Scottish independence referendum, 2014 / Referendum should pass
Position: Referendum should pass
This position addresses the topic Scottish independence referendum, 2014.
For this position
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Disastrous British foreign policy has led to the deaths of hundreds of UK soldiers and the maiming of thousands of others. And for what? Afghanistan is still a mediaeval basket case and IS rules large swathes of Iraq, a country we “liberated”. At home, a new Scotland would build on the sense of social justice that sets it apart from its southern neighbour. Despite the off-stage grumblings of arch-unionist Johann Lamont, the notions of free university education, free prescriptions and free personal care resonate with the majority of Scots who agree with a collectivist approach to helping those in need. | 
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Against this position
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If we vote Yes on Thursday the margin of victory is likely to be extremely small. We shall start life as a new state divided against ourselves. In the difficult birth – the potential problems with currency, the EU and Nato have been well aired and do not need repeating here – those divisions are more likely to deepen than to heal. There will be recrimination and reckoning. If you doubt this, ask Jim Sillars. |
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From Scotland can be changed for better with a No vote, by The Scotsman editorial board (The Scotsman, September 18, 2014) (view)
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As in every heavy industrial economy, Scotland’s coalmines, steelworks and shipyards were bound to be shuttered or shrunk in our time. Pittsburgh, Essen and Turin did not fare much better than Glasgow. Yet somehow the story took root that Scotland’s economic restructuring was all the fault of the arch-bampot Margaret Thatcher. And then came Alex Salmond with his fairy tale that an independent Scotland could become a Scandinavian paradise. Hardly any Yes voter appears aware that Sweden turned away from egalitarianism long ago. None of them seems to ever have bought an eye-poppingly expensive drink in Norway, much less seen a Danish tax bill. |
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From Alone, Scotland will go back to being a failed state, by Niall Ferguson (The Daily Telegraph, September 17, 2014) (view)
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The skittishness of business is perhaps the most worrying factor: it has long been clear that the banks will hop over the border pronto should the Yessers come out on top; but faced with a prolonged period of uncertainty, many other businesses are likely to get cold feet. It should concern the Scottish Nationalists that a large number of voices in so-called Project Fear have come from the private sector; after all, the taxes it pays are needed to line the nest of a fledgling nation. How else are free childcare, free tuition and all the rest to be funded? |
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From Bigger together - both Britain and Scotland would be diminished by Yes vote, by The Independent editorial board (The Independent, September 17, 2014) (view)
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The truth is that those tempted to destroy the Union may be thinking of many things, but they are not thinking very carefully about the future. Some may be motivated by disgust with the political class – a feeling shared on both sides of the border. Others want to give a kicking to the Tories or the English in general (Mr Cameron appeared to concede this in his speech, saying: ‘If you don’t like me, I won’t be here forever’). Others again may be stirred by romantic visions of Robert the Bruce or simply by boredom with the status quo. They surely haven’t thought through the prospects of happiness and security for their children and grandchildren. |
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From Clear message in the Queen's simple words, by Daily Mail editorial board (Daily Mail, September 15, 2014) (view)
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In business, in media, in government service, and in the Army, Scots still prosper as part of a United Kingdom, with opportunities and skies far wider than those that will come from a fragmented patchwork of cold, damp and powerless nation-statelets. Where Brown, Blair and Cameron all have Scots blood and Scots names, another generation of Scots waits to take over the reins of power. While even the distant prospect of, say, Michael Gove as prime minister may not fill many Scots (myself among them) with delight, his career to date from an adopted working-class child from Aberdeen through Oxford to the top of the Cabinet is evidence of the sort of opportunities the Union affords ambitious Scots. |
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From Do the Scots really want to stop running Britain?, by William Dalrymple (The Daily Telegraph, September 13, 2014) (view)
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The political Union has helped to provide security and stability. And over the centuries Scots have played a large part in shaping that Union. Many, many Scots have benefited from opportunities it has afforded. We are a part of the fabric of the United Kingdom. We are a significant part of its history. |
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From Scotland’s decision: The Scotsman’s verdict, by The Scotsman editorial board (The Scotsman, September 12, 2014) (view)
Mixed on this position
No results