Latest Blogs from A Union of Equals
10th Sepember 2014: May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears
A Union of Equals has argued for radical change in the relationship between Scotland and rUnited Kingdom for over two years. We have argued that the current union is not fit for purpose and it is a union that no other nation would contemplate joining in the twenty-first century. This argument has recently been reiterated ...
1st September 2014: Yes in Ascendancy
For the last few weeks the Yes campaign has steadily been gaining ground and the latest opinion polls confirm this. The No campaign has been found out. Yes is now in the ascendency.
There should be no surprise about this. The No supporters have run the most negative, deceitful and least trustworthy political campaign in UK history. With the lies that have been spun and the falsehoods that have been claimed it is becoming clear ...
15th July 2014: More Powers for Scotland? So this is as good as it gets then!
"More powers for Scotland guaranteed”. That was the bold claim issued by Better Together on 16th June. Unfortunately Better Together is unable to tell us what these “guaranteed powers” will be because the three main unionist political parties are unable to come to a joint agreement. So that’s as good as it gets then! A vague statement on ...
17th June 2014: Sorry JK, Scotland needs to break free from its Dementors
In her article in the i JK Rowling discusses the issues of independence that have brought her to the decision to support the No campaign. Her article attempts to be thoughtful and balanced and provides an explanation of why, in her opinion, No is the right answer for Scotland.
The problem with her decision is not so much the conclusion she has reached but ...
30th April 2014: The Journey to Yes
A statement that we have started to hear recently is that many Scots will be voting on the 18th September with a “heavy heart”. This is based on an assumption that many Scots who wish to vote Yes will actually vote No because they are unconvinced by the arguments for Yes or they do not feel confident enough in the success of an independent Scotland.
This is a disappointing situation; the likelihood that Scots who really wish to vote Yes may end up opposing Scotland’s independence simply because they do not feel confident enough about Scotland’s ability to manage its own affairs is quite depressing. However, a much more positive view is that these Scots are already half-way to Yes and all they need is ...
20th April 2014: Labour can deliver an independent and great Scottish nation
“Scotland can aspire to be a great nation, without desiring to be a great power”, Alex Salmond recently argued in New York. But how can Scotland become a great nation and, more importantly, who is most likely to create this great nation? The simple fact is that if Scotland becomes an independent nation the political force that emerges from the SNP, if any, is unlikely to be the leading political force in Scottish politics ...
1st April 2014: Scottish Independence expected to result in the return of the Black Death to London
To most fair minded people it must appear strange how ferocious and ruthless the UK establishment has been fighting to retain Scotland as part of the United Kingdom. Scotland contains less than 10% of the UK population and realistically the divorce would hardly be noticed by the rest of the world. However, there is a hidden secret buried in the National Archives that provides .......
For a few weeks now the unionist parties have been starting to unveil their alternatives to independence in the event of a No vote. These alternatives have been dressed up as being a substantial increase in the power the Scottish Parliament has today. However, beware, all is not quite what is seems! There is a distinct possibility that a No vote will result in the Scottish Parliament being stripped of powers rather than gaining any.
29th March 2014: Three Stooges in Big “Game Changer” Balls-up!
The opinion polls have been suggesting it for a few weeks and the latest survey conducted has now confirmed it. The attempt by the three stooges (Georgie, Ed and Danny) to bully Scotland into believing that a currency union will not happen is complete bluster. The people of Scotland can see right through their feeble attempt to scare Scots into voting No. Scots do not believe them ...
15th March 2014: UK Establishment Contempt for Scotland Fully Exposed
For some of us the contempt that the UK establishment has for Scotland has been obvious for many decades. However, it appears that many Scots are oblivious to this contempt, it is as though they live in their very own wee happy-bubble, completely unaware of just how much they are disdained.
The indications of this contempt reveal themselves every now and then. Thatcher’s implementation of the Poll Tax in Scotland in 1989, the inappropriate UK wide economic policies that have stripped Scotland of its major business and industry over the last fifty years ...
8th March 2014: IndyRef Reporting: Mainstream Media Blind or Biased?
So we are now past the 200 days to go point and the debate is starting to get serious. We have had the debate on currency union that started with a visit by Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England. Carney did not rule out the idea but he did highlight that for any deal to be agreed there would need to be some tough negotiating and that an independent Scotland would need to relinquish some sovereignty over fiscal policy. Since then we have had the three stooges, Georgie, Ed and Danny, announcing that a currency union will just not happen. They insist ....
17th February 2014: Bluster, Bullying and Barroso Bullshit
It’s been an interesting week. We started with George Osborne and his Westminster cronies ganging-up and attempting to Bluster and Bully Scots into abandoning the idea of independence. Then we finished it with Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, joining in by delivering what can only be described as a complete load of EU Bullshit!
So we started with the Bluster. George, with his new pals Ed and Danny, started off by ....
14th February 2014: A Union of Equals Supports the Yes
Campaign
With almost seven months left until the independence referendum on 18th September the debate is starting to intensify. The choice being presented to Scots is a simple Yes or No to independence. The positions being taken by both sides in the debate have hardly shifted over the last twelve months. The Yes campaign portrays a positive vision of Scotland in the future whilst the No supporters still run an increasingly aggressive and negative scaremongering campaign.
As the referendum approaches there is no indication that the supporters of the Union are prepared to offer any positive alternative to independence .....
29th June 2012: Britishness! Its jobs and prosperity that Scots want.
The “No to independence” campaign has now kicked-off. We have been waiting to hear the big argument against independence, the alternative positive and progressive vision for Scotland’s future. So what did we get? Britishness! The bad news is that if Scotland becomes independent then the people of Scotland will no longer be British. Unfortunately for the supporters of a Union, if the statistics are to be believed, the majority of Scots do not consider Britishness to be of particular importance!
As an opening argument in the independence debate this is a pretty feeble defence of the Union. Maybe .......
15th June 2012: "Independence, Yes or No". Still not listening Johann?
“Independence, yes or no”, those are the only two options that the people of Scotland should be presented with in the independence referendum, according to Johann Lamont, leader of the Scottish Labour party. She also expressed the desire for a “positive debate” on independence. So when will the debate begin and what will the Scottish Labour party have to offer the people of Scotland other than a No vote that leads to No change and No improvement? When will ....
18th May 2012: Sir Tom is right!
Within the last few days Sir Tom Hunter has entered the independence referendum debate with a call for politicians to stop scaremongering and to start proposing positive arguments in support of the Union. Sir Tom is quite right! The scaremongering tactics that have been used by Unionist politicians will simply not work. As Sir Tom correctly pointed out “Scottish voters are not daft”.
However, Scottish voters are sceptical, and they can be sceptical towards the arguments both for and against independence. As Carol Craig (2011) recognised ........
11th May 2012: Consultation Over. Game On!
Friday 11th May, the Scottish Government consultation on the Scottish independence referendum finished today. The phony war is over, the game is on, it’s now time to get down to the nitty gritty!
From today, until winter approaches, the real battle for the shape and content of the Scottish Independence referendum will take place. For those who support independence the debate will be focused on the exact wording of the question on independence, debating on whether sixteen year olds should be allowed to vote, and finalising which electoral authority will oversee the referendum. For nationalists the next six months should be relatively straight forward.
But what about those who support a Union? How easy will the next six months be ...
27th April 2012: Second Question. A New and Equitable Union?
The referendum on Scottish independence is scheduled for Autumn 2014. There is one question that is guaranteed to be asked which is likely to be, “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?”. Given the damage that the current Union is doing to Scotland’s economy and the prosperity of the Scottish people, this is a good question to ask. It is the right first question. But what about the second question? The question, that today the majority of Scots would like to .....
21st April 2012: Just Published! A Proposal for A Union of Equals
The debate on a new and equitable Union between England and Scotland has just kicked-off. So what’s it all about? Well it’s all about trying to make sure that there is a full and inclusive debate about the options that should be considered for Scotland’s future now that the independence referendum debate is starting to build up steam. It’s about trying to ensure that the debate does not get hijacked by the politicians which could result in Scots being presented with just two options; independence, take it or leave it! Most importantly it’s about ...
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