28 - 11 - 2019 / Your Story
SCOTLAND HAS NO VOICE WITHIN OR OUT WITH THE UK
I am a Scot, born and bred. Fully embracing the European project when I was young having lived and worked in Belgium and later, marrying an Italian. He came to live in the England with me and we then returned to my home city of Edinburgh to start a family.
Our son has dual citizenship, by virtue of his father and with a catastrophic crash out of the EU looking increasingly likely, I am very glad that he will still have access to the EU.
This is of course not the case for his friends, my nieces and all of us in the UK who may be about to have our EU citizenship taken from us against our will.
Clearly, I voted remain in the EU referendum and although I voted No in the independence referendum, it was largely over fear of the unknown, and fear over our ability, economically, to thrive.
I was never ideologically opposed to the idea of an independent Scotland.
Fast forward to the morning after the EU referendum and I knew I would vote for independence at the next opportunity.
For me and I might add, for my Pro-UK friends, it is very much about EU membership. That is not to say that after the last three years there are not innumerable reasons now to vote for independence.
The fact that Brexit is clearly an 'English nationalist project', fuelled by the scapegoating of 'foreigners' to blame for the UK’s failings.
The political system of Westminster is broken, that the people of England will continue to vote Conservative and Scotland has no voice either within or out with the UK and it has become ever clearer that Scotland is a very different country from England.
Key to my future Yes vote would be clarity on Scotland seeking full membership of the EU.
It is just a pity that we couldn’t have had the referendum before we leave the EU as I believe the nations of the European Union would allow us to remain, (i.e. to continue to reap the benefits of the customs union and single market) with the administrative aspects to be dealt with over time.
I cannot wait to cast my YES vote at the next referendum and go into the centre of Edinburgh the next morning, to celebrate with my fellow Scots.
We are a fantastic people and country and I look forward to the day when I can be part of history, when we cast off the restraints that bind us to an increasingly intolerant England.
- I want to live in a country that does not demonise people who for varied and complex reasons are struggling to make their way in life.
- I want to live in a country that seeks to help its people, welcomes others and celebrates the diversity of its citizens.
- I want Scotland to have the opportunity to create a better, fairer, outward looking, tolerant society.