THERE seems to be a failure to distinguish between the long-term vital need to convince enough people that it is feasible and sensible for Scotland to take back full control of its own affairs and any final push to convert that into sufficient votes to make it happen. This is like the difference between getting into position over several laps of the course of a race as opposed to the final gallop up the home straight to the finish line.
There are many in the Remain camp who are fully aware that Scotland could do well looking after its own affairs, yet for their own reasons want it to remain part of the UK, and there are many in the electorate who are still not convinced that it is a feasible proposition.
They are not yet confident enough, and since the referendum in 2014 little has been done to bolster their confidence and reassure them. The logic of Scotland taking back control of its own affairs is not bound to whether the UK leaves the EU nor any other transient circumstances, neither is it the prerogative of any particular political party, being far more fundamental than any of that. It is simply the fact that Scotland is capable, better placed, and could make by far the best choices for itself.
There are people who will not be convinced by branded propaganda, because they are the very people who are alienated and put off by any whiff of the confrontational exchange which is inevitably attached to it (a ploy easily utilised by those aiming to deter any engagement). When another final campaign does get under way, we will be so deluged by false news and misinformation that it will be essential to have an electorate thoroughly grounded in the facts, well in advance of it beginning if they are not to be dissuaded and misled.
Many people are not looking for the minutia of how an independent country would work, but will find reassurance that several other countries of about Scotland’s size (most with less resources) are among the top 25 richest countries in the world, have floated some of the 11 currencies presently in use in the EU, and could be envious of Scotland’s resources in the form of its share of Europe’s fishing and tidal power. They would be interested to hear that of all the nations which have discovered oil only Iraq and one other have failed to set up an oil fund to put something by for their future (you can work out which one the other one is).
It will be suicidal to enter the final furlong of our race without the odds stacked very much more strongly in our favour before we start, by having used the time beforehand for an effective leafleting campaign (12 years for the French Revolution), and without having made the pro message strongly visible on the streets.
When we get on any bus or stand in any supermarket queue we need to be seeing various pro-self-determination messages on shopping bags, stuck in a traffic queue we need to be seeing a message telling us that Scotland is as competent as any other European nation to run its own affairs, and walking down any street we need to be seeing badges proclaiming Scotland’s worth.
That is different to the declaration of the answer to a question which has as yet not been asked, and the meaningless merchandise of any organisation, all of which though they may be strong brands, like any strong brand do as much to repel as they do to attract, such as does the flag on your bag of vegetables.
If the vote to leave the EU has proven anything it is surely that it is disastrous to win by a small margin, and it is disastrous to enter a campaign without having thoroughly prepared the ground in advance, so it is vital that the message that it is an inevitable when, rather than whether, is kept visually apparent to maintain morale among existing supporters and make it easier in the meantime to swell the numbers to the necessary level.
Alisdair McKay
Inverness
AS it looks definite now that Scotland will be “dragged out of the European Union against our will”, I continually feel that we are definitely a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.
While countries all over the world fight and die for democracy, Scotland operates the system of “democracy in reverse”. The minority of Scottish voters in the EU referendum will get what they want, the majority won’t. Also, when it comes to the (Westminster) Government, the minority of Tory voters in this country get what they want, the majority don’t.
Is anyone else as embarrassed as I am by this? Who else in the world allows another country and its voters to make decisions for them? If I ever have to apply for a “British” passport it will be for a one-way ticket! I know I can’t put up with this embarrassment much longer.
Marie McIlwham
Crookston
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