Today is weird. It's a normal day but you tell everyone has it in their mind that we could be a pending independent country by tomorrow afternoon. I'm just on my way to vote now – I'm voting No. I'm not comfortable that Scotland will be able to thrive independently. But really, this campaign has showed a dark side to the country: some of the behaviour has been appalling from both sides and has essentially divided the nation. Our attitude has made us look weak, in my opinion, and I'll be glad for all of this to be over tomorrow. I may be a No voter but I'm not going to be disgruntled if it is a Yes vote. I'm happy to see how it all pans out, but I think it won't become effective in our lifetime. It will be problematic from the start and it will take ages to rectify. It is a fascinating time in Scottish history to be apart of but I don't think independence is the way forward.
I thought you were a Yes voter! I agree that some of the messages emmited from both sides have been self&nation-embarrasing and that's never a good thing.
I'm ALL for letting everyone decide their own future (same for the Spanish regions where there are strong independist movements, like Basque Country and Catalunya), but I think that this Scottish referendum hasn't arrived in the best moment. I know it's been in the making for a long long time already, but a 50/50 (or similar figures) is never a good signal. My opinion is that these things should be decided with at least 2/3 of votes for yes or no, and no option is gonna have a 66%, no way. So it's an interesting moment as you say, but as much as I'm a pro-letting-people-decide, I don't think this will be good either for Scotland or the UK.
For balance, my opinion and my vote on the matter:
Today is very weird. It feels like New Year's Eve in Edinburgh. It's difficult to describe but there is a very strange energy in the air. I should say at this point that my view is the converse of Kieran's. I'll be voting Yes. For me, this comes down to two very simple points. Scotland can, of course, become a successful independent country. If you have a look at the state of the world, and all the small, successful, landlocked countries with none of our resoures, it becomes difficult to argue that doom and distaster is round the corner. We may be a little richer or a little poorer, but I don't really care. I'm prepared to take that sort of risk. My second point, and the real reason I'm voting Yes? I believe power should always lie closer to the people. A governemnt 400 miles away, elected by and representing 60 million people is not going to be as effective as a governement 2 miles away, elected by and representing 5 million people. Scotland is frequently landed with governments we didn't vote for, and the system down south is set up to resist change. The House of Lords in Westminster has more members then the House of Commons, and they are all un-elected. It's a chamber where men, with real power, shout at new potential laws. Do we really consider this acceptable in 2014? a Yes vote is a vote to cut away hundreds of years of status quo. The UK is a nation that has been in a constant state of damage control for 70-80 years, and they still haven't woken up to the need for change. Time to jump ship and take control of our own future. My opinion, anyway.
Sad news about France, Kuwait and Tunisia. Hopefully IS could be stopped soon, but it doesn't look like it. I honestly don't have any idea how that could be accomplished.
But, to stay positive, good news from the USA where same-sex marriage is legal in all the states now
The fuck is going on in Brussels? Everything is on lockdown, media and citizens aren't allowed to use social media because that could threaten police operations.
I just hope everyone stays safe and they can catch a couple of those idiots.
I'm normally not one to be scared, but going into the metro tomorrow and sitting in class at the uni does feel kinda strange.
