To my friends, family and foe it's no secret that I'm banging the drum for Independence and praying for a YES vote in just under 157 days, but one thing that needs to be said is that I am not an SNP supporter. Although the Independence movement in Scotland is dominated by the SNP and the troops have well and truly been rallied; poised with their saltires and fuelled by copious amounts of Irn Bru.
I would urge my fellow Scots to view the vote for independence as an investment in our future, an investment in the future of our children and a unique opportunity for us to create a more just and equal system which serves the interests of the people of Scotland. Call it societal reform, call it a landmark change in Scottish politics, call it whatever you want but please don't call it a vote for the SNP. I am a member of the Scottish Greens and yes, I know we won't have a Green PM or FM anytime soon but I am comfortable with a party that won't leap into bed with an arch rival just to get a comfy seat within spitting distance of the old Etonians in Parliament.
Scotland has 59 MP's in Westminster of which 1 is a Tory, 11 are Lib-Dems, 6 are Nationalists and 41 are Labour. So effectively when it comes to our money and all other reserved matters, we are ruled in a London-centric political establishment with only 35% of our representatives hailing from the Con-Dem coalition. Is that a fair and just political system? The Tories are and have always been a party of middle class, middle England and Scotland has been held in contempt and viewed purely as a source of income for the exchequer and a test bed for unpopular policies.
A YES vote for independence will give us a unique opportunity to design a system fit for the needs and wants of Scotland and her people; allowing us to step out of the shadow of a London-centric establishment and plant our own flag on the international landscape and be recognised for the wealthy and prosperous nation we are. Scotland welcomes the contributions of our asylum seekers and immigrants and understands the importance of inspiring people and holding them able and capable to affect their own destiny. As a nation we are not in the business of slamming doors in people's faces and throwing up the barriers; vote YES and have in input into how our nation develops and be confident in setting Scotland free from the shackles of Westminster that you have left the country in the strongest possible footing for your children and those that come after.
No amount of hand slapping, fist bumping and coordinated chants (regardless of their vigour) will portray the Lib-Dems as anything other than a party who would stab its voters in the back as quick as look at them and of course the Tories as anything but the silent assassins of the policies and systems assembled to protect our most vulnerable in society. We have a choice and for once it's not about nodding through a gormless nobody who wears your favourite colour, it's about the future of Scotland and her people.