KAREN Adam is correct in saying that in pursuit of Scottish independence it is essential to go beyond the rhetoric and demonstrate competence in running our own affairs, and also that key to winning the next referendum is the need to convince the undecided and “soft No” voters, rather than just preaching to the convinced (Everything I do as an MSP relates back to independence, May 23).
Yet isn’t the biggest failure of our independence-supporting elected representatives their abject failure to reinforce the imperative of independence at every opportunity presented to them?
Yes, we relish being reminded of Scottish Government successes, which help to demonstrate the very competence in running our affairs Adam is striving for. But don’t we also need to be informed about the impact they have on the budget restrictions Westminster rule places on us, and the opportunity cost on other areas that are necessarily mitigated to fund them?
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Shouldn’t we be highlighting the beneficial effect that full fiscal and political control of our affairs would bring us, the increased opportunities that would accrue, what they are and how they would be funded?
Equally, shouldn’t we be highlighting all those “failures” of the Scottish Government and address fully the reasons for them and the impact of Westminster funding, both indirectly through the limited block “grant” and directly by UK Government, and the UK law that limits Scottish Government powers and severely restricts its potential to deliver the best prospects for those living in Scotland who elect it?
It’s not enough to wallow in this current long and futile period of political attrition in the hope that somehow shameless, democracy-denying Westminster will relent and concede that democracy should prevail. It’s not enough to hope that the marches and speeches to the converted will somehow deliver the popular clamour for independence.
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It’s not enough to allow Westminster to dissipate the powers of the Scotland Act to deplete the devolution accorded by it, with the aim of encouraging Scottish devolution to wither on the political vine, and Scots to sleepwalk back to full Westminster domination and exploitation.
Don’t we need to inform and educate all of those who are stakeholders in the future prosperity of the Scottish nation? Rather than telling people what is good for them – always a naturally resisted tactic – shouldn’t we be showing how the current system is failing us, how we could do things better, what could be achieved and the benefits accruing for this and future generations, consistently and at every opportunity?
Shouldn’t every factor of life in Scotland be examined through the prism of Scottish independence, and how it can only be resolved through our fundamental democratic expression through the ballot box?
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Only in that way way can we raise public awareness and generate the dissatisfaction with the status quo, and foment the necessary demand for change.
If Unionist D Ross thinks we are concentrating on independence rather than the issues and responsible governance, then let’s make it true. Let’s put independence at the core of every public political issue, success and failures. Let’s focus on the very real need for change. Let’s educate the unconvinced and “soft Nos”.
Let’s get indy done!
Jim Taylor
Edinburgh
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