Recent developments...

The independence debate seems to have entered a new phase and on the surface, a far more damaging one for the no campaign. With the recent announcement from the UK Treasury about honouring its debt responsibilities, arguments around Scotland's share of it and the currency union have coalesced and not in a way that suits Better Together at all.

Better Together Campaign Director on being told of the news from the UK Treasury

George Osborne and others have said time and again that a currency union would be fraught with problems so cannot be guaranteed - locking an independent Scotland out of something that belong to us all. But now, that argument goes up in smoke, Scotland reimbursing the UK treasury for its negotiated share of UK debt really would be fraught with problems if we had to do it with a currency other than Sterling.

When you add that very obvious - some say game changing news - to the hubbub of differing soundbites coming from people within the same union-supporting political parties, for me anyway, it brings in to focus what independence is really about for them.

With David Cameron telling us he won't talk about independence because its a matter for the Scottish people while giving statements to the press in support of the union (and begging other countries to do the same,) Johann Lamont saying one thing after Miliband said the opposite and politicians like Ian Davidson and their poisonous ravings about cybernats and 'separation' - for them, the debate isn't about whats best for Scotland, its about whats best for them.

Johann Lamont I think just isn't very good at her job, her place in the Scottish parliament depends more on her constituents not noticing just how rubbish she is rather than the Independence referendum outcome. The same goes for David Cameron, the vote in September won't affect him, going by how well previous PM's have done, he's already got it made. Osborne is already rich and Iain Duncan Smith (for example) has a rich father-in-law - more-over they're English MP's who won't lose their place at the trough if Scotland votes yes.

Now though, the politicians and people who are becoming ever more vocal in their rubbishing of the Independence debate are those who'll lose out. MP's from Scottish constituencies, Scottish 'lords' sitting on the red benches at Westminster (£300 a day just for turning up) and all the 'hingers-oan' who benefit from the status quo. What I think we're seeing is a polarisation in the unionist camp, on the one side you have those who'll lose out completely, and on the other, those that won't (they might even benefit from it...)

Will the rest of the UK want Scottish lords in their parliament? I wouldn't have thought so, will people in England, Wales & Northern Ireland think - "Hold on, we can't afford to lose Baron Purvis of Tweed can we? And what about Lord Ffoulkes of Cumnock?"

Baron Ffoulkes of Cumnock - no more £300 a day.

Jeremy Purvis, I still have no idea how or why he was 'elevated' to the HoL's. That he was, underlines what a waste of time it is.

Alistair Darling, Better Together Leader, is a Westminster MP from a Scottish constituency. He'll lose his job unless you do what he says and vote no, surely you'd have to question his motives in the debate, or - bearing in mind he's a politician - do you take him at his word? If you are, compare and contrast with someone like Stuart Hosie (SNP MP) who'll lose his job if you vote yes - except he wants you to.

In any other circumstance on any other topic, you would be very suspicious about a person trying to convince you to do as they say knowing it'll enrich them hugely over being invited to do something by someone else that will result in that person losing out.

Of course that isn't a reason by itself to vote one way or the other, but it should (surely) help inform who - on balance - you are prepared to believe more.

Meanwhile, I think we can expect more fracturing in the Unionist campaign. I don't think David Cameron actually cares if we vote yes, he's a spiv who's made his place anyway. The old-school empire-fetishists (from all parties) will continue to squeal but its those who have the most to lose who we'll increasingly hear from in the coming months. They and their arguments against independence (for they are never for the union) will become ever more desperate and hysterical. To a one, the incredibly lucrative livelihoods of these people will rely on the status quo continuing, as for their unaffected colleagues down south? That's exactly where they'll be, down south.

What horrifies me* is there could be a no vote by default. Scotland and all the people it contains from where ever they hail will have missed a golden opportunity because a majority of voters couldn't be arsed informing themselves. We have an opportunity to craft a nation to our own design, we can make sure we don't allow our institutions to grow so complacent they can spend hundred's of millions on crap art or hundred's of billions on weapons who's use would be unconscionable while we sit meekly by and tell ourselves 'this is how it is, how can we change it?'

Despite the fibs being told by comical Scottish 'Journalists', once people do look at the debate they move to a yes vote. It is a big step, no argument there; but if you're in a job you hate, that doesn't cover the bills or let you look after your family - you'd look for another job. Of course, you can't know for sure if it'll be perfect but you know the one you've got is definitely crap, so you'd go for it.

Wouldn't you?


*

This also horrified me. The eyes follow you... Worse than that? The image above could very well have been a preview for... THE FULL SIZE VERSION!
Eeeek!