
How many nation states that have managed to self determine and become independent would go back to where they were before?
David: “Paul Barker would analyse the figures and prove that with Clegg at the helm, England would soon be back on top!”… And presumably Danny Alexander would claim that Scotland would be in a position to win the World Cup in 2026 (the year after the Lib Dems become the largest party in his beloved Westminster!)
Good post from Al by the way, the “bitter together” crew are keen to have a go at the excesses of the so-called cybernats. I would suggest they put their own house in order and condemn this sort of bullying.
Steve, I condemn any sort of bullying of people who are expressing their point of view. That should be the gut instinct of any liberal. Sadly, we don’t always see it in internal party debates or elsewhere.
@Johnmc
‘How many nation states that have managed to self determine and become independent would go back to where they were before?’
Texas and Newfoundland immediately come to mind, but there are long lists of others, such as the constituent parts of Canada, Australian and South Africa, with further examples in Central Europe, especially Germany and Italy.
As an ex Lib Dem I really do not understand what has happened to the party. I do not understand what the big difference between the Liberal dream of home rule and Independence is. Surly after the YES vote there should be a move to share things that need to be shared such as the pound, defence and possible foreign policy. This would be a partnership of equals not domination by England. (Mind you looking at Iraq maybe a shared foreign policy might not be the best idea). For me its very simple – Scotland is Norway and Norway is better than Scotland so lets give it a go and Vote Yes and lets build Norway 2 – happy healthy and not bothering anyone else.