The Edinburgh Reporter looking to Leith and Fife from Calton Hill

A resumé of remarks, comments and pointers to articles about the Scottish Independence Referendum.

Today marks 362 days 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 is mostly about the pro-independence camp who held a rally on top of Calton Hill. There is some dubiety over how many people attended, but there was a police helicopter hovering overhead for quite a time today.

 

 

Addressing the Independence March and Rally in Edinburgh today , Scottish National Party leader and First Minister Alex Salmond focused on the overwhelming evidence that people in Scotland want the powers over the economy and welfare that can only be achieved with a Yes vote and independence.
He argued that this is a solid platform on which to build a successful Yes result, in contrast to the No campaign standing on the shifting sands of a failed Westminster system.

Mr Salmond said:-“We have an unrivalled opportunity next year – in 362 days time – to achieve something that no previous generation of Scots has done, and few countries ever do. To vote this nation into a new future of prosperity and equality – and to do so in a totally peaceful, civic and democratic manner.

“Today is an expression of our confidence that the people will put themselves – not Westminster – in charge of their own future by voting Yes.

“In this great debate, the Yes campaign stands on a solid platform on which to build success. We stand not only on the shoulders of the giants of our movement, who worked selflessly to deliver this precious opportunity. Even more importantly, we stand for the aspirations that the people of Scotland already have for the future of their country. In poll after poll, survey after survey, people in Scotland want the powers over their own natural resources, the welfare state and pensions which are vital in delivering the fairer society and stronger economy we need to build opportunity for all.

“And these powers – the people’s powers – can only be achieved by voting Yes.

“The No campaign, by contrast, stand on the shifting sands of a Westminster system that is unrepresentative of Scottish opinion and aspiration.

“There is now a natural majority for a Yes vote.
“By a factor of nearly four-to-one, people agree with us that decisions about Scotland are best made in Scotland, not by Westminster.

“Since its restoration 14 years ago, our national parliament has proved time and again that when decisions are taken here in Scotland we get the right outcomes for the people.

“The Scottish Parliament has ensured that we have university education based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay.

“It has enabled us to maintain the integrity of our NHS, with care free at the point of need, as well as delivering free personal care for elderly people.

“In all the areas for which it is responsible, Holyrood has shown the benefits of having decision-making powers here in Scotland.

“People believe that their own parliament should also decide on the economy, should control welfare, should decide on Trident.
“The people want a parliament which sees postal services as part of the economic infrastructure required for a successful and competitive economy – and therefore for the fourth time this week, any government I lead in an independent Scotland will secure the Royal Mail in public ownership.

“The people want a parliament which makes work pay without oppressing those with disabilities. Therefore, any government I lead with the powers of independence will abolish the Bedroom Tax.

“The people want a parliament which invests the nation’s resources in things that really matter such as childcare. Therefore, any government I lead will not engage in illegal conflict and we propose a constitutional ban on nuclear weapons.

“A Yes vote next September will not be a victory for the SNP, or the Yes campaign, or even the huge coalition of interests and enthusiasm gathered here today.

“It will be the people’s victory. ‘Yes’ will be act of self-confidence and self-assertion which will mean that decisions about what happens in Scotland are always taken by the people who live and work here – not by a remote Westminster system.

“A Yes vote is for self-government, not remote government – good government with independence, not bad government from Westminster.

“We are a lucky generation  – to achieve the powers the people want, to win a fresh start, and change our country for the better – we need only say the word. To put this country on the path of hope, optimism and achievement – to put the disappointments and missed opportunities of the past behind us – we need only say YES.”
Former world champion boxer Alex ‘Amazing’ Arthur has thrown his weight behind independence and the Yes Scotland campaign.

The super-featherweight fighter will be voting Yes at the referendum on September 18 next year.

Having boxed in many small countries around the world, Edinburgh-born Alex says an independent Scotland would undoubtedly punch above its weight on the international stage – and not only in sport.

Alex, 35, who won a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, wants to see Scotland competing at the Olympics – one achievement to have eluded the retired fighter.

The boxing champ, with an impressive record of 30 wins and only three defeats, thinks and independent Scotland has got what it takes to go the distance.

And he wants his sons Alex, 11, Liston, 9, and Machlan, 7, to have the opportunity to wear the blue vest of Scotland if they decide to follow in his footsteps.

He said: ‘If we were an independent nation we could be competing for ourselves. To see one of my sons competing in the Olympics Games for Scotland would be a victory for me because it’s something I was never able to achieve. Even though we’re a small country we can definitely look after ourselves.

‘All the other countries that I’ve boxed in that are small countries, like Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden. They’re all small countries, most of them with less than 10 million people, and they’re absolutely fine.

‘So I believe in the whole cause, I believe that we’d be a better country on our own, I think we can definitely look after ourselves and I think it’s better for the future of our youth and our people that we are an independent country.’

He added: ‘The proudest moment in my career is winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur for the sole fact that I won it for Scotland and I won it in the blue vest and that just meant everything to me.’

Father-of-three Alex has given his full backing to the Yes Scotland campaign and has recorded a video for the movement outlining why he believes independence is the right choice for Scotland.

In addition to winning Commonwealth Gold against Canada’s Marty O’Donnell, the decorated fighter won the WBO super-featherweight title at the Cardiff International Arena against Koba Gogoladze on 21 July 2007. He’s now hoping to help win a Yes vote in 2014.

Pic by Ruth Ofonye Independence Rally Edinburgh 21/09/13

Photo by Ruth Ofonye Independence Rally Edinburgh

Blair Jenkins was loudly applauded and cheered by the crowd on Calton Hill – which the SNP estimated to be around 20,000 – when he said: ‘As I go around the country I am often asked, “What would Scotland lose if we became an independent country?” And you can go through the list fairly quickly. Well, we would lose nuclear weapons; we’d lose the Bedroom Tax; we’d lose Tory governments that we never voted for. So that’s what we’d lose – what’s not to love in any of that?’

Dennis Canavan, chair of the Yes Scotland Advisory Board, told the Calton Hill crowd: ‘This campaign is more like a marathon rather than a short sprint. And having run a few marathons in my time, I know that the runner who is ahead at the halfway stage is not necessarily the winner of the race.

‘We have the people with the stamina, guts and determination to win this campaign – and win it we shall. This campaign is going to fought and won within the communities of Scotland and we have something the other side does not.

‘We have a great army of volunteers  operating in every community in Scotland. They are determined and they bare mobilised and we are organising the biggest grassroots campaign that Scotland has ever seen.’

 

 

 

And away from Calton Hill the Better Together campaign was active in leafletting

 

The Edinburgh Reporter plans to 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

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Phyllis Stephen
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.

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