Scottish Independence: Two students battle it out

IN THE NO CAMP – Jonathan Waddell

I believe that Scotland can be a fairer society and more equal society, but I believe that this can be done within the United Kingdom, and that with the right commitment and dedication we can make a fairer and more equal society for the whole of the UK as well.

When David Lloyd George introduced the People’s Budget in 1909, introducing radical welfare programs to help the needy, he didn’t do this for the needs of the few; he did it for the needs of the many across the entire United Kingdom.

When William Beveridge proposed the Welfare State, he too did it not just for Scotland, England, Northern Ireland or Wales; he did it for them all together as the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom has made radical and revolutionary progress in the past and it can happen again – but it won’t happen if we turn our backs on the amazing progress that has been made in the past. We need to learn from our mistakes and successes and work together to introduce further prosperity for the many rather than the few.

With devolution, where certain powers are taken away from higher governments to more local powers, Scots will maintain their own interests on issues such as education and health – but  we already have complete control over those. We could set ourselves apart, we can introduce measures that have been decided upon by Scots and Scots alone, but we could also work together on issues such as welfare, economics and foreign policy, making our way in the world and working on the needs of the people of the United Kingdom, by pooling our resources, sharing the risks and sharing the rewards.

An example of this is university funding: Scotland receives 15% of UK research council funding against 9% of the population. We get this because we pool our resources and distribute them to where they are needed. With further devolution, we can revolutionise the UK further. I imagine a country where devolution allows us to choose what is best for us and set an example for the rest of the UK; where instead of working at odds with each other, we work together; and instead of turning our backs to each other, we pool our resources, redistribute them and offer prosperity for the whole the UK to those who need it.

I believe in the principles of which the Welfare State was founded that we can do right by the many. Whether you live in Paisley or Portsmouth, Cardiff or Belfast, we all face the same challenges concerning homelessness, education, poverty, unemployment and health. But we have allies north and south of the border too, and I want us to work with these allies against these mutual challenges.

By working together I believe we can beat them, which is why I’m voting No. With devolution we can look after our own domestic interests, but by remaining a part of the United Kingdom we can also fight with our common allies for our common interests to help and beat them by working together.

IN THE YES CAMP – Cameron Hill 

This weekend, it was revealed that the UK has more billionaires than ever before. Good for them. Terrific stuff. And of course, that must be of extreme significance as it seems to be shared on Facebook and re-tweeted more than any news article explaining that 1 in 5 children in Scotland are born into poverty (1 in 3 in Glasgow), or that around 40,000 people in Scotland are thought to be homeless. Obviously, if the rich are getting richer, then the plight of the poor may as well not matter, right? Wrong.

The United Kingdom is broken. And this affects Scotland perhaps more than any other area of the UK. We are run by a Government which is led by a Tory party with less MPs in Scotland than there are giant pandas (1 Tory MP, 2 giant pandas). We are massively under represented in Westminster despite having 59 MPs, and this can be seen plainly in the fact that the vast majority of Scottish MPs voted against regressive policies such as the bedroom tax. We deserve better, and can have it better.

A Yes vote in September, as has been pointed out by the shambolic, pro-Union Better Together campaign, will lead to uncertainty. For once, I am inclined to agree with them. However, a No vote will also lead to uncertainty. I for one would rather go forward living in a country which has the power to decide for itself what course of action it takes financially and when interacting with other nations around the world instead of relying on an elitist, Tory led coalition which was not voted for by the people of Scotland.

In the week during which the Scottish Tory youth conference had to be cancelled as only 12 tickets were sold, and in the week that a Better Together local co-ordinator defected to become a member of the Labour for Independence movement, it is only so clear that the tides are turning. With the referendum in September, we in Scotland have the chance to revolutionise politics in order to bring power closer to the people, and we have the chance to really tackle some of the appalling poverty issue which hinder this nation.

Westminster has proved over decades that it is incapable of delivering what is needed for Scotland and now we have a chance to leave the union and join the rest of the world. In the words of former Labour politician Jim Sillars, now an advocate of independence, “the myth of our own inadequacy is beginning to disappear”. I sincerely hope we take the opportunity to do so.

After reading the extensive knowledge of both sides we would like to ask you wonderful people to voice your opinions.

And lastly, please remember to register your vote for the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum.

https://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/electoral_registration_applica.aspx