Allen Whitehead, 74, is a retired architect living in Stenton, Dunbar
I AM an Englishman but in 1973 my wife and I decided to move with our family to live and work in Scotland. Since then we have lived on the Black Isle, in Caithness, and Edinburgh before settling in 1988 in East Lothian where we now stay.
When given the opportunity, I voted for Scottish devolution but not for independence. This was not because I feel especially English or even British but I consider myself European, a citizen of the world, and I believed at that time that Remain was the only way to keep us in the EU.
Tell us about your journey from No to Yes
The European project is not perfect but it is the best means of ensuring peace on our continent and if, as I believe, improvements could be made to the bureaucratic processes, these would be best addressed from within rather than by carping from the outside.
My work as an architect has enabled me to work alongside individuals from around a dozen overseas countries, several of whom I interviewed and offered employment.
With only one exception, they were all great colleagues who contributed enthusiastically to the projects and enriched my life. Several were students benefitting from Erasmus.
READ MORE: From No to Yes: I campaigned for Better Together, but Brexit changed everything
This week's From No to Yes 🚨
— The National (@ScotNational) February 8, 2021
New Scot Sabrina Willekens grew up in Germany and was initially opposed to independence.
'Then all the upheaval of Brexit came and I realised this wasn’t the United Kingdom I voted for anymore'https://t.co/IMUWfZoLlQ
The fiasco of Brexit has overturned all this and now I see only an inward-looking UK trying to hang on to a vision of “Great Britain” that is really the embers of a long-lost empire.
I now accept that lies were told about an independent Scotland being too wee and too poor to survive in the world, as I have learned more about other small nations such as Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark who share some history with Scotland.
They are all thriving and providing their citizens with a better and more equitable quality of life, concentrating on education, healthcare and happiness instead of trying to be a world power.
Tell us about your journey from No to Yes
These European neighbours don’t think of themselves as world leaders with a seat on the “top table” and neither would an independent Scotland. It would no longer be required to send tax revenues to Westminster to be spent on HS2, a massive aircraft carrier and nuclear submarines equipped with missiles etc. Hugely expensive projects like these would not be the choice of the majority of Scottish people and they provide no tangible benefits.
I’m now satisfied that independence for Scotland is essential, not really for me, but to give my grandchildren greater opportunities to live, work and travel.
From No to Yes: Why do you want Scotland to be independent?
Did you formerly back the Union but now support independence? In around 400 words, tell us why you've changed your mind about Scottish independence. Was it Brexit, the pandemic, the shambolic Tory government or a mixture of different factors? We want to hear all about it. Submit your answer to feature in one of our From No to Yes articles. If you have any questions or requests, please contact angus.cochrane@thenational.scot
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel