A resumé of remarks and comments and pointers to articles about the Scottish Independence Referendum.
Today marks one year until the people of Scotland are invited to vote in the referendum on independence from the United Kingdom.
The question which will be asked on 18 September 2014 is “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
Whether you intend voting Yes or No to that question, your views, and those of others, have a place here. We invite comments and we also invite you to write about what you think by using our Submit your Story feature here.
Today at Holyrood there was a debate about independence on the following motion:-
S4M-07721 Alex Salmond: Scotland’s Future—That the Parliament agrees that Scotland has an abundance of resources and talent and can more than afford to be a successful, thriving independent country; notes that successive UK administrations have pursued an economic policy that has led to the UK having one of the most unbalanced and unequal economies in the developed world; agrees that it is wrong and costly for policies to be imposed on Scotland that have been overwhelmingly rejected by Scotland’s political representatives, and welcomes evidence that shows that there are gains for families and communities when decisions about Scotland are taken by those who care most about Scotland, the people who live and work here.
The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendment
S4M-07721.1 Johann Lamont: Scotland’s Future—As an amendment to motion S4M-07721 in the name of Alex Salmond (Scotland’s Future), leave out from first “agrees” to end and insert “welcomes the people of Scotland having their say on the constitutional future on 18 September 2014; believes that Scotland is best served by a strong Scottish Parliament in a strong UK, and looks forward to a debate over the next year that reflects the priorities of the people and strengthens the position of Scotland as a partner in the UK rather than as a separate state”.
If you missed the live debate you will be able to watch the proceedings in Parliament on The Scottish Parliament website here or you can follow the live coverage provided by the BBC.
As-it-happened: Details of the key points from Holyrood’s debate marking one year to the #indyref vote http://t.co/Ihp6A82Pwk
— BBC Scotland News (@BBCScotlandNews) September 18, 2013
Nicola Sturgeon speaking live on the BBC Daily Politics Show prior to the debate explained that on Newsnight last night the vote was undecided at the beginning of the programme which turned into a 2:1 vote in favour of independence. She continued:-“This will be a campaign conducted on the doorsteps and the town halls across the country. I am feeling very confident. We are not asking people to choose an identity. We are asking people to decide where decisions about Scotland are best made.” “We can afford to be independent. The question is are we going to take the powers in our own hands to use that wealth for our own good.”
Michael Moore MP, Secretary of State for Scotland said:-“If people weigh up this big decision, they see the opportunity we have as part of the UK, and they will wonder why they should turn their backs on this.” When reminded of the LibDem collapse in the council elections last year, and the fact that the LibDem in one Ward was beaten by a penguin, he insisted that it would be best for Scotland to have the best of both worlds.
The Edinburgh Reporter met up with Chair of Better Together, former chancellor Alistair Darling on top of Calton Hill today. Here is our report:-
Iain McGill, a former Conservative candidate in the Scottish Parliamentary election in 2010, and now a Conservative Party activist is voting no. McGill said:-“We have the best of both worlds,a successful Scottish Parliament delivering for Scotland backed up by the strength of being part of the UK.”
One of Scotland’s most senior environmental campaigners has declared his support for a Yes vote in next year’s independence referendum. Dr Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, announced at the weekend that he was supporting Yes Scotland in the biggest grass-roots campaign the country has ever seen. He believes there is more scope to address environmental challenges in an independent Scotland.
Speaking in a personal capacity, the leading green campaigner, who is a respected commentator on climate change and the environment, said: ‘I am still listening to both sides, but I am at the stage that an independent Scotland is the better option.’ Dr Dixon, who was Director of WWF Scotland prior to his appointment last year to Friends of the Earth, is on his second stint with the environment group, having been head of research for eight years.
While at WWF Scotland, he worked on issues as diverse as climate change and fish farming. He helped to treble the number of Scottish beaches officially recognised by the government and wrote the first comprehensive report on air pollution in Scotland. Dr Dixon, 49, has a BSc and PhD in Astrophysics and an MSc in Energy Systems and Environment Management from Glasgow Caledonian University. He was born in Ireland, grew up in England, and has lived in Scotland for 30 years.
Blair Jenkins, Chief Executive of Yes Scotland, said:- ‘Richard Dixon is a respected and significant figure in the field of environmental issues and I welcome his decision to go public in his support for independence. Like many, he understands that decisions that matter most to the people of Scotland are best made by the people of Scotland – and that includes environmental improvements.’
Debate on Twitter is always entertaining and you usually get both sides of the story. The hashtag #IndyRef appears to be one of the most universally used. If you know of others then please tell us! The Scotsman had a suitably patriotic photo adorning their front page today:-
Whoops. Year to go to independence referendum. This is @TheScotsman front page. #indyref pic.twitter.com/zYplfks95j — Peter MacMahon (@petermacmahon) September 18, 2013
Brian Wilson, a former Labour MP and Energy Minister, wrote in The Scotsman today:-
Brian Wilson on the money, in today’s @Scotsman http://t.co/akbcS9O18i #indyref
— Better Together (@UK_Together) September 11, 2013
Gerry Hassan writes about his thoughts on independence here:-
@GeoffHuggins One year from #indyref my thoughts: Yes to a Different Scotland. http://t.co/mZ3JC9tACg
— Gerry Hassan (@GerryHassan) September 18, 2013
The Edinburgh Reporter will round up the variety of views we find across all media as often as we can.
This may be a daily article if there is a lot of chat about the independence referendum, or less frequently if we have too much else to do. If you would like to write about your views on independence then please feel free to submit your article using the Submit your Story feature here. The Edinburgh Reporter does not have a stance on the independence question, but hopes to help you make your mind up about the vote on 18 September 2014 by providing as much unbiased coverage as possible.
There are two main websites where you can obtain further information:-
Yes Scotland can be found here http://www.yesscotland.net
Better Together has a website here http://bettertogether.net
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
