in the garden of edin issue 2
DESCRIPTION
Welcome to issue two of In The Garden of Edin'. This edition's headlines include:‘Scotland would qualify for their highest economic assessment, the AAA credit rating, even without the boon of North Sea Oil.’ -Richard Lovell Emily Ingram provides a detailed analysis of each party’s EU election manifesto. Scottish Youth Parliament member for Edinburgh East, Assad Khan, gives his reasons for backing a Yes vote in September. Robin Drummond gives a blow-by-blow account of Jim Eadie’s debate with Better Together’s Alistair Darling. Calum Martin analyses the housing crisis, and breaks down several of the key numbers involved. And Kevin Brown on the chances that independence offers.https://www.facebook.com/Gardenofedin?ref=hlTRANSCRIPT
Issue Number 2
20/05/2014
Headlines:
‘Scotland would
qualify for their
highest economic
assessment, the AAA
credit rating, even
without the boon of
North Sea Oil.’
-Richard Lovell
Emily Ingram pro-
vides a detailed anal-
ysis of each party’s
EU election manifes-
to.
Scottish Youth Par-
liament member for
Edinburgh East, As-
sad Khan, gives his
reasons for backing a
Yes vote in Septem-
ber.
Robin Drummond
gives a blow-by-blow
account of Jim
Eadie’s debate with
Better Together’s
Alistair Darling.
Calum Martin anal-
yses the housing cri-
sis, and breaks down
several of the key
numbers involved.
And Kevin Brown on
the chances that in-
dependence offers.
Editor’s Note
After a fantastic re-
ception to May
Day’s launch issue, I
am thrilled to wel-
come you all to issue
number two of In
the Garden of Edin.
We have had over
ten thousand indi-
vidual hits on the
Facebook page since
first publishing
twenty days ago. So
a massive thank you
to everyone that has
shared the page,
downloaded issue
one, or ‘liked’ the
page.
I’ve organised the
first of my ‘Visions
of Independence’
lecture series which
will be taking place
this Friday 23rd
May
at the George
Square Theatre, Ed-
inburgh University
central. Speakers
confirmed are Robin
McAlpine of the
Reid Foundation,
Edinburgh East
member for the
Scottish Youth Par-
liament and Youth
Officer for Scots-
Asians for Inde-
pendence Assad
Khan, co-founder of
Women for Inde-
pendence Kate Hig-
gins, Sarah Beattie
Smith of the Radical
Independence Cam-
paign, and activist
Zareen Taj who will
be speaking as an
individual. The lec-
ture is all free to at-
tend, will start sharp
at 17:00, and is open
to all members of
the public. After the
discussion draws to
a close we will head
to a nearby pub.
Please see our Face-
book page for fur-
ther details.
In just two days’
time we will see the
EU elections take
place, and as I touch
on when quote Sa-
rah Beattie - Smith’s
speech at the latest
RIC meeting, Edin-
burgh, the results
will give an indica-
tion of how this ref-
erendum is shaping
up. If the SNP man-
age to get a third
MEP candidate
elected, and Maggie
Chapman of the
Greens manages to
get in too, then we
will have four pro-
independence MEPs
elected in Scotland.
As always get in
touch if you have
any comments, sug-
gestions, or critiques
for issue three.
Yours for Scotland,
Luke Campbell
@lukecampbell6
Editor: Emily Ingram
provides a very
comprehensive
guide to the mani-
festos being offered
by each of the par-
ties standing in
Scotland for Thurs-
day’s E.U. elections. I
cannot thank her
enough for the
enough of time and
effort that she has
put into this piece.
------------------------
Emily has analysed
the parties based on
the following crite-
ria:
Economic Policy,
European Policy,
Immigration Policy,
Environmental, and
Crime
SNP
Economics: The SNP
values the member-
ship of the EU as it
believes it allows
Scotland and the UK
to participate more
easily in world trade
discussions. The
European single
market is highly
praised by the SNP
in their European
manifesto whilst the
need for reform of
the restrictions
placed on businesses
is also emphasised.
The importance of
good transport links
in order to aid the
free movement of
people and goods
throughout the EU is
emphasised. The
elimination of mo-
bile phone roaming
charges is also sup-
ported by the SNP.
Europe: In their
manifesto the SNP
declare themselves
to be ‘unashamedly,
though not uncriti-
cally’ pro-EU and
call for stricter
budget discipline
within EU projects
and the elimination
of bureacracy. In
the event of a Yes
vote, the SNP would
seek to join the EU
as an independent
country.
Agriculture & Fish-
ing: Further reform
of the Common
Fisheries Policy is
prioritised by the
SNP, which wishes
to see EU member
states regain power
over who is able to
fish in their waters.
The SNP would like
to see the Common
Agricultural Policy
become more flexi-
ble in order to bet-
ter represent the
diverse nature of
farmland across the
EU.
Currency: The SNP
favour the pound
sterling as the cur-
rency of an Inde-
pendent Scotland.
Immigration: The
SNP would like the
EU to insist that ref-
ugees receive the
same treatment in
all of its member
states. The SNP
suggest in their
manifesto that, were
Scotland to gain in-
dependence from
the UK, the country
would be made
open to a larger
number of immi-
grants.
Environment: The
SNP would like to
see the EU introduce
more ambitious en-
vironmental protec-
tion laws but allow
greater flexibility in
target-setting. The
SNP intend to cam-
paign for the EU to
invest in the devel-
opment of sustaina-
ble energy sources.
Crime: The SNP
supports the Euro-
pean Arrest War-
rant.
Social: The SNP be-
lieve that the EU
should encourage its
member states to
invest in organisa-
tions and industries
which showcase
their individual cul-
tures and heritage.
Workplace: The SNP
supports the im-
portance placed by
the EU on workers’
rights and calls for
mandatory living
wage for those
working on public
contracts.
------------------------
The SNP MEP candi-
dates are Ian
Hudghton, Alyn
Smith, Tasmina Ah-
med-Sheikh, Ste-
phen Getins, Toni
Giugliano, Chris Ste-
phens
------------------------
Conservatives:
Economics: The EU’s
trade negotiations
with Japan, China
and the US are
viewed positively
and the Conserva-
tives hope to use
negotiations to se-
cure better deals for
UK businesses.
Europe: The Scottish
Conservatives would
limit the power the
EU has to influence
UK governments
and support the cur-
rent government’s
call for a referen-
dum on the UK’s
membership of the
EU in 2017.
Agriculture & Fish-
ing: The Conserva-
tives oppose the
throwing back of
edible fish into the
seas. They say they
would like to give
local people more
say on how the fish-
ing industry in run
and win powers over
fishing back from
Brussels. The Con-
servatives believe
that the Common
Agricultural Policy is
detrimental to
farmers and involves
too much bureau-
cracy and wish to
see the Policy re-
formed.
Currency : The Con-
servatives are anti-
Euro.
Immigration: The
Conservatives aim to
reduce the number
of immigrants arriv-
ing in the UK and
limit the access that
immigrants have to
benefits.
Environment: The
Scottish Conserva-
tives state in their
manifesto that they
hope to work to cut
carbon emissions
across Europe. They
intend to freeze the
rate of tax imposed
on fossil fuels at its
current level and
intend to campaign
to prevent the EU’s
2030 renewable en-
ergy targets from
being unwillingly
imposed on its
member states.
Crime: The Con-
servatives are anti-
EU interference with
policing laws and
wish to undertake a
‘radical reform’ of
human rights laws
which would involve
limiting the role of
the European Court
of Human Rights in
UK affairs. If Britain
were to opt back
into the European
Arrest Warrant, the
Conservatives would
aim to prevent Brit-
ish citizens for being
extraditing for acts
that are not illegal in
the UK.
------------------------
The Conservative
MEP candidates are
Ian Duncan, Belinda
Don, Nosheena Mo-
barik, Jamie Gardi-
ner, Iain McGill, Stu-
art McIntyre
------------------------
Greens:
Economics: If elect-
ed, the Greens will
call for the EU to
support industries
and transactions
which promote sus-
tainability and
workers’ rights.
They would call for
GDP to be replaced
with a scale which
gives a better indi-
cation of the well-
being of a nation’s
inhabitants. Local,
co-operative ven-
tures would be sup-
ported whilst calls
would be made to
end high-risk finan-
cial speculation by
large businesses.
The Greens also wish
to see the EU do
more to abolish tax
havens and thus
prevent tax evasion
and would see a
more progressive
taxation system put
in place. Blanket
austerity cuts which
affect the public
sector are opposed.
The Greens support
the phasing out of
European VAT which
they feel has a nega-
tive impact on low-
income households
and wish to see the
tax replaced with a
minimum corporate
tax, to avoid excess
competition be-
tween countries
hoping to attract
foreign investors.
The Greens would
like the EU to work
with other global
organisations to
create a system for
reviewing and can-
celling unsustaina-
ble third world debt.
Europe: In their
manifesto, the
Greens cite the EU as
being important to
UK businesses and
the combatting of
climate change.
Agriculture & Fish-
ing: The Greens
would like the EU to
promote types of
agriculture that en-
courage bees and
other pollinators.
The Greens believe
the Common Agri-
cultural Policy
should include
measures that pre-
vent farmers from
flooding others
downstream. The
Greens would like to
see the discarding of
edible fish banned
and new regulations
should be intro-
duced to prevent
overfishing.
Currency: The
Greens support an
Independent Scot-
land’s right to use
the pound sterling
but would campaign
for Scotland to de-
velop its own cur-
rency over time.
They are opposed to
the Euro as they be-
lieve it is not sensi-
tive to local eco-
nomic fluctuations
and needs.
Immigration: Free
movement and im-
migration across the
EU is supported
along with an ex-
pansion in the inter-
national legal defini-
tion of refugee sta-
tus.
Environment: The
Greens would like to
see the EU scrap the
Climate Change Levy
- which taxes busi-
nesses, local admin-
istrations, etc. for
their energy con-
sumption – and re-
place with a carbon
tax which applies to
all fossil fuels,
whether they are
destined for com-
mercial or domestic
use. Where produc-
tion of biofuel com-
petes with food
production, food
should be priori-
tised.
Crime: Crimes such
as tax evasion
should be given
more priority by Eu-
ropol.
Defence: The Greens
would like to see all
EU member states
abandon their nu-
clear weapons and
be prevented from
selling military
technology to coun-
tries or organisa-
tions that are
deemed to be op-
pressive.
------------------------
The Green MEP can-
didates are Maggie
Chapman, Chas
Booth, Alis Balance,
Alastair Whitelaw,
Grace Murray, Steen
Parish
------------------------
Labour
Economics: Labour
supports the contin-
uation of the EU’s
internal market and,
through it, wishes to
negotiate better
prices and new op-
portunities for UK
businesses.
Europe: Labour see
the EU as a vital tool
for economic and
environmental
change but plan to
call for reforms to
make the Union’s
committees and
work more trans-
parent.
Agriculture & Fish-
ing: Labour want the
Common Agricul-
ture Policy to be re-
formed.
Currency: In their
manifesto, Labour
claim to be in favour
of a single European
currency in theory
but state that they
would only support
joining the Euro if
they felt it to be in
Britain’s interests.
They promise to re-
view whether this is
the case in future
Budgets.
Immigration: Labour
wants the UK to re-
tain the power to
control its borders
and immigration
levels.
Environment: La-
bour hopes to use
the EU’s low-carbon
policies as a way of
creating new jobs.
Crime: Labour aims
to continue to share
intelligence with
other member states
to combat interna-
tional crime. Labour
supports the Euro-
pean Arrest War-
rant.
Workplace: Labour
hope to campaign to
ensure that good
workplace health
and safety policy,
along with fair
working hours and
holidays, are made
universal in all of
the EU’s member
states
------------------------
The Labour MEP
candidates are David
Martin, Catherine
Atihlen, Derek
Munn, Katrina Mur-
ray, Nasim Khan,
Kirsty O'Brien
------------------------
Lib Dems:
Economics: The Lib
Dems would like to
see the EU reduce
the number of trade
barriers it places on
its member states
and ensure ‘red
tape’ bureaucracy
does not apply to
smaller businesses.
They also wish to
promote smaller
businesses’ access to
EU funding and are
supportive of the
development an
‘easy-to-use’ EU
guide for such busi-
nesses. The party
strongly supports
the EU’s trade nego-
tiations with devel-
oping nations and
Japan and America.
They would like the
financial sectors of
the EU’s member
states to be more
regulated. The Lib
Dems would like to
abolish mobile
phone roaming
charges. Further
devolution of agri-
cultural policy to
individual member
states in supported.
Europe: The Lib
Dems are in favour
of the UK’s contin-
ued membership of
the EU but would
support a referen-
dum on EU member-
ship if any further
significant powers
are transferred to
Brussels, while con-
tinuing to campaign
for the UK to remain
a part of the Union.
Agriculture & Fish-
ing: The Lib Dems
would like the EU to
fund research into
more sustainable
farming practises
and prohibit the dis-
carding of edible
fish.
Immigration: The
Lib Dems support
free movement
within the UK but
would like the Ha-
bitual Residence
Test to be stricter
and are calling on
the EU to extend the
period of time in
which those newly
arrived and unem-
ployed in an EU
country must rely on
the benefits system
of their country of
origin from 3 to 6
months. The inclu-
sion of a nationality
check on the Univer-
sal Credit claiming
form is supported.
Environment: The
Lib Dems are calling
for the EU to invest
more widely in low-
carbon technology.
They support the
creation of a Euro-
pean Supergrid and
would like all EU
member states to
pledge to reduce
their carbon emis-
sions by 50% before
2030. They would
like the EU to create
tighter emissions
standards for all ve-
hicles. Where pro-
duction of biofuel
competes with food
production, food
should be priori-
tised. Development
aid should be with-
drawn from envi-
ronmentally harmful
projects.
Crime: The Lib Dems
support the EU-wide
extradition laws.
They would like an
EU missing child
alert system to be
created so efforts to
search for missing
children can be
more readily co-
ordinated on an in-
ternational scale.
The creation of an
EU unidentified bod-
ies database is also
supported. The Lib
Dems would cam-
paign to see the EU’s
Criminal Record In-
formation System
extended. They are
in favour of ‘Euro-
Bail’ which allows
EU citizens to serve
their bail in their
home country and
would like the UK to
rejoin a EU scheme
which allows its citi-
zens to serve non-
custodial sentences
in Britain.
Workplace: The Lib
Dems wants to
amend the Working
Time Directive
which gives workers
in EU countries the
right to a minimum
amount of holiday,
rest and breaks and
supports the UK’s
opt-out of the 48-
hour week.
Defence: Military
capabilities should
continue to be
pooled with assis-
tance from organi-
sations such as
NATO. The Lib
Dems would like an
EU-wide policy on
Russia and China to
be developed.
------------------------
The Liberal Demo-
crat MEP candidates
are George Lyon,
Christine Jardine,
Lisa Strachan, Rich-
ard Brodie, Jade
Holden, Euan Da-
vidson
------------------------
UKIP
Economics: UKIP
oppose all of the
EU’s regulations
which apply to busi-
nesses and states
that they are too
restrictive and bu-
reaucratic.
Europe: UKIP would
like to see the UK
retract its member-
ship of the EU.
Agriculture & Fish-
ing: UKIP is against
other EU member
states being permit-
ted to fish in UK wa-
ters.
Currency: UKIP are
anti-Euro.
Immigration: UKIP
believe that the EU’s
free movement of
people policy has
brought about over-
crowding of schools
and hospitals and
that mass immigra-
tion has coincided
with periods of ris-
ing unemployment.
Environment: UKIP
opposes the EU’s
renewable energy
targets as they be-
lieve the targets to
involve unnecessary
diversion of taxpay-
ers’ money away
from projects within
the UK. They are
against the EU Large
Combustion Plant
Directive’s staged
closure of coal-fired
power stations.
UKIP would like to
reduce the taxes
currently imposed
on fossil fuels and
reduce the differ-
ence in price be-
tween petrol and
diesel.
Crime: UKIP opposes
the European Court
of Human Right’s
legislation which
allows prisoners to
vote and oppose any
interference in UK
affairs by the Court.
------------------------
The UKIP MEP can-
didates are David
Coburn, Otto Inglis,
Kevin Neuter, Den-
ise Baykal, Hugh
Hatrick, Malcom
Mackay
------------------------
United in Europe
Economics: UIE
would like to see
further reduction of
trade barriers by the
EU.
Europe: United in
Europe support the
UK’s continued
membership of the
EU and would like to
see the UK take a
more active role in
the EU’s decision-
making processes in
order to champion
British interests.
Agriculture & Fish-
ing: In their mani-
festo, UIE praise the
subsidies that the EU
grants to farmers.
Immigration: The
EU’s free movement
policy is supported
by UIE.
Environment: UIE
support the contin-
uation of the EU’s
environmental pro-
tection policies.
Workplace: UIE sup-
port EU legislation
which promotes
workers’ rights.
------------------------
The U.I.E. MEP can-
didates are Ferdi-
nand Goetzen, Claire
Thomson.
------------------------
Still not sure who to
vote for? Vote
Match
(www.votematch.or
g.uk/) analyses your
response to 30 polit-
ical statements to
determine which
party corresponds
most with your
opinions.
Emily Ingram
@Emily_IngramS
_______________________
Independence by
Numbers
Can Scotland afford
to go it alone? This
has been the ques-
tion at the centre of
the referendum de-
bate so far with
economics proving a
key battleground for
both campaigns in
their attempts to
win over undecided
voters. However,
the figures show
that an independent
Scotland’s economic
outlook would be
remarkably bright.
Scotland has strong
public finances; the
latest GERS figures
show that Scotland
raised £800 more in
tax per person over
the UK average in
the last financial
year. So whilst the
No campaign is cor-
rect when they say
Scotland receives
higher public spend-
ing per head than
the UK average it is
vitally important to
remember that we
generate more than
that figure in tax.
The GERS report al-
so highlights that
had Scotland been
an independent
country already it
would have been
better off over the
last 5 years to the
tune of £8.3 billion.
Looking even fur-
ther back, over the
past 33 years, this
trend continues and
we find Scotland
would have had a
cash surplus of £50
billion and no public
debt had it been in-
dependent during
this time.
Continuing this out-
look a recent Finan-
cial Times article
concluded that an
Independent Scot-
land would expect
to start off life with
healthier finances
than the remainder
of the UK. It stated;
“Scotland’s GDP per
head is bigger than
that of France. Even
excluding the North
Sea’s hydrocarbon
bounty, per capita
GDP is higher than
that of Italy. Oil,
whisky and a broad
range of manufac-
tured goods mean
an independent
Scotland would be
one of the world’s
top 35 exporters.”
Credit rating agency
Standard and Poor’s
have also declared
that an independent
Scotland would
qualify for their
highest economic
assessment, the AAA
credit rating, even
without the boon of
North Sea Oil. They
cited Scotland’s di-
verse economy, var-
ied tax base, strong
balance of payments
and high GDP per
capita as reasons for
this assessment.
Scotland’s oil and
gas will continue to
be an important sec-
tor of the Scottish
economy after inde-
pendence and with
15-24 billion barrels
of oil still to be ex-
tracted production
will continue well
into the 21st centu-
ry. Importantly, in-
dependence will
provide Scotland
with the opportunity
to create an oil sav-
ings fund similar to
that of Norway’s
(which’s value cur-
rently sits at $850
billion) to ensure
that our nations vast
oil wealth will last
well after the oil has
run out and can
benefit future gen-
erations as much as
the present.
On the much talked
about issue of cur-
rency an independ-
ent Scotland has a
range of currency
options at its dis-
posal; continuing to
use Sterling, a Scot-
tish currency
pegged to Sterling
or a fully flexible
Scottish currency.
All of these options
have positives and
negatives attached
but the Scottish
Governments fa-
vours using Sterling
in a formal currency
union with the re-
mainder of the UK.
They argue that this
would be in the best
interests of both
parties in the imme-
diate aftermath of
Independence but
the UK Government
has rejected this
proposal. However,
as highlighted by a
recent article in The
Guardian, they are
clearly bluffing by
rejecting this pro-
posal, the transac-
tion cost to busi-
nesses from the re-
mainder of the UK
would be huge and
without Scotland’s
exports the UK
would suffer from a
large drop in its bal-
ance of Payments.
Also, there would be
no way of stopping
an Independent
Scotland from using
Sterling informally
because it is a fully
tradable interna-
tional currency.
However, when it
comes to the eco-
nomics of inde-
pendence the cur-
rency we use won’t
matter anywhere
near as much as the
ability to make all of
our important eco-
nomic decisions
here in Scotland.
Independence will
ensure that the
Scottish Govern-
ment has full tax
raising powers, ra-
ther than the cur-
rent 7% reserved to
Holyrood, and that
they can use a full
array of economic
levers to harness
Scotland’s wealth in
order to increase
investment, grow
the tax base and
begin to tackle the
countries’ social
problems more ef-
fectively. After in-
dependence Scot-
land can cease to
simply replicate the
failing economic
structure of the UK
which has allowed
us to become the
4th most unequal
country in the de-
veloped world and
where the rich are
allowed to prosper
year upon year at
the expense of eve-
ryone else. Instead,
we can use the op-
portunities of inde-
pendence to create
an economic struc-
ture that functions
more efficiently and
distributes wealth
more evenly
throughout society
rather than just to
the elite.
Perhaps we should
begin to question
not whether Scot-
land can afford to
be independent, as
it undoubtedly can;
we should ask if we
can afford to remain
a part of the UK.
Despite Scotland’s
healthy financial
figures it faces a
number of costs
placed on it through
its association with
Westminster. Scot-
land faces the pro-
spect of paying for a
debt it would not
have ran up if it
were independent.
We had to pay £4.02
billion in debt inter-
est to Westminster
last year and in total
servicing this inter-
est has cost the
country £68.12 bil-
lion. Scotland’s
economic figures
also take into ac-
count spending out-
side of Scotland in-
cluding substantial
military costs, nu-
clear submarines on
the Clyde, HS2 and
the unelected House
of Lords – all of
which an independ-
ent Scotland simply
wouldn’t need and
amount to savings
of over £1 billion
per year.
When we go to the
polling station on
the 18th of Septem-
ber we should vote
with our heads and
our hearts to decide
what’s best for Scot-
land’s future. How-
ever when we’re
making our decision
no one should be
afraid of the eco-
nomics of inde-
pendence, the num-
bers do add up to a
wealthy Scotland.
Richard Lovell
_______________________
RIC Meeting, Mon-
day 12th
May 2014
St. Augustine’s
Church
Luke Campbell
@lukecampbell6
For their meeting on
Monday 12th
May,
RIC Edinburgh
branch invited Sarah
Beattie – Smith of
the Green Party to
speak about the up-
coming European
elections. Sarah
stated that ‘every
European election
has a media spin on
it. In 2009 it was the
Westminster elec-
tions scandal. In
2004 it was Rory
Kilrory-Silk. This
election whether we
like it or not, is the
UKIP election. The
media has decided
that.’ She talked of
how 22nd
May is a
chance to get the
first Scottish Green
MEP elected, rein-
forcing the lead
Green candidate
Maggie Chapman’s
stance as a Socialist
and a feminist,
whilst reminding the
attendees that Mag-
gie herself is an im-
migrant who has
made Scotland her
home. Sarah rein-
forced the Green’s
three ideals – ‘Vote
Green for a fair and
just Scotland; Vote
Green for a welcom-
ing Scotland that
rejects UKIP’s notion
that we can blame
everything on mi-
grant workers; and
Vote Green for na-
tion of peace’, add-
ing that the Green
Party ares deter-
mined to rid Scot-
land of Trident. Sa-
rah closed by stating
that the EU elections
are a real opportuni-
ty to set in motion a
wave ahead of the
referendum in Sep-
tember.
E.U. Elections
The European elec-
tions in Scotland are
going to be damn
close this time
round. As much as I
truly hope Maggie
Chapman gets in for
the Green Party, I’ll
be casting my vote
for the SNP in the
hope of getting
Tasmina Ahmed-
Shek into Brussels. I
want to see a Green
MEP sitting along-
side three SNP
MEPs, but nothing is
certain, and with the
polls demonstrating
just how tight this is
going to be, I feel
that getting a third
SNP candidate
elected is the most
likely way of ensur-
ing that neither
UKIP nor the Tories
get in. I know a
large number of
people that are go-
ing to be voting
Green, and I will be
thrilled if we see
Alyn Smith, Ian
Hudgton, Tasmina
Ahmed- Sheikh and
Maggie Chapman
represent us in Brus-
sels.
Luke Campbell
------------------------
We asked twenty
students in Edin-
burgh to give their
predictions for the
upcoming EU elec-
tions on 22nd
May:
Luke Campbell, 2nd
Year -3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Green
Ivan Januskevic 2nd
Year – 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Green
David Aitchison, 2nd
Year – 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Conservative
Lucas McGregor-
Paas, 2nd
Year – 4
SNP, 2 Labour
Robin Drummond,
2nd
Year – 2 SNP, 2
Labour, 1 Green, 1
Conservative
Magnus Jamieson,
4th
Year – 3 SNP, 2
Labour, 1 Conserva-
tive
Calum Martin, 2nd
Year – 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Conservative
Angus Nicoll, 1st
Year – 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Conservative
Charles Lang, 1st
Year, 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Green
Amie Robertson, 3rd
Year – 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Green
Fraser Dick, 4th
Year
– 3 SNP, 2 Labour, 1
Conservative
Calum Winter – 3
SNP, 2 Labour, 1
Conservative
Jonny Ross-Tatam,
2nd
Year – 3 Labour,
2 SNP, 1 Green
David Kelly, 2nd
Year
– 3 SNP, 2 Labour, 1
Conservative
Andrew Dove, 3rd
Year, 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Conservative
James Puchowski, 1st
Year – 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Green
Dash Sekhar, 4th
Year – 2 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Green, 1
Conservative
Kevin Brown, 4th
Year - 3 SNP, 2 La-
bour, 1 Green
Joseph L. Reid, First
Year – 3 SNP, 2 Lab,
1 Tory
Average result pre-
dicted by our partic-
ipants = 3 SNP, 2
Labour, 1 Conserva-
tive, with the Green
just pipped to a
seat.
_______________________
Sunday Herald de-
clares its support for
a YES vote
Luke Campbell
@lukecampbell6
An article on the
newspaper's website
said: ‘The Herald &
Times Group, pub-
lisher of the Sunday
Herald, The Herald
and the Evening
Times, is giving the
titles' editors free-
dom to take their
own editorial posi-
tion on the constitu-
tion. The company is
non-political and
neutral.
‘The Herald has not
declared an opinion
on the referendum
question. It will be
up to its editor to
decide when, and if,
to do so.’
You can read the
article in full here:
http://www.heraldsc
ot-
land.com/comment/
sunday-herald-
view/the-prize-is-a-
better-country-it-is-
as-simple-as-that-
why-the-sunday-
hera.24133829
_______________________
‘Yes in 100 Words or
Less’
We invited our
readers to submit
their reasons for
voting yes in as
close to one hun-
dred words as pos-
sible. Want to see
your reasons in issue
three? Contact Luke
at
luke.gardenofedin20
_______________________
Democracy.
Yes, we do live in
one now, but inde-
pendence greatly
improves our stake,
our voice, our re-
sponsibility and our
accountability.
Our votes will count
for more and will
result in parliaments
and governments
more representative
of what all the citi-
zens in Scotland
want and need.
It's nothing to do
with geography or
history.
It's not about
whether I consider
myself to be Scot-
tish, British or both.
Frankly, I couldn't
care less about that.
It's to do with seiz-
ing this one chance
we have to start
building a dynamic
democracy that is fit
for purpose in this
21st century world
we live in.
Andy Connelly-
Nimmo (Andy runs
Scottish Independ-
ence 2014 page on
Facebook with over
3,500 people regu-
larly seeing the con-
tent that he posts
around the referen-
dum)
_______________________
My support for
Scottish independ-
ence has been book
marked by two
Margarets -
Margaret Thatcher,
and my Aunt Marga-
ret. The first taught
me that I was a sec-
ond class citizen in
my own country, a
country which was
good for nothing
but being the play
park of the rich. The
second showed me,
through her belief in
independence, that
there was another
way.
My reason for vot-
ing yes has always
been very straight-
forward – it is a mat-
ter of self - determi-
nation. The best
people to run Scot-
land are the people
of Scotland. It really
is that simple.
Seonaid Francis, Di-
rector ThunderPoint
Publishing
_______________________
"Independence, for
me, offers a true
departure from the
status quo. Devolu-
tion offers a water-
ing down of existing
grievances with the
British political sys-
tem and will only
grow tensions be-
tween the British
member states. The
rise of isolationist
parties like UKIP
within rUK politics
has transformed the
movement of inde-
pendence from na-
tionalism into inter-
nationalism. While
the rUK turns away
from Europe, Scot-
land demands fur-
ther dialogue to en-
sure proper repre-
sentation of Scottish
interests. With inde-
pendence, proper
representation is
possible. In Europe,
in the United Na-
tions, in its own fi-
nances and politics.
The risk lies in refus-
ing to leave the
sinking boat."
- Joseph L.
Reid
See Joseph’s first
contribution to Na-
tional Collective
here:
http://nationalcollec
tive.com/2014/05/1
4/what-yes-means-
to-me-reform-
democracy-identity/
_______________________
Democratically, lm
voting for inde-
pendence, so l feel
my vote is valid and
Scotland elect a
government they
voted for.
lm voting inde-
pendence, to make
sure my son has a
decent future.
Westminster takes
care of itself with
jobs, finance, enter-
prise, wealth and
political power.
l am voting inde-
pendence, because l
believe that right
wing ideology has
no place in Scottish
politics. Evident in
the fact that Scot-
land has only one
Tory M.P. Yet, Scot-
land is subject to
horrendous social
policies. Where the
vulnerable and mar-
ginalised are penal-
ised for the mistakes
of the financial mar-
kets of neo liberal
policy. The people
of Scotland have a
social conscience.
Like myself,they
want a fairer, more
equal society to live
in.
Scotland has the
potential, the re-
sources, the skill and
desire to deliver in-
dependence to its
people.
- Shirley Wat-
son
_______________________
As a 17-year-old I’ve
found it hard to find
a political party or
movement that has
really inspired me to
get into politics, as I
think is the problem
with a LOT of teen-
agers in Britain.
However, the one
movement that has
truly caught my at-
tention has been the
Yes campaign, it is
positive and truthful
and what it offers is
truly exciting. An
independent Scot-
land gives us ac-
countability, the
most fundamental
components of a
democracy and one
that we in Scotland
are currently denied.
It would truly be a
travesty to be de-
prived of this any
longer. Vote Yes.
- Paddy Wil-
liams
_______________________
"Being a disillu-
sioned lifelong La-
bour voter who pet-
ulantly voted
LibDem for the first
time at the 2010
general election,
and subsequently
bitterly regretting
even that small act
of defiance as I
watched Clegg help
install and prop up a
Tory government,
my “journey to yes”
was somewhat bit-
ter. With no major
party left to vote for
UK politics just felt
unfair and broken,
especially looking at
that Scotland results
map with its one
small single spot of
blue. I’m 100% yes
for so many differ-
ent reasons now,
but first amongst
them was that Scot-
land deserves the
government it votes
for."
- James
Whyte
_______________________
When I was young,
Scots language was
regarded as "com-
mon", our glorious
history of invention
was seen as a "thing
of the past", the on-
ly hope was emigra-
tion. Our heavy in-
dustry was closed
with no alternative
in place to shatter a
class unity that was
inconvenient for
Westminster. A nip
inside us at a Scot-
land game, the frus-
tration of being a
disenfranchised Scot
would surface and
find appropriate ex-
pression; most of
the time it was si-
lenced by our own
internalised oppres-
sor. Now we have a
vote that counts.
Now we have hope.
Soon we'll have a
country. SAOR AL-
BA!
- Bob Leslie
_______________________
Chris Jack talks of a
new kind of politics
I cannot recount all
of the reasons I am
voting Yes in this
short space, there
are simply too
many! So I will focus
on the two most im-
portant areas for
me.
First off, I think that
small is beautiful
when it comes to
government. I be-
lieve that independ-
ence will lead to
Scotland being gov-
erned in the inter-
ests of the people by
a government that is
closer and more ac-
countable, while
eliminating forever
the democratic defi-
cit we have suffered
for over 50 years.
Furthermore, I hope
that independence
will lead to further
decentralisation of
power, the
strengthening of
local democracy and
increased political
participation.
Secondly, I lean to
the left politically
and the current
dominance of right
wing politics is of
great concern to me.
I feel that it is im-
portant to balance
the political right
and left and that
there is no prospect
of that balance be-
ing restored anytime
soon in the UK.
Therefore, I am ex-
cited by the obvious
national and politi-
cal revival that is
taking place in Scot-
land as a result of
the referendum,
with movements
such as the Common
Weal bringing a
breath of fresh air
and heralding the
dawn of a new kind
of politics.
- Chris Jack
_______________________
There are many rea-
sons as to why I'm
voting yes, the main
reason is that a yes
vote in September
will ensure that
Scotland becomes
more greener and
an unwarlike nation.
The current de-
volved powers in the
Scottish parliament
are restricted to say
much in this regard
so voting yes will
enable Scotland to
be in charge of how
to make our society
greener. Independ-
ence will allow Scot-
land talk more freely
when talking with
other countries as a
member of interna-
tional environmen-
tal institutions. Scot-
land being an inde-
pendent country
also gives us the
opportunity to re-
move weapons of
mass destruction.
Nuclear weapons are
immoral, extremely
expensive and are
useless in terms of
protecting us
against the most
significant threats to
our national securi-
ty. Scotland must
lead by example and
get rid of trident as
we should be invest-
ing in ‘bairns not
bombs’. Not only
will we look good in
the eyes of the
world but we will
also be gaining a lot
of money which we
can spend on social
and environmental
alternatives.
- Assad Khan
(Assad is the elected
member of the Scot-
tish Youth Parlia-
ment for Edinburgh
East)
_______________________
Independence won't
guarantee anything
but it does give us
the chance for
change we don't
have in the UK. Al-
most everyone on
the front bench of
the Scottish Gov-
ernment went to
state school like me
and you, unlike
Westminster where
the government is
made up largely of
millionaires educat-
ed privately. Who's
more likely to be in
line with the work-
ing man? In the UK
20-25% of children
live in poverty, we
have the 4th most
unequal society in
the developed
world, the disabled
and elderly are
treated like crimi-
nals over benefit
payments (which
they're entitled to).
By 2016 the Scottish
budget will have
been cut by 11%
which impacts
heavily on our abil-
ity to keep the NHS
public, prescriptions
for the elderly free
as well as education
for our young folk.
We need to control
our finances to pro-
tect these vital
things, they've al-
ready lost them
down south so it's
just a matter of time
for us if we remain
in the UK. I'd like
someone to explain
in the UK, where all
the major parties are
now influenced
through neo-
liberalism, where the
hope of change is
for the working
class, the poor, the
elderly, the disabled
and other disadvan-
taged groups?
- Kevin Brown
Robin Drummond
@RDrummond1
Craiglockhart De-
bate
I stood with some
friends at a bus stop
in central Edinburgh
in the light drizzle of
a typical Scottish
summer. Of the four
of us, two were de-
cided, 2 that most
crucial and sought
after commodity,
the swing voter. Our
destination, a short
trip down to
Craiglockhart Parish
Church, for a debate
between Jim Eadie
the MSP for the area
and his Westminster
counterpart Alistair
Darling - a senior
politician, leader of
the Better Together
Campaign and for-
mer Chancellor of
the Exchequer. Per-
haps a tall order for
the relatively inex-
perienced SNP Holy-
rood backbencher
Eadie, tonight how-
ever, equals under
the stain glassed
eyes of the Church.
An older couple ap-
proached the bus
stop, deep in con-
versation about
which bus went to
Craiglockhart, he
proudly displayed a
Yes badge on his
raincoat. We all got
to talking, him a
Scot and an ardent
Yes supported, her,
an English Lib Dem
voter believing her
and her husband are
Better Together. A
tricky household I’m
sure.
As we ar-
rived at the Parish,
Better Together
leafleters guarded
the gates, the short
straw in the rain.
The hall was already
quite full. The Minis-
ter was later to in-
form us that Thurs-
days are usually
youth club night, yet
you perhaps
wouldn’t have
guessed from the
demographic in at-
tendance. People
continued to pack
in, the upper seating
had to be opened.
Yet as the Minister,
Rev Gordon Kenne-
dy opened proceed-
ings there was
standing room only
for those still eager
to see their elected
representatives
stand-off. He
stressed his and his
Parish’s impartiality,
their role simply to
help inform voters
ahead of the refer-
endum. For this they
must be commend-
ed. He asked kindly
for no heckling, with
a lot of questions to
get through, he
wanted to let the
two speakers give
their thoughts. And
so it began, a posi-
tive message from
each to get the ball
rolling.
Eadie
opened with his
thanks to the Parish,
an example of the
energy gathering all
across Scotland in
recent times. The
desire to decide
what kind of coun-
try we live in, shape
it to be our own
once again. He ech-
oed the request of
Jim Sillars that in
memory of the late
and great Margo
MacDonald, we
conduct our debate
the Margo way, full
of passion, com-
mitment and above
all respect. Then he
got into the nitty
gritty, sighting the
Financial Times re-
port that an inde-
pendent Scotland
would be richer per
head of population
than the rest of the
UK, the Standard
and Poors review,
giving a post indy
Scotland a better
credit rating, even
without the oil and
gas revenue, than
the rest of the UK
and placing us in the
top 20 economies in
the world. Scotland
has raised higher tax
receipts in each of
the last 33 years he
said. We voted for
Devolution in ’97 he
argued, because
people were sick of
Westminster and the
politics of big busi-
ness not represent-
ing the people of
Scotland. Despite
this, we still have no
real change. In the
90’s it was British
rail, now it’s the
Post Office their try-
ing to privatise.
With independence,
we get what we vote
for. Scotland must
be independent and
able to represent
itself if it is to fulfil
its potential in the
international com-
munity.
Darling’s
turn. He too,
thanked the Church,
chuckling at the first
of few things he and
Jim would agree
upon. He began by
stressing the im-
portance of the ref-
erendum, the most
important decision
of our lives. Irrevo-
cable he reinforced.
He claimed that he
wants many of the
same things for
Scotland as Eadie, its
simply the way to
achieve them that
the two men differ
on. The finance sec-
tor in Edinburgh
sells more to the
rest of the UK than
it does to the rest of
the world, our econ-
omy needs this, why
put a barrier? There
are many jobs de-
pendent on the UK,
defence for one,
food and drinks an-
other. In the increas-
ingly globalised
world, it is an ad-
vantage to be part
of something big-
ger. We already
have power over our
own social policies
at Holyrood, but we
also benefit as part
of the UK. When the
oil goes, the short-
fall in income, 25%
of our economy he
claimed, will be
spread to the UK not
just the small popu-
lation of Scotland.
He closed by once
again telling his au-
dience that inde-
pendence is not
about party colours,
if we vote Yes, its
forever.
Question
time. “If Scotland
votes Yes will UK
debt be divided, if
so, how and how
will Scotland finance
its share?”
Darling was
straight in, stating
that Scotland cannot
walk away from the
debt which it played
a hand in creating. A
statement immedi-
ately met with jeers
and boos from the
crowd. He took the
phrase; if we take a
share of the assets
we must assume a
share of the costs.
He pointed to the
white papers pro-
posal that an inde-
pendent Scotland
would have a lower
corporation tax,
claiming that in or-
der to make this a
reality, income tax
would need to be in
increased to balance
the books.
Jim was able
to respond at this
point, stating that
we would have to
service our share of
the debt, regardless
of whether our share
was proportioned
due to population
size or GDP. Return-
ing to the point of
the possible increase
in tax, Eadie stated
that cutting Trident
will save us nearly
200 million per year,
we would save 50
million a year with-
out paying for Scot-
tish MP’s to West-
minster. Eadie also
stressed that our
national income is
not as oil dependent
as Darling had
claimed. 15% rather
than 25% of the na-
tion’s cash comes
from oil he stated.
With all these sav-
ings, the state can
afford to lower
some taxes without
having to increase
others he said. Don’t
be afraid of the bo-
geyman basically.
“An estimat-
ed 30,000 people
live on the opposite
side of the border
that they work. A
further 100,000
travel across the
border to do daily
business. Where
would their tax go?”
Eadie, to his
credit, was honest
enough to admit he
couldn’t give a de-
finitive answer, it
was a question to be
answered round the
discussion table af-
ter a Yes vote forced
politicians to work it
out. Darling jumped
on the opportunity
to show off his
knowledge as ex-
chancellor. Interna-
tional laws already
exist for this sort of
thing he said, in
general you pay tax
to where your are
domicile, though
there can be special
cases.
“If Scotland
votes Indy, there will
be costs for set up.
Has this been con-
sidered? Specifically
has our defence out
with the UK been
look at?”
Jim was
happy to talk about
the existence of
Holyrood already
which is a nice base
to work from. Scot-
land already has a
lot institutions set
up in embryonic
format, for example
the Scotland Office
in Brussels, which
could grow into an
Embassy quite easi-
ly. There is also
room to continue
some cross border
organisations. Eadie
asserted that de-
fence could be made
more efficient and
less costly with in-
dependence. Cur-
rently 3 billion
pounds of Scottish
tax money is spent
on defence, Scot-
land only sees 1.9
billion of this spent
here. We don’t get
100% of our own tax
revenue but we do
get 100% of the nu-
clear weapons ca-
pacity. Stored a
stone throw from
Glasgow. There is
only 1 warship dedi-
cated to Scotland,
but we have the
biggest coastline,
and 1/3 of the land
mass of the UK.
Chuckling,
Alistair rhetorically
asked how one can
really quantify de-
fence? The idea of
looking at the Navy
as having only war-
ship for Scotland is
silly, it must be
viewed holistically.
An integrated army
works to defend an
integrated union. He
argued that Scot-
land without nuclear
capacity would not
be able to enter
NATO. He was heck-
led with claims of
“stick them in the
Thames!” It is the
personal opinion of
this reporter that,
here Darling knew
he was lying to his
audience. As a for-
mer cabinet minis-
ter, he is aware of
how NATO works
and the multitude of
its members that do
not have nuclear
potential. Example,
Norway, Italy, Alba-
nia, the list goes on.
He then returned to
the question of set
up costs and
wheeled out the
usual tag line; we
just don’t know and
uncertainty always
comes with risks,
always come with
costs and you can’t
start a new country
on that basis.
“What will
happen to state
pensions in an inde-
pendent Scotland?”
Eadie was
keen to stress that
at the outset the
current pension sys-
tem would be main-
tained post-
independence,
though it would be a
priority policy to be
reviewed. He as-
sured the audience
that they would not
see a devaluation in
the pensions they
have earned as part
of the UK. The triple
lock system would
remain. As Steve
Webb (the minister
for state pensions)
recently told the
press, citizenship is
irrelevant, it’s what
you put in that de-
termines what you
get out the system.
Jim also reminded
everyone that the
UK government un-
der both Tory and
Labour rule has rou-
tinely cut pensions
over and over.
In response,
Darling took Webb’s
comment from an-
other angle. Accord-
ing to him, Webb’s
comment was actu-
ally based on enti-
tlement. Pensions
work on a pay as go
basis. We don’t have
a fixed cash sum
waiting on us, we
have a level of enti-
tlement, if the gov-
ernment has less
money, our entitle-
ment will actually
pay out less cash. He
stated that we simp-
ly don’t know the
fiscal position an
independent Scot-
land would find it-
self in and therefore
we can’t define how
much a pension
would pay out in the
event of a Yes vote.
He added that he
couldn’t see the log-
ic in lowering the
tax pool, making it
harder to pay out
pensions. Of course
what he failed to say
is that if you lower
the pool of people
putting into the sys-
tem you are also
lowering the pool of
people taking out of
the system, it’s all
relative.
“If Scotland
retained the Pound,
what are the issues
with a currency un-
ion? Can the rUK
really stop us? If we
join the EU will we
not be forced to join
the Euro zone?”
Eadie first of
all accepted that
Osbourne has al-
ready ruled out a
currency union, but
then pointed to var-
ious examples of
why that is a bad
move and unlikely
to stand. Firstly he
stated that an inde-
pendent panel of
leading economists
including a former
chairman of the
Bank Of England
recommended a cur-
rency union as being
in the best interests
of both Scotland
and rUK. He also
mentioned the un-
named Westminster
official who has also
stated that the
blocking of the cur-
rency union pro-
posal wouldn’t
stand. He also
harked back to Dar-
ling’s earlier com-
ment that by taking
the assets we must
take a share of the
debt. Flipping it on
its head he stated
that if Westminster
wasn’t willing to
part with some of
the assets namely
the currency, then
an independent
Scotland need not
take the debt.
Darling in-
terjected at this
point, questioning
Eadie, what the plan
B would be if there
was no currency un-
ion. Jim responded
that as Alistair was
aware, Scotland
could use a fully
transferrable pound
out with the UK.
Darling was happy
at this point to re-
mind Jim that in
that situation, Scot-
land finds itself hav-
ing its interest rates
controlled by a for-
eign country. Which
is really the situation
it finds itself in at
the moment any-
way. Or, he threat-
ened, you could
have the Euro, which
no one wants. The
EU he claimed, have
made it a require-
ment for new en-
trants to take the
Euro.
With that it
was time for the
closing statements,
both seemed con-
tent with their input
to the night’s pro-
ceedings. Jim began
the closing senti-
ments by stating
that he was happy
with the integrity
coming from both
camps in the debate.
He acknowledged
that although he
and Alistair differed
on some points,
they were both here
for the same over-
arching goal, a bet-
ter future for Scot-
land. He believes the
best way to achieve
this is with inde-
pendence. Westmin-
ster has failed us
numerous times,
they continually
produce policies
that do not work for
Scotland that are
not in line with the
general beliefs of
the Scottish voters.
Of course he wants
Scotland to co-
operate with like-
minded people
across globe, but we
don’t need to be in a
political union to do
so. He wants to see
Scots have the abil-
ity to make policy
decisions for them-
selves.
Darling
shared many of the
same sentiments, it’s
the way to achieve
these things he dif-
fers on. He pointed
to our poor health
care, our education-
al needs, things he
believes are best
served in the union.
Economically he
stressed pragmatism
not idealism. With a
view to social issues,
he claimed that we
need to make this
decision, one that
will be with us the
rest of our lives,
with our heads, not
our hearts.
With that,
the debate came to
a close, hands were
shaken, poses taken
up for the camera.
People leaving mut-
tered to one another
their own opinions
on what each speak-
er had said. All in all,
there was nothing
ground breaking
from either side.
Both representatives
had generally towed
their respective par-
ty lines, the same
arguments we have
heard over and over
from both camps.
The evening should
have been an oppor-
tunity for Darling to
get an advantage in
his constituency
over his MSP coun-
terpart Eadie. How-
ever, in truth, Dar-
ling was never able
to really take an ad-
vantage in the de-
bate, and as such, it
would be hard to
see how he has
made any progress
with his local voters.
As the far more ex-
perienced politician
the ball was very
much in Darling’s
court yet Eadie
managed to prevent
him scoring any real
points, in this re-
porter’s opinion.
Nights like this
should not be un-
derestimated. Tak-
ing the debate to
church halls, coffee
shops, pubs and
bars, street corners,
wherever people can
access it is the most
important element
of this referendum.
Oddly I find myself
agreeing with Dar-
ling here, whichever
way we vote as a
nation we must live
with the conse-
quences. So all I can
do is ask that you
find out everything
you can, because
once you do, hope-
fully you too will
realise that we can’t
afford to co
Recommended
Reading:
‘Referendum or no
referendum, it's per-
fectly obvious the
CBI is an economi-
cally right-wing
lobbying group’
Patrick Harvie
Evening Times,
Glasgow
http://www.evening
times.co.uk/author/
patrick-harvie
------------------------
E.U. Readings:
http://wire.novaram
edia.com/2014/05/9
-things-you-might-
not-expect-from-
the-greens-eu-
manifesto/
Adam Ramsey co-
vers some of what
we describes as
things you might
not expect to see in
the Greens EU mani-
festo.
-----------------------
Wings Over Scot-
land
http://wingsoversco
tland.com/author/d
ouglas-daniel/
Rev Campbell inves-
tigates the hype
that’s been stirred
up by the new Vote
No Border groups.
------------------------
Scottish Independ-
ence Is a Natural
Progression
Scotland is a nation
of peoples: we all
have a brain, so let’s
use it! We the peo-
ple can run our
country better, in a
new 21st Century
Scottish democracy,
than an out of date
Westminster Model
prioritising the elite.
We have always
been and will always
be a country within
a union and there-
fore when experts,
financial advisers,
Nobel Prize Winning
Laureates, scientists,
academics and even
David Cameron sug-
gest that Scotland
can not only be an
independent coun-
try, but a successful,
prosperous and rich
independent coun-
try, that is where I
put my cross in the
YES box. For many
years Westminster
has continued to
treat Scotland as
some sort of Celtic
appendage on the
end of a London-
centric state which is
fuelled by capital-
ism. It must end. For
those who feel their
British identity is
personally im-
portant, this will
remain, as an inde-
pendent Scotland
geographically re-
sides on the British
Isles. Ironically,
those in Better To-
gether criticise the
YES campaign for
being separatists,
although it has been
Westminster that
has abandoned Brit-
ish values such as
the welfare state,
helping the working
people, caring for
the elderly, and for-
getting about those
north of Hadrian’s
Wall. It must
change. Inevitably,
there are two paths:
whether to continue
stripping back the
welfare state,
squeezing the mid-
dle class and ignor-
ing the needs of the
most vulnerable in
our society in a
Westminster model,
or developing and
moulding a new sys-
tem, focussed on
equality in Scotland.
Again it is ironic as
the No camp miss
the point of their
slogan completely,
only through voting
YES can we be Better
Together as the rela-
tionship between
Scotland and the
rest of the UK (espe-
cially England) will
be redefined and
Scotland will be an
equal partner,
standing shoulder to
shoulder with the
UK. It must work.
This change must
happen, or all par-
ties on the British
Isles will continue to
spiral down into this
bottomless pit
where never ending
levels of debt and
no financial recovery
is possible and be-
comes the norm.
Independence for
Scotland is the small
piece of rope which
can ensure we climb
out of the pit and
into a new-look
Scotland, ready to
trade and work with
other small and
large independent
countries in this
world and to decen-
tralise and make key
decisions IN Scot-
land which will af-
fect Scotland. It is
only natural. There
are many small suc-
cessful independent
countries which
have less resources
and financial ser-
vices than Scotland
and it could just be
that independence
makes us one of
them. Do we need to
be in the UN Securi-
ty Council? No. We
have our resources
to trade and innova-
tion from our peo-
ple, like the power-
house that is Ger-
many or other small
equal and rich coun-
tries that are Lux-
embourg, Norway
and Denmark. If
Scotland falls from
the 13th
to the 14th
most rich country in
the world, we
should not worry
but congratulate the
other 13 for running
their country
properly. Scotland
would still be rich
but inevitably, it is
how we use our re-
sources and money.
What do we priori-
tise? This can only
be achieved by
transferring all the
powers of an inde-
pendent country to
Scotland, in order to
decentralise deci-
sion-making as close
to the people on the
ground as possible
and establish what
the real issues are in
our communities.
Only Scottish Inde-
pendence will bring
issues such as the
gender pay gap,
childcare and green
issues onto the
agenda. Block out
the negativity and
fear from the No
campaign. Scotland
is a global brand
and we’ve got what
it takes. Scotland
must vote YES.
Andrew Dove
_______________________
Labour’s Devolution
Proposal Comes Too
Late
By Luke Campbell
@lukecampbell6
‘The ‘No’ campaign
is not working, and
the UK Labour Par-
ty’s recent proposals
for devolution are
an admission of the
failure of the cam-
paign that they had
previously thrown
their weight behind.
The proposals are
dependent on the
Labour party getting
back into power in
Westminster, a sce-
nario which at the
moment does not
look likely given the
support for both the
Conservative and
UKIP parties in Eng-
land. As the SNP’s
John Swinney stated
on Question Time
(23/01/2014), these
new proposals are
promising even less
power than we were
told that we would
receive under the
Calman Commission
Proposals back in
1999. The British
Labour Party knows
that the No cam-
paign is failing, and
proposals increase
the Scottish Gov-
ernment’s control
over UK retained law
from 16% to 20%,
are them jumping
ship. Westminster
already rejected re-
quests from the SNP
for a second ques-
tion on the ballot
paper, offering a
form of Devo Max
as an alternative.
Where was the sup-
port for that second
question from the
Labour party then?
Lamont was too
busy voting against
policy proposals
that the SNP put
forward, including
free school meals,
simply because they
came from the SNP.
This Labour alterna-
tive to Scottish in-
dependence is com-
ing too little, too
late. The Scottish
people now know
that they face a
straight forward
Yes/No choice in
September. Yes to a
brighter future, or
voting no and con-
tinuing with more of
the same. More en-
forced austerity,
more governments
that we in Scotland
didn’t vote for. The
behaviour of CBI
Federation, the BBC,
and the MMS has
seen the Scottish
population wake up
to the totality of the
ultimatum that they
face, and the ‘Yes’
side is gaining more
momentum every
day.
_______________________
Tackling the Hous-
ing Crisis
-Calum Martin
Amongst the
pages of the news
last week it was an-
nounced that a
property in Edin-
burgh has gone on-
to the market ex-
pecting to break the
previous record for
most expensive
property sold in Ed-
inburgh and the Lo-
thians of £5million.
Properties
selling for more
than £5million are
obviously not the
most common fea-
ture of the housing
market in Scotland.
Far more common is
the rising cost of
rent. Most students
will surely currently
be noticing rising
rents as they make
their arrangements
for the next aca-
demic year. Year on
year, rents are now
broadly rising, and
in an age of low and
often falling wages,
this places a massive
fiscal burden on
many in our society.
In extreme cases
that burden can be-
come simply too
much to bear. The
Scottish Churches
Housing Action
group published sta-
tistics that calculat-
ed by the end of
2013 there were at
least 65’000 people
suffering from
homelessness in
Scotland. With the
spectre of the Bed-
room tax still hang-
ing over us, waiting
to come back into
full effect, (and it
won’t be truly ban-
ished until a yes
vote this Septem-
ber), the housing
question must be
addressed.
No truly
long term solution
can be found with-
out tackling the un-
derlying problems
of the shortage of
affordable housing.
For the Scottish So-
cialist Party, a key
plank of that solu-
tion must be our
policy for the con-
struction of 100’000
new council homes
across Scotland (as
recommended also
by the homelessness
charity, Shelter) over
a four year period,
available for afford-
able rent to be fol-
lowed by a general
and continued
building up of the
public housing con-
struction sector. You
can find more de-
tails at the SSP web-
site. Such a project
would go a great
way towards tack-
ling the housing cri-
sis, controlling rent
escalations, helping
to ease the cost of
living crisis for many
of the most vulner-
able in society and
further. It is a long
term solution, and
one our society des-
perately needs.
Construction
of council housing
has been allowed to
slump in recent
years by the neo-
liberal parties. A
piece in the Guardi-
an a year or so ago
revealed that by
2010 and the end of
the last New Labour
government, there
were almost as
many council houses
being built in the
whole of England
each year as in the
whole of Scotland
each year. We’re
talking about a
great many Labour
councils under a pe-
riod of Labour gov-
ernment, and the
figures had contin-
ued to slump. It
goes without saying
that the Tories are
hardly going to be
building them. The
truth of the matter
is that we simply
cannot trust the
neo-liberal parties
to deliver them. The
SSP has always
pushed for greater
construction. We
continue to do so
today and will con-
tinue to do so into
the future. Where
there are elected
SSP councillors that
demand is carried
forward again and
pressure put on the
heart of council lev-
el decision making,
and as the SSP con-
tinues to grow in
strength, the convic-
tion that we need to
tackle the housing
question head on
remains an un-
shakeable principle.
Housing should not
be a commodity to
be granted or de-
nied to maximise
profit. Decent hous-
ing should be some-
thing everyone has
access too as a basic
human right. That is
a core principle of
the Scottish Socialist
Party – a principle
the neo-liberal par-
ties seem deter-
mined to quietly
reject.
_______________________
An Open Letter to
the Undecided
Luke Campbell
@lukecampbell6
In a carefully word-
ed open letter
online blogger
Shaun address un-
decided voters with
some food for
thought, recapping
some of the issues
that were of concern
to him when script-
ing the post. Taking
care to ensure that
his words were di-
rect and leave no
room for misinter-
pretation, he re-
counts his journey
from a default No
voter to a firm Yes.
In a letter that at
points resembles the
‘too wee, too poor,
too stupid, rhetoric,
and Jim Sillar’s ‘Be-
tween the hours…’
speech, Shaun talks
of how the over the
top scaremongering
from the mean
stream media, and
the lack of any bal-
anced reporting lead
him to search online
for his own answers.
He recommends us-
ing ‘a combination
of mainstream me-
dia and newspapers
combined with
online websites such
as Wings Over Scot-
land, Business for
Scotland and Bella
Caledonia’, to
achieve a balanced
view of all sides of
the debate, and
pleads that readers
take the time to ed-
ucate themselves so
as to make an in-
formed decision
come 18th
Septem-
ber.
You can find the full
letter at the below
address:
http://scottishpoke
mon.wordpress.com
/2014/05/11/an-
open-letter-to-the-
undecided/
_______________________
More prominent
figures come out in
favour of a Yes vote:
Canyon Kenyon
Wright, who held in
the formation of the
Scottish devolved
parliament, declared
himself in favour of
a Yes-vote come
September, in a let-
ter published in the
Sunday Herald of
11th
May. Kenyon
Wright, who had
previously called for
a radical overhaul of
the way that West-
minster operated,
stated that ‘inde-
pendence is needed
to complete "unfin-
ished business and
allow the new Scot-
land of our hopes to
emerge’.
Read more here:
http://www.heraldsc
ot-
land.com/politics/re
ferendum-
news/devolution-
architect-comes-
out-in-support-of-a-
yes-vote.24189460
------------------------
https://www.edfring
e.com/whats-
on/events/national-
collective-presents
http://archive.today
/H1Wlo
Michael Stewart,
former Hearts cap-
tain, currently work-
ing as a football
commentator, stat-
ed that ‘A Yes vote
means more oppor-
tunity for people
from all walks of
life, but especially
for sport.” Shona
Robinson added
“Sport for Yes is a
new and exciting
part of the grass-
roots Yes movement
bringing together
athletes, former ath-
letes, sports men
and women, and
fans of sport.”
‘Visions of Inde-
pendence I’
Room: George
Square Lecture The-
atre
Friday 23rd May
Time: 17:00 - 18:00
Speakers:
Sarah Beattie-Smith
(Radical Independ-
ence Campaign)
Kate Higgins (Wom-
en for Independ-
ence)
Robin McApline
(Common Weal)
Assad Khan Scots-
Asians for Inde-
pendence & SYP
Zareen Taj (Individ-
ual)
Could everyone
please try to arrive
at the venue by
16:45 to ensure that
we start promptly at
17:00. After the talk
we will relocate to a
nearby pub, TBC, to
continue the discus-
sion informally.
------------------------
‘16-30 Yes Public
Event’
Venue: 'The Halls',
Henderson Street,
Leith
Date: Monday 2nd
June
Time: 19:30-21:30
(doors open 7pm)
Speakers:
Angles Constance
MSP (Cabinet Secre-
tary for Training,
Youth and Women's
Employment)
Andrew Dove (SNP
Edinburgh Eastern
Youth Convenor)
Cat Boyd (Radical
Independence Cam-
paign)
For further infor-
mation and a huge
range of resources,
please check out the
following:
Solidarity
Scottish Independ-
ence Convention
Scot Referendum
Working Class Man
Greg Moodie
Holyrood Magazine
Kevin McKenna
Undecided?
TA of Morisura
Subrosa
Scotland Tonight
Scot Goes Pop!
Referendum2014
Munguin's Republic
Michael Greenwell
Lallands Peat Worri-
er
Yes Scotland
Reid Foundation
Wee Ginger Dug
BBC.Scotlandshire
Common Weal
Scottish Left Review
Scottish Social Atti-
tudes Survey
Young-Scots For In-
dependence
Generation Yes
SRSM
Yes LGBT
Wealthy Nation
Third Sector Yes
IndyPosterBoy.info
Bright Green Scot-
land
Socialist Worker
KILTR
Academics For Inde-
pendence
Christians For Inde-
pendence
YouGov.co.uk
WhatScot-
landThinks.orgAbou
tMyVote.co.uk
NationalCollec-
tive.com
LabourForIndy.com
SNP
SSP
Scottish Greens
Women For Inde-
pendence
Scots-Asians For In-
dependence
Scotland’s Vote
Bella Caledonia
Wings Over Scot-
land
News Net Scotland
Independent News-
paper
Independence Mag-
azine
Radical Independ-
ence
Business For Scot-
land
C’mon Scotland
Derek Bateman
The Sunday Herald
______________________
I’d just like to close
by saying a massive
thank you to every-
one that got in-
volved in the crea-
tion of issue two.
Particular thanks go
out to Emily, Rich-
ard and Robin for
their detailed and
sizable contribu-
tions.
As always check out
our Facebook page
and get in touch
with our editor at
luke.gardenofedin20
Thanks to Emily In-
gram, Richard Lovell,
Ivan Janskevic, David
Aitchison, Lucas
McGregor-Paas, An-
gus Nicoll, Robin
Drummond, Magnus
Jamieson, David
Kelly, Jonny Ross-
Tatam, Calum Win-
ter, Fraser Dick, Amie
Robertson, Charles
Lang, Calum Martin,
Andrew Dove, James
Puchowski, Dash
Sekhar, Kevin Brown,
Joseph L. Reid, Andy
Connelly-Nimmo,
Seonaid Francis,
Shirley Watson, Pad-
dy Williams, James
Whyte, Bob Leslie,
Chris Jack, and Assad
Khan.