SCOTLAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

How do we convince the Scottish people that independence simply CANNOT be right for Scotland?  It has to be admitted that there is a deep-rooted dissatisfaction in our society that must be worked upon, but we will never erase that dissatisfaction by making an irreversible decision to make Scotland independent. 

Fundamental to the success of any country is a healthy economy.  Achieving a healthy economy may require hard choices to be made for the long term good of all of us.  Throughout the last half century, we have seen a succession of Labour and Conservative governments, the former giving handouts to the public, but wrecking the economy, the latter restoring a healthy economy, but unfortunately at the expense of popularity.  A  good government will always make the economy its priority because only with a healthy economy can we improve the lives of everyone in the long term.  Regrettably, there will always be those who will profit excessively when the economy succeeds – unfortunately, that is an inevitable consequence of success.

So the succession of Labour and Conservative governments has been healthy for our democracy.  When one party has made mistakes, we have always been able to replace with the other.

Unfortunately, that healthy cycle is now breaking down in Scotland.  No cycling of government could exist in a one-party independent Scotland.

The Scottish National Party has declared its intentions to greatly increase public spending if Scotland were to become independent. They have managed to seduce the poorer elements in our society into thinking that they can become hundreds of pounds a year better off.  Perhaps the SNP might indeed be so reckless with the country’s money, and they might make themselves very popular for a couple of  years, but sooner or later we would all have to pay the price – certainly within 10 years, and increasingly so during the lifetimes of our children and grandchildren, growing up in a Scotland with rapidly decreasing oil resources.

And what would we do in an independent Scotland when such problems inevitably arise?  The answer is that there is nothing we could do – there would be no going back!

There is much talk among Scottish nationalists about freedom.  We already have our freedom.  We have the best of both worlds – our own government in Holyrood, backed by a unifying government in Westminster.

There is much talk about patriotism.  There is no Scot more patriotic than one who supports our proud nation – Scotland – within our United Kingdom!

There is plenty of scope for the people of Scotland to show increased pride and patriotism – real pride and patriotism, not the patriotism demonstrated by mobs of shirtless youths waving saltires.

The people of Scotland need to get sensible.  There can never be any Utopia.    Money doesn’t grow on trees. The people will never be hundreds of pounds better off without long term consequences.

We are better together.

For every kind of reason, economically, socially, culturally, we should always remain within the United Kingdom.