Local Scots have their say on independence vote

NO: Bill Williams, of Covingham.

I have Scotland in my heart, in my soul and in my bloodline. But I also have our United Kingdom in the same place. No matter where I am, I never cease to feel a glow of pride when I see the Union Flag flying.

I am a proud Scot but I am also a proud Brit. My fellow countrymen and women go to the polls today to make a monumental and life changing decision.

May I ask them, from the bottom of my heart, to stay with our Union?

The United Kingdom of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The most successful Union of nations in living memory.

Together we have changed the world. We ended the slave trade, fought fascism and our inventive skills have made the world a better and safer place.

I do not want to wake up on Friday morning and find my wife and I foreigners in our own land.

I have four children born in Scotland, one born in England, eight grandchildren born in England and a great grandchild, and one on the way, and yet I am not allowed a vote on this important decision.

There are many speculative arguments regarding the defence in these dangerous times as well as the financial situation Scotland may find itself in if the Scots, God forbid, vote to leave the Union.

But there is a another one just as important. It is the bond of unity in our hearts on this small island. Our proud history, our blood spilt shoulder to shoulder in the fight for freedom.

Cliff Lee, of Covingham.

“I was born in Port Glasgow in the county of Renfrew-shire, Scotland, and I have always been proud to be Scots and British. But the last few weeks the things that have been going on in Scotland have saddened me.

I refer to the aggressiveness of some of the members of the Yes campaign. Why did the First Minister not attempt to stop this type of conduct in a free and democratic society?

If this is the future of Scotland, I fear for my country of birth. I have lived in England for 40-odd years, and I see no difference in the people from Lands End to John O’Groats.

I have many relatives in Scotland who are deeply saddened at the prospect of independence.

I also have nieces and nephews born in England, and Alex Salmond wants to make us foreigners in our close-knit family.

In the year when we commemorate the centenary of the Great War, where my own family lost two, they did not die for little Scotland. They sacrificed their lives for the United Kingdom of Great Britain. I just pray that today common sense will prevail.”

Swindon Advertiser:

YES: William Johnston, a sports therapist who hails from Swindon, has a Scottish father and now lives in Glasgow.

THERE are many reasons people have given for voting ‘yes’ on today. You just have to look at the Twitter hashtag #YesBecause to see a selection.

The mains ones for a lot of people include:

The fact that Scotland very rarely gets the Government it votes for. More often than not over the years, Scotland has voted overwhelmingly for Labour, but have had to put up with Conservative governments.

This has added weight when you take into account things like Scotland being used as the guinea pig for the Poll Tax back in the 80s. 

A lot of Scots will never forgive the Tories for many of their policies in the 1980s and early 1990s. There is also the anger of being taken to war with Iraq in 2003 under false pretences.

Another reason is that many people here do not believe that Scotland has been subsidised by the UK, but in fact have contributed far more money into the UK coffers than have received back.

In fact, figures suggest that Scotland is the third richest region of the UK behind London and the South East of England.

Other factors are the right to self determination, the desire for a nuclear free country, and a creating a more social country.

Many people, myself included, see the UK as being run by the ‘elite’ for the benefit of the ultra rich, whereas the people of Scotland want a country run for the benefit of the people.

You see so many different posters for the Yes campaign, ‘Bairns not Bombs’ is one pushing for money to be spent on childcare instead of Trident.

NHyeS is highlighting the fact that the NHS is at risk throughout the UK, not just Scotland. The big fear being the end of free healthcare with a system similar to the United States.
Again, the Yes campaign is very socially inclusive and ironically, non-nationalistic.

You have all sorts of campaign groups. Women for Indy, Asians for Independence, Greens for Yes, Africans for Independence. Almost every football team has a Yes group. 

In both Edinburgh and Dundee, you have had fans of rival teams coming together and canvassing. There is even an English Scots for Yes group!
At the end of it all, the dream for most people is a more socially inclusive country that can be an example to the rest of the world.