Post
by John_fi_Skye » Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:18 pm
In a lot of ways, a lot of the people north of the border feel pretty different from our friends in the south. For one thing, though there is the full spectrum of opinion, the vote in general elections in Scotland tends to be more to the left, and yet an awful lot of the time we're governed by right-wing Westminster governments, because the English vote tends to be further to the right. Being ruled by those we vote for will likely mean having a government that's more to the left, and it seems that will suit more Scots than having governments led by Tories - or, for that matter, pseudo-Tories like Blair.
The other thing is that independence would hopefully reduce the number of layers of government. At present in Scotland, we're all governed by four layers of government, and I'm totally at a loss to explain why we need so many. So, here in Highland, I'm governed by Highland Council in Inverness, by the Scottish Government in Edinburgh, by the Westminster government in London, and - now we're all in the developing United States of Europe - by Brussels. It's completely fucking mad. Because democracy's a good thing, we're just getting ridiculous amounts of it. Just think how many more hospitals we could have if we didn't have even one of those layers. So, dump Westminster.
Unless things change greatly in the next two years, or my inchoate dementia gallops on apace, I'll be voting "yes" in the referendum. Yes to looking after ourselves the way lots of countries do that are the same size and smaller; yes to seeing an end forever to privileged Old Etonians ruling people here of whose lives they've no understanding; yes to making better use of finite resources, with less money going on politicians, on their advisers, their under-secretaries, their spin-doctors, and their clerical support; and yes to having a legislature whose members are more in tune with the political predisposition of the electorate here.
Pray, do not mock me: I am a very foolish fond old man; And, to deal plainly, I fear I am not in my perfect mind.
Blah blah blah blah blah!
Memo to self: no Lir chocolates.
Life is glorious.