#also for the record Scotland's rocketing drug death rate is often raised as evidence that Scotland can't go it alone | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thedreadvampy · 2 years

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open question: what are the remaining arguments for Scotland being in the Union? bc as I recall the main arguments used in 2014 were:

Access to UK funding for public services (after over a decade of Tory rule that's not looking so hot)

Keeping the pound (literally who cares)

Scottish pensions are safer in a UK wide system (glances over at the climbing age for eligibility to state pension)

we rely on trade with the rest of the UK. how could we leave that behind? (this would be a fair point if it wasn't entirely in the UK's power to continue that trade and open borders. I mean the UK government is composed entirely on spite and soft power so they might not but. Brexit didn't stop trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland did it hey?)

Scotland wouldn't want to have to reapply to join the EU, they can stay on Britain's membership! (lol)

Voting Yes would be "a leap into the dark" compared to the lovely stable leadership of the UK (stop stop my sides are splitting)

Like even in 2014 the Better Together campaign was pretty pathetic and the only thing it could think of to say was 'but we already HAVE a union it's going to be SO MUCH WORK to do things differently' and trying to cherry pick Things That Are Good To Have In The UK rather than, idk, Unique Benefits Of The UK That Are Impossible In Non UK Contexts.

but the thing is that in the last 8 years let's be real. the UK has fallen further and further behind and while in 2014 the Yes pitch was Let's Strike Out For A Brave If Uncertain Future now it's a lot more Water Is Pouring In Through Every Crack It's Time To Depart This Ship

the only good argument I can see for voting no in a second indyref is: if the SNP are gone who's going to be an opposition in Westminster? cause it sure as shit isn't Labour despite their responsibility to do so.

(my hope has always been that Scottish independence might over time rebalance the English political spectrum. like if the English centre-left lose the big anti-Tory strongholds in Scotland and lose the SNP in Westminster there'll be a gap to fill. not sure how much I believe that after the last decade though, tbh I think at this point it's more that either way England and Wales are fucked and public opinion means worse than nothing, so Scotland might as well bail out and try and do better solo.)

#red said #the main arguments would be #money especially with north sea oil dried up. but tbh the argument that an independent Scotland would thrive off oil #was always an argument against for me bc that's not a sustainable solution both environmentally and logistically #but there's some good movement in a sustainable energy industry up here imo #also let's be real. the UK's financial situation is Also Fucked #and soft power #which again for me as a leftist was always another crap argument #like 'why should we be in the UK?' 'WELL IF YOU LEAVE THE UK YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO DO AS MUCH COLONIALISM'#ohhhh my god looking back at the Better Together stuff they made a big thing about the British aid budget for some reason?#well. the thing is. since the fcdo merger British aid is almost entirely conditional #ie it's political leverage not support #and there is a huge political will in Scottish contexts to do Not That #so once again. shot yourself in the foot a bit there in terms of pro Union arguments #similarly i think all this stuff about the UK being one of the big players in global power is p reliant on you thinking that's a Good Thing #which. i mean. good for us maybe good morally? definitely not #also for the record Scotland's rocketing drug death rate is often raised as evidence that Scotland can't go it alone #uhhhh causes of addiction aside (poverty and disenfranchisement) there's a HUGE mainstream political interest in Scotland #for safe consumption and harm reduction initiatives #which provably improve drug death rates #but when can't be done under the devolution agreement bc drug policy is reserved to Westminster

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