BREXIT HAS MOVED ME FROM DEFINITE NO TO MAYBE

06 - 09 - 2019 / Your Story

BREXIT HAS MOVED ME FROM DEFINITE NO TO MAYBE

I voted No in 2014 for many reasons. Although I was born in Edinburgh I grew up in England before returning in 1995. I feel English even though I have deep roots in Edinburgh.

I've travelled a lot, particularly in Europe and I'm pretty sceptical about the whole concept of a nation state: it seems to me that it boils down to "Those people on the other side of that line are fundamentally different from us" So pure Scottish Nationalism does nothing for me at all. In fact it's a big turn-off.

I also felt total contempt for the SNP's 2014 pitch: a series of vague promises and ambitions, combined with dismissing all objections as scaremongering. It amounted to 'Trust Alex Salmond' - Not likely!

The EU referendum has moved me from Definite No to Maybe.

Mostly because, for me, being in the EU is above everything. Not just because of the economic benefits, but because the EU is a great utopian experiment. It's not perfect, of course. What is? But it's an attempt to stop fighting and start sharing, travelling, learning about our different cultures, using our combined influence on the world stage, and all the rest of it.

Also because the EU referendum showed that the UK isn't set up to fairly represent all of its citizens. If a small majority of English people want something, it happens. As no-one is talking about a federal arrangement for the UK, I'm left with Scottish independence as the next-best option.

So I'm very open to hearing a new proposal for independence - But it has to be an honest and thorough one.

Which acknowledges the practical problems with currency, borders, trade etc -- and has some plan for dealing with them. Absolutely not a re-run of last time that hopes that enough people will be motivated enough by leaving the EU to get Indy over 50%.

The Leave EU campaign was run that way - no plan, no honesty - and we've seen the result.

Even though they won, they haven't really. And it has caused problems that the UK will be dealing with for many years.

As John Lennon said: "You say you got a real solution, well, you know, we'd all love to see the plan."

Paul from Edinburgh