The Day After Tomorrow.

Probably time to write something deep, meaningful and final about Thursday's vote. I think, if we dismantled the entire debate to its component parts it comes down to one thing: government exists to serve the people, not itself.

Over the past few days we've seen a concerted effort from big business - financial services mostly - to sway the vote.

It boils down to sovereignty. For the British State, we are all satellites held in the gravitational pull of Westminster (notionally backed by the Queen.) In short, we are subjects who exist to ensure the continuance of the British State and the institutions & business that co-exist with it.

Scotland on the other hand has it the other way round - we the people are sovereign - our parliament exists to do our bidding within the framework of an effective democracy where all votes count, not just those that separate who came first and who came second. 

People say they don't trust politicians, a fair comment. They could ask themselves what made them take that view, speaking for myself, it was the activities of Westminster politicians - (more specifically the actions of New Labour.) Rejecting an independent Scottish government because of the behaviour of Westminster politicians is - with respect - an incredibly daft position to take. It conflates the cause with a solution to what ails Scotland within UK politics, voting No is throwing the baby out with the bath water.

When all is said and done, the British Establishment in all its various manifestations wants you to remain because you and the country you live in has cash worth & resources it needs. On the other side, the Yes campaign believes that you and the country you live in has cash worth & resources YOU need. 

If they're lying about that; because they're accountable to us - unlike Westminster politicians - we can vote the buggers out.

It may seem unobtainable - but those business' uttering threats (or not in some cases) should exist to serve us - not the other way round. A redrawing of the compromise that exists between the citizen and big business is required - it won't happen overnight, but it won't happen at all with a No vote. Equally, all that chat about how it can't work because of some obscure indecipherable rule? We made the rules, they're ours - we can unmake or change them. The idea that the will of the people can be supplanted by rules supposedly created by the very same people is stupid and self-defeating.

A No vote is not a vote for the status quo - things will change. All these promises of new powers are not set in stone and 'the vow' we've seen isn't worth the paper its written on - literally. Unionist politicians said last night on TV that Westminster would speak with the Scottish people on the topic of further devolution - voting No means throwing away any influence we'd have in those talks and trusting the very politicians we claim not to, to deliver the goods.

A Yes vote on the other hand keeps the power in our hands. It gives the Yes campaign a mandate to pull together a team of people - from all parts of Scottish political & civic life - who's express and only concern will be the needs of people living in Scotland - regardless of where they came from originally.

As a resource rich, democratically stable country - Scotland can and will manage with independence. There are 206 sovereign states listed on Wikipedia, some are better endowed in terms of natural resources & economy than Scotland - however, most are not. 

There is no reason why Scotland couldn't become #207

One last thing...

"I dinna ken muckle about the law," answered Mrs Howden; "but I ken, when we had a king, and a chancellor, and parliament-men o' our ain, we could aye peeble them wi' stanes when they werena gude bairns - Bit naebody's nails can reach the length o' Lunnon."

... and that's all I've got to say about that.

Vote Yes.