Well the date has been announced. The date which will see a vote here in Scotland over whither or not we remain part of the United Kingdom or become once again a separate sovereign nation. On the Eighteenth of September Twenty Fourteen so about a year and a half from today.
I am not political and I am not a great believer in politicians either but this is more than a policy choice or party spin this is likely to be the most important vote I will ever cast and so to that end I am going to keep a distant eye on the campaign as it moves on. The ‘Yes’ and the ‘No’ sides and as the date approaches I will focus more on it.
There are many questions to be asked and I have no fixed opinion myself as of today. Am I in favour of Independence? Time will tell.
GBS
I can wholeheartedly agree on your standpoint. First off, I should say that being an artist, I hate politics and politicians; yet being an artist I feel that I should be a militant fighter for a new way of political thinking that has not yet come into being -as many artists and writers did before me in history. So while I feel reluctant to get involved in it, I would say I feel a moral responsibility to it to at least think about it.
Apart from that, the Scottish situation bears some resemblance to the Flemish-Wallonian situation in Belgium. Sure enough, there are Flemish politicians who would like to see (and are actively proposing) the independence of Flanders as a nation on itself. While politically and economically this would work out alright for us (the Wallonians being then really screwed without the tax support from Flanders), I still feel we would loose something as a culture. Belgium is the land of beer and chocolate and comics and the best chips in the world, but where will these things be when there is no Belgium? Economically; even if I come up for my own people, how can I justify the demise of my neighbours?
As an artist, I should take a standpoint in this debate, but at the same time, I cannot.
So indeed, 2013-2014 will be a very interesting time for both our home countries.
Hello Sam,
Thanks for your heartfelt and very interesting comment on this post.
I think every adult should have a political leaning even if it is just a mind to assist others when possible. As an artist you are part of a history of unrest and upheaval. It will be your choice as and when any vote in Belgium comes.
I will be giving this question a lot of thought as it will directly affect me and my family and my work too. Not just the act of dissolving the three hundred year old union but unweaving what Britain as an entity achieved over that time but also then what would happen to Scotland in terms of EEU Membership, Currency, Government, Military, Schools, Borders, Power Generation and a whole lot more. Time will hopefully see the SNP laying all this out.
More posts as and when.
GBS