My own theory
regarding elections is that they don’t really start until you either see the
paraphernalia go up, you see the candidates or receive campaign literature
through the door. On this evidence, the Independence referendum will be the longest political
campaign this side of the Atlantic, as I
bumped into campaigners for the no camp, or to give them their Sunday name
supporters of the Better Together camp, on the way home from work last Friday.
Regular readers of this
blog will know that I do love a good leaflet, so after discussing where I sit
in this debate (and trying to plug this blog) I took away a leaflet which
attempts to put the case for voting no.
The arguments put in the leaflet can be split into three. There are the statements of the bleedin’
obvious that are not really relevant to the sense of grievance at the heart of
the Scottish psyche, there are the statements that pose a question to “Yes Scotland’s”
economic arguments and there are statements that are mischievous.
On the front of the
leaflet (possibly tellingly) is a statement that “The UK means that
Scots get a seat at the top table at the UN alongside China and America” - prefaced with “Just one reason why we’re better together”. I don’t know about you but of all the reasons
to vote no, retaining the influence of the UK is, I suspect, quite some way
down the pecking order of priorities.
That’s not to
belittle people who think that it’s great that while the country burns,
everything is OK because we (through the UK)
have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council because obviously the UK has used
their influence well in the past. Hmmm... It’s just that there are
other priorities. The same accusation
can be made of the argument that “Scots
are represented by over 270 embassies as part of the UK”. There is a thought that maybe these arguments
are the equivalent of the filler track. After all the economic arguments aren’t
phrased as economic arguments, more like questions for “Yes Scotland”.
Apparently “31,000 workers in Scotland
have jobs with the UK
Government”. Reading between the
lines, the question posed to the yes camp is how many of these jobs will go
under independence. Ditto, the quote
regarding 1,000,000 Scots having pensions guaranteed by the UK welfare system is a challenge to “Yes Scotland” to
respond. Two of the arguments smack of
veiled threats. “One in five workers in Scotland
are employed by English, Welsh and Northern Irish firms” hints that these
jobs would be under threat should Scotland vote yes – a sort of
economic blackmail. Even darker is the
claim that “Scots save billions on the
cost of mortgages due to the UK’s
AAA credit rating” – the justification for Osborne’s scorched earth policy
of into the bone cuts.
Those four
arguments pose questions of the “yes” camp, questions that “Yes Scotland” have
not looked like answering at the moment.
As I have constantly pointed out, the economy will be the battleground
for this campaign. Better Together’s
subtle jabs point to a campaign that knows that it is ahead and only needs to
limit the other campaign to retain a lead.
The other arguments are mere mischief making, arguments that are
discredited after several moments thought, but ones that really should be
challenged.
For example “Scottish banks were bailed out with £470
billion from UK
tax payers”. Firstly, aren’t we
still UK tax payers therefore we contributed too, and secondly does that
include “English” banks like Lloyds TSB (forced into a merger with HBOS by
Gordon Brown) and Bradford & Bingley.
Of course, rather like the credit rating argument fat load of good it
has done us with the banks refusing to pass on our money to put much needed liquidity into the economy. If Ms Lamont is seriously a fan
of the coalition’s economic policies (rather like comrade Balls), she just had
to say rather than give us subliminal messages through her line of blue suits.
The other
mischievous argument is that “800,000
Scots live and work in England
& Wales
without the need for papers & passports”. So they do!
Of course it’s not set in stone that they would need papers &
passports if Scotland
votes yes. Ironically, it would be more
likely that they would need papers if Scotland votes no considering some
Blaitite’s love of ID cards.
Overall, it’s a strange
leaflet. In a close election, you would
seriously question some of the points being raised. However because “Yes Scotland” have
simply not generated the required momentum the strange points will go
unchecked. The leaflet points out that
“being part of the United
Kingdom is the best possible part of our
future” – yet talks about embassies and the UN, hardly the main topic of
discussion down at the pub, while making veiled threats about a loss of jobs
and immediate economic hardship from the outset. Defensive is probably the best description I
can use, and probably sums up both Better Together’s campaign so far and the
stance taken by Lamont, et all when the questions about their support for
Osborne’s scorched earth policy begin in earnest.
