The Vote

Discussion: Is there anyone in South Uist who has an opinion on the biggest vote in Scotland's history, really?

Wow! Great discussion. It seems , by what I'm hearing that Sovereignty , with all its risks , is better than being screwed by a foreign government. At least you get to democratically chose what is done to your own Country. There will be further discussion on " the pound " , military, and assets such as off shore oil and gas. But a Free Scotland is a dream that hopefully is at hand. Good luck.

Willie\'s right, but the tension between centre and periphery exists at every level. Even without independence that proportion of taxes which are at the disposal of the Scottish Government are spent in the Central Belt. And here in Eilean Siar the case is even more extreme, those of us here in the south of the islands paying taxes and charges for services we have no realistic prospect of ever using, not least An Lanntair, but equally other services. The argument about control over spending for peripheral areas (whether that be Scotland, Highland and Islands, or Barra) is universal, and not specific to Independence. To me the question of independence is driven more by the ability to make those choices that reflect our history, values, circumstances and aspirations, and whilst those vary significantly across Scotland, such differences are far less than the differences between Scotland and \'rest of the UK\', and it is those greater differences that give rise to the recurring question of Independence. To put it simply, we want the freedom to do the important things - the things that nation states control - our way.

Wikipedia meaning of Sovereignty:-

"For centuries past, the idea that a state could be sovereign was always connected to its ability to guarantee the best interests of its own citizens."

Is Alex Salmond stating in his white paper that he is able to look after Scotlands own interests and that we can go it alone? I wonder? I am a Scot living down south of the border in the midlands. For all the taxes the UK have paid into Westminster, where is it being spent. Not here in the Midlands or north of the border, If you look south of Watford gap or even inside the M25 to be precise, that's were all our coffers are and that's where it\'s going to stay. I believe that Scotland ( the land of the brave ) should vote YES because then we can control our own destiny good or bad.

Well at least it's something. But what I don't understand is why there isn't an overwhelming call for sovereignty? Am I just being naïve? I feel Scottish in my soul and my whole life I wanted to see a free Scotland. As far as a new direction, it's really an old direction. Scotland was once free and a lot of Scottish blood was spilled for it. A paper cut now would probably be the worst that could happen. Please vote in favor of Sovereignty and get as many people you can to the polls. Thanks - Bryan MacMillan - Son of Scotland.

You mean whether Irn Bru is better than Coke? Oh ... THAT vote! Sorry! What you're really asking is, do we have opinions we want to air in public? Do we have opinions well enough developed and confidently enough held? Very few do. A big subject, lots of questions, and in truth there's no-one can give a definitive answer to any of them. In the end - for most of us at least - it's going to be down to how positive we feel about things on the day: whether we're up-beat and ready for striking out in a new direction, or wary of what the future holds, and preferring to hunker down with the familiar. Even on that basis, it could go either way. For myself, I can't see the sky falling in on us regardless what the outcome is, but I do have a deep-seated preference for sovereignty at as local as a level as practicable. But that could mean the Outer Hebrides should be a crown dependency - we might do very well that way. Now is that an opinion I've expressed?