romanista wrote:
EBG, although i appreciate your views on the independence (they are surely different then most views which reach the united provinces)
Well, fair play chap, I respect what you see to be the necessary two sides of the debate.
What I haven't previously said is that I'd really
like to believe in the notion of a strong, indepedent Scotland. I do after all plan to live here for the rest of my life, and I couldn't give even the slightest fig for the sanctity of 'The Union' or sentimentality about the past. Anything that I thought would genuinely, realistically benefit the prospects of this country I would absolutely, with ever fibre, be behind.
But I don't believe it, and I wish the debate was as reasoned as simply two sides weighing up and debating the various pros, cons, and possible logistical outcomes. If it was operating at that level it would be a fantastic intellectual exercise if nothing else, even if you had to eventually agree to disagree.
That is not however the reality. Tensions and the aforementioned chip-on-shoulder are such that the debate doesn't merely descend, it
starts at the lowest-denomination of mouth-frothing aggression and wilful misinterpretation of events, facts, and quotes. This is true of both sides, although from my observations the cybernats are by far the more vocal and militant of the two. At that point there is no debate, it is merely diametrically opposed views against which no measure of evidence, reason, or credible argument with make a difference. Every fact will be disputed, disagreed with, and responded to from an equally valueless and disputable source.
Such efforts are therefore self-nullifying. Such extremism (again, of either side), convinces nobody that wasn't already decided, and only serves as a receptacle for those who seek a sense of belonging with others that think as they do.
Of course, I'm not entirely insulated from my own feelings on the matter. It remains a point of absolute ridicule that the Scots who have chosen to emigrate to other countries for tax and lifestyle reasons (Sean Connery, I'm looking at you), think they have even the smallest right to weigh in on a country that is no longer theirs. That the very worst representation of Scottish Nationalist fervour is vocalised by a washed-up hack, who himself doesn't live in Scotland, is merely the icing on the cake.
I'm in no particular doubt about the outcome of the referendum. The most recent poll puts support for independence lower now than it was in 2007, and so despite the angry assertions of the aforementioned minority, the momentum is not building at all. Merely those that remain dedicated to the cause are shouting their voices ever louder in the hopes that it will compensate. It won't.