Why We’re Voting Yes 70


On this, the most exciting day of my life, here is a video by Laura Wadha. She kindly said she was inspired to make it by hearing me speak in Cupar. I am so proud to have been part of this people based movement.

I am watching now as voters walk down to the polling station. Whatever the result (and I believe we will win) the resilience of so many Scottish people in the face of the most concerted and unanimous media, corporate business and professional politician propaganda blitz in western democratic history has been quite extraordinary. Local, people-based, paying no attention to “leaders” and utilising the oldest forms of human communication combined with the most modern of social media, the people’s campaign for independence has been astonishing. Now we can grasp the chance to create a new kind of modern society.

The most important day of my life.


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70 thoughts on “Why We’re Voting Yes

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  • Anon1

    “Couldn’t agree more about HS2, btw. How about the other vanity projects?”

    HS3, 4 & 5, too.

    Ps, writing (sic) after a spelling mistake is the height of pretentiousness.

  • Tom

    With the right leadership and patience from voters, I have no doubt an independent Scotland could be very successful. The question is whether that leadership is in sight and whether the electorate would tolerate the inevitable austerity as the new country found its feet – a reality that has been evaded by Salmond.
    Either way, I wish Scotland well. It has been a fascinating campaign.

  • YouKnowMyName

    This tweet, sent out to Mr Murray’s 2.7 million followers, was published at 2am this morning and has already been retweeted thousands of times.

    Huge day for Scotland today! no campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. excited to see the outcome. lets do this!

    — Andy Murray (@andy_murray) September 18, 2014

  • Ba'al Zevul (X)

    …writing (sic) after a spelling mistake is the height of pretentiousness.

    Please substantiate that assertion, using reputable sources of opinion. Debrett’s Guide to Etiquette, perhaps?

    Typical. You can’t spell the subject of your comment, and it’s my fault. Whiner.

  • ESLO

    “The most important day of my life.”

    Don’t be silly – births, deaths and marriages and when you meet/lose friends are usually a lot more important.

  • Ba'al Zevul (X)

    Around half the British Isles are going to be underwater by 2100 thanks to man-made climate change. Just ask Komodo.

    Did I say that? Where? Link, please, not a selective quotation.

    Mind you, I don’t give much for London’s chances. You’ll probably have a minor war over mooring rights.

  • Ангрысоба

    “On this, the most exciting day of my life, here is a video by Laura Wadha….

    The most important day of my life.”

    You’re supposed to qualify that with “politically speaking” or you will get in trouble at home.

  • Anon1

    “This tweet, sent out to Mr Murray’s 2.7 million followers, was published at 2am this morning and has already been retweeted thousands of times.

    “Huge day for Scotland today! no campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. excited to see the outcome. lets do this!”

    — Andy Murray (@andy_murray) September 18, 2014″

    Interesting that it was the style not the substance of the campaign that ‘swayed’ him (like “anyone but the English” was ever a no voter in the first place).

    Interesting also that he timed the release of his Tweet to just after the media blackout had been imposed, so it would not be reported in the media.

    Sounds like a bit of a coward to me, if he even wrote the tweet himself. More likely he was under pressure to support Yes and chose the time it would attract the least amount of attention.

    Anyway wtf does Andy Surrey have to do with Scotland?

  • Ангрысоба

    By the way everyone. I know that I have left this a bit late and some of you will be kicking yourselves now, but I will be supporting “No” in this referendum.

    But good luck to whoever wins! 😉

  • ------------·´`·.¸¸.¸¸.··.¸¸Node

    Anon1 18 Sep, 2014 – 12:15 pm

    “Then we can dump HS2 (£80 billion saved). Lots more savings to be made without the dead weight of Scotchland.”

    ….. and spend the money on geography lessons.

  • Clark

    Anon1, 12:58 pm: it makes no difference to global warming whether the Westminster government or a Scottish government permits companies to extract North sea oil. It does make a difference to Scotland’s economy.

    The oil reserves will increase in monetary value as global reserves diminish and become more difficult to extract. That value can be exploited by extraction, or left in the ground as a sort of investment. I strongly suspect that a Scottish government would be more likely than a Westminster government to follow the latter course.

  • Just saying

    So what proportion cast of the 800k postal votes will be NOs? The bookies may already have factored that into their pricing, its the punters who are usually the last to find out. Vronsky will have been barking up the wrong tree.

  • Tony M

    A big cheer for Keith, neighbour’s lad, just 16, who has been outside our polling station in the Borders (as an exiled Weegie, I am but a ‘foreigner’ in these parts) since 7am, in a brilliant white Yes T-shirt, aglow through the early morning mist, beaming huge smiles on those passing by on their way to vote, he must have persuaded many, and not just amongst his peers, by his presence, his enthusiasm and grasp of the issues.

  • ------------·´`·.¸¸.¸¸.··.¸¸Node

    ESLO 18 Sep, 2014 – 1:37 pm

    “The most important day of my life.”

    Don’t be silly – births, deaths and marriages and when you meet/lose friends are usually a lot more important.

    Don’t be silly, ESLO – you haven’t included people being seriously injured. Someone you love being run over by a bus and spending the rest of their life in a wheelchair is also usually a lot more important.

  • ESLO

    “he must have persuaded many, and not just amongst his peers, by his presence, his enthusiasm and grasp of the issues.”

    I would hope not. To campaign in the vicinity of a polling station is illegal.

  • Evgueni

    Good luck to the Scottish people, whichever way it turns out. I am not optimistic about a yes vote – results from referenda around the world show that radical proposals are usually defeated. I think Cameron’s gamble will pay off. It is a shame – because I think that Scottish independence would encourage the process of democratisation both in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

    But regardless of the result of this poll, one huge positive is that younger generations are being exposed to and are getting used to the idea of how democracy ought to function. They will be more used to referenda and perhaps not long after they will begin to understand that even referenda, like party politics, like ‘representative’ democracy, are fatally flawed because they allow a tiny minority to control the agenda and the timing of political debate. Only Initiative & Referendum rights lead inevitably to the kind of equitable society of which Craig dreams. We cannot expect a political vanguard not to become corrupted by power, no matter how committed they are in the beginning. And party politics, ‘representative’ politics – even when PR is used, are corrupting.

  • Anon1

    Aaah but he’s not to know that, ESLO. He’s only a wee lad, just 16. It’s not as if he can vote or anything.

    Let the poor lad be. Uncle Tony’s going to tell him all about no planes theory later. He has so much to learn!

  • Ba'al Zevul [X]

    Thanks, Gen. Giap…

    “We have very good and close relations with the United Kingdom. From (Israel’s) perspective, a united kingdom is better than a split kingdom,”

    Cui bono, eh? Almost a clincher for Yes, that.

  • lysias

    The ancient Athenians knew how to make institutions truly democratic: all but the highest offices were appointed by lot from all adult male citizens; the rest of the government (juries in the courts, representation in the legislature) was either appointed by lot or could be attended by all citizens (the ekklesia or Assembly, i.e., the lower house of the legislature). So there was true representation of all segments of the citizen population throughout the government. Beyond that, there was true control even of the elected highest officials, in that all officials, whether elected or chosen by lot, had to undergo a strict audit upon leaving office.

  • Evgueni

    Lysias,

    it is the same principle but Assembly does not scale beyond town/city. In some smaller Swiss polities the Assembly is still practiced, but its large-scale equivalent is the Initiative and Referendum, at canton and national level. Election by lot may slug corruption, but is not without disadvantages – amateur legislators are not likely to be efficient at their jobs, and many would not have their hearts in it.

  • Brus MacGallah

    ESLO and Ангрысоба
    if you are a Scot with a vote this IS the most important day of your life. It is for me and that includes the birth of my child. Someday he and I will be gone but our decision will live on.
    The most important day of your life is not to be confused with the happiest day of your life and that my well include Births or Marriages though in the event of a YES vote it may well turn out to be tomorrow

  • Republicofscotland

    But the SNP role-model is Venezuala, without the oil. The economy will start to seriously tank once the socialists implement policies like taxing the rich out of existence. Then they’ll come begging again, hopefully to the EU this time, and blame it all on the English, of course.
    ————————
    The only thing that’s tanking is your big gub, and the relentless dross that spews out of it.

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