Willie Rennie has made a video talking about the great assets of the UK, asking why would we ever walk away from those great things. I’d have lost the tie and sat him down and got a more casual jacket, but he’s talking a lot of sense. He also emphasises the irreversibility of independence, even if Alex Salmond is found to have been completely wrong. Enjoy.
* 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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8 Comments
If Salmond is wrong, then it falls to others to fix his mess. This ‘Can’t Be Done’ attitude only makes it less likely that Liberal Democrats will be invited to help deal with it if he is.
I very much doubt that if both nations saw their economies slump severely over a sustained period as the result of separation – discussions would not be entered into with the view of reuniting in some way.
Unfortunately, the campaign has gone on for too long [described by some as the neverendum!] particularly for the ‘No’ campaign – who have little else to frighten the Scots with – many of whom seemed to have taken the view that ‘it can’t be any worse’!
Cameron did hit the nail on the head in his speech yesterday when he said that he and this government will not be around for ever. Quite an admission that they way that the Coalition has governed is one of the major causes of the strength of the ‘No’ vote.
Devo-max might have been taken if it had been clearly defined and on offer – but how could any Scot trust the current crop of leading Westminster politicians to do anything they say?
Wilie Rennie has the distinction of being the only new Lib Dem MSP at the last election.
He was elected’as an additional member with 5.9% of the vote.
Meanwhile across the rest of Scotland our party collapsed, whilst the SNP went on to form a majority in the parliament despite being up against a system designed to prevent such an outcome.
Willie Rennie was an excellent agent in Christchurch in Dorset in the days when Liberal Democrats won byelections.
But the things he is having to say nowadays are about as close to the best interests of Scotland as the Dorset coast.
Just make sure the £s in your wallet are English notes before Friday, just in case there is a Yes vote.
Why? Why is it irreversible? If Union is, as is suggested, an option far superior now to what it was in 1707, why shouldn’t an independent England and Scotland consider forming a voluntary union or a federation at some time in the future? The SNP won’t be in office forever, after all, and most of the other Scottish parties are unionist. The only thing that would block it would be if English hysteria over a positive outcome should result in a load of pointless punitive measures intended to further alienate even unionist Scots.
” He also emphasises the irreversibility of independence, even if Alex Salmond is found to have been completely wrong.”
If you are given a opportunity to vote you can only vote for what you think is right. I will be sad, but I think the “Yes” voters will win with more in hand than people think and good luck to them.
Why? Why is it irreversible? If Union is, as is suggested, an option far superior now to what it was in 1707, why shouldn’t an independent England and Scotland consider forming a voluntary union or a federation at some time in the future?
It is of course a theoretical possibility that some sort of union could be revived in a decade or two, but given the disparities in both population and economic strength between the two countries, the idea that this could be done on anything approaching an equal basis is fanciful. It would be England/remaining UK which would be calling all the shots. And the idea that Scotland, having broken away, would then turn round and agree such a deal is ludicrous. Let no-one be in any doubt – separation would be permanent.
“why shouldn’t an independent England and Scotland consider forming a voluntary union or a federation at some time in the future?”
if you husband decided to randomly divorce you after 30 years of marriage, and then changed their mind three years later, would you think twice before jumping back into bed with him?