How many 'Better Together' campaigners does it take to change a light bulb? None, of course, they want us all kept in the dark as much as possible.
The Daily Record yesterday treated us to an article on how 'Celebrities' would vote in the Independence Referendum. Unfortunately for them, they mucked things up and the 'gallery' they asked us to 'click on' just wasn't there! So, in effect, the only one we heard from was Billy Connolly. The Big Yin gave an emphatic 'No,' saying that he doesn't like nationalism of any kind. Either Connolly is thick or he's being deliberately disingenuous, but he shows a remarkable lack of understanding of the issues at stake.
To me, this isn't about nationalism; quite the opposite, in fact. I'm a firm believer in closer ties between countries and am a firm supporter of the European Union. So is the SNP, which has promised to negotiate for Scotland to remain in the EU come independence. Despite the usual scare stories from the 'No' camp, it appears that there will be no problem with this.
On the other hand, if we were to remain in the UK then there's every chance that we'll be out of Europe within the next few years. The meteoric rise of UKIP in England shows where the real cause of nationalism in this debate lies and it is something that the next UK government will have to come to terms with. There's every chance that UKIP will hold the deciding vote in Parliament after the General Election and if the Tories want to be in power then they'll have to bring Farage and his stormtroopers onboard.
I for one don't want to live in a country like that, where Daily Mail readers hold the upper hand and dictate the laws of the land. It'll be back to the old £sd, metric measures will be outlawed, racism will be de rigeur, anybody that's black will be 'repatriated,' Islam will be illegal and if you don't wear a poppy throughout October and into November you will be shot! You think I'm exaggerating? Then you should pay more attention to what your average UKIP voter writes online and in the papers.
We've had one UKIP MEP elected in Scotland and I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of his votes came from certain areas in Lanarkshire. It surely can't be coincidence that leading bloggers and speakers on the Unionist side are also members of UKIP? McMurdo for example, and his friend, holocaust denier Alistair McConnachie. These are the folk that want us to break away from Europe and yet they have the cheek to call those in favour of Scottish independence 'insular' and 'parochial'.
So the choice isn't between an independent Scotland, where we've all to eat haggis, wear tartan and conform to the Wee Frees' sabbatarian pronouncements and a free, modern, internationalist UK. On the contrary, it's between a modern, vibrant Scotland taking a full part in Europe and a bunch of Little Englanders that want to go back to 'Splendid Isolation.' I know which one I want.
Basically, the 'No' side of the debate depends on bigotry and ignorance. Have a look at these comments on McMurdo's blog:
"Next on their agenda would be for all of us too (sic) turn into RC’s"
"...my Mother and Father fought against one of the most evil regimes ever during the Second World War and they did it voluntarily believing that it’s what we stood for a Union of People who defended our Faith and what was right."
So apparently the Second World War was a religious war to uphold the Reformed tradition and the SNP is closely linked to the Vatican! Are people really that thick? Sadly, it appears so!
