“More powers for Scotland guaranteed”. That was the bold claim issued by Better Together on 16^th 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 something that cannot possibly be guaranteed; it’s a completely bogus guarantee. Why bogus? Simply because neither Better Together nor the unionist parties can guarantee anything. The only people who can guarantee more powers for Scotland are the members of the Westminster Parliament and they have not been consulted. So there is no guarantee whatsoever that they will ever agree to more powers for Scotland.

So what does this tell us? It tells us that despite the fact that the Yes campaign is within sniffing distance of victory the Westminster establishment will not be budged. It tells us that as far as the UK establishment is concerned Scotland is just not important enough for any major constitutional changes to be made. It suggest that the UK establishment will be quite happy for Scotland to go its own way if Scotland is not prepared to play by Westminster’s rules. It tells us that nothing has changed in three hundred years; just like in 1707 Scotland has to agree to Westminster’s terms or there will be no terms. It tells everybody in Scotland who wishes to see radical change in the relationship that Scotland has with the UK that the only way that this will ever be achieved is independence. As far as Westminster is concerned it is my road or the high road.

The good news is that there are people, including many who started out with an intention to vote No, who are starting to see Westminster’s arrogance and contempt for Scotland. This is leading to many new converts to the Yes cause; there is a clear trend starting to emerge. The disdain that is being exhibited by Westminster is resulting in people starting to dig into the details of the Yes and No arguments and significant numbers are realising that the vision of an independent Scotland is far more appealing than the desolate depressing future that No has to offer. A recent article in the Independent highlighted the stories of many people who have already taken this journey to Yes.

These stories identify people who have ignored the lies and deceptions being disseminated by the No campaign and the mainstream media, they are ignoring the one sided output from the Biased BBC (BBBC), and they are starting to find out for themselves which is really the best option of Scotland. They are starting to see the vision of what Scotland can be. The big challenge now, with only weeks to go before the referendum, is how to get this vision across to the mass of Scottish people who are being fed a daily diet of doom, gloom and deceit from the unionist dominated media. How can all of these people be taken on the Journey to Yes?

This will be achieved not only by the effort and energy of the Yes grassroots movement but also by the strength of established politicians. Lesley Riddoch recently asked the question “Can Alex Salmond do it?  Can he focus minds, lift spirits and encourage doubters with an inspiring vision of the future”? He must do, it is essential, he is one of the few people who can cut through the fog of deceit and doubt laid down by the No campaign.

It is also essential because failure to secure independence is likely to result in a grim and gloomy future for Scotland for many years to come. There are dark clouds starting to gather which will engulf Scotland if the No campaign is successful. Not only is there no guarantee of new powers for Scotland in the event of a No vote there will be no prizes either, there will only be retribution. Iain Macwhirter provides one depressing description of the potential outcome from a No vote in a recent article in The Herald,

As he states, “If Scotland votes No, expect no rewards from a grateful Westminster. That's not how politics works”.

A similar message was delivered in no uncertain terms by Peter Arnott in an open letter to No voters. Arnott pulls no punches in describing what he foresees as the aftermath on a No vote.  His blunt conclusion is that “if you vote No, my friends, my brothers and sisters, whoever you think is going to be in charge of your future, it isn’t going to be you. To Vote No means either that Scotland is not a real country, or that if it is, democracy is too good for it”.