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Johnstone's View 4th December 2009

I have never made any secret of the fact that I was originally drawn into politics by the threat of Scottish independence. Back in the 1970's, the last time a Labour Government drove us to the economic wall, Scottish Nationalism reached it's historic peek and there was a real feeling about, that the break through was just around the corner. As a fourteen year-old attending the Mackie Academy, the feeling I experienced was fear. That made me a Unionist for life and I will never change.

Luckily, the economic problems of that decade passed, and with them, the hopes of the Scottish National Party that they might tear Scotland out of the United Kingdom. Even as recently as the 2003 Scottish Parliament Elections, the best that could be said about them was that they 'also ran'. Now, with history repeating itself in Whitehall, Alex Salmond believes that he might pick up where his party left off in 1979. This week, with the country still in the depths of the longest economic recession in history, the Scottish Government has launched it's white paper on Scotland's constitutional future.

There is no shortage of people in the world of politics for whom constitutional change, or for the more narrow minded, electoral reform, is a priority. For the vast majority of voters, as well as those who have already given up on politicians altogether, there are more important things to worry about. With the Chancellor now borrowing half a billion pounds a day, most people are worried about their jobs, the future of our public services or when our service men and women will be returning from Afghanistan.

While Alex Salmond embarks on an expensive process to deliver his referendum, Government support for the flood victims of November 1st, right here in our own community, remains conspicuous by it's absence. While the systematic breaking of promises on education has lead to the sacking of the Education Minister, we are expected to believe that independence and not class sizes, is the more important. While waiting times at accident and emergency in Aberdeen are at their highest for 10 years, we are told by the First Minister to take our eyes off his failings and those of his Government and instead, concentrate on his plans for the future.

Neither should we forget, that he already knows his Bill, when he introduces it, will be thrown out of the Scottish Parliament because the vast majority of MSP's believe in the continuation of our United Kingdom.

So why then, can we not permit him his indulgence? Would it not be a benefit for me to see his proposals rejected by the Scottish people? Well, firstly, the whole thing is simply a distraction, designed to take our minds off the failings of the Nationalist Government and timed to cause maximum damage during the General Election campaign next spring.

Secondly, and more importantly however, we must realise that this is not an even contest. If Mr Salmond was ever to win support for his objective, he would have succeeded. If he does not make it, he has not failed, he has, as he will see it, simply delayed the moment of his success, he will not have become a Unionist overnight – his fight will go on. This would not be a referendum, it would be a never-end-um.

Now, I have no doubt that Scotland, should it's people wish to do so, could survive perfectly well as an independent country. It would be a country where the creation of wealth would be more difficult and the standard of living would be lower than we have come to expect. It would be a country on the geographical edge of Europe with, however loud in the mouth our politicians might be, no clout to influence anything. It would also be a country where emigration, to the British Commonwealth and to the newly separated England, would be commonplace. It would however, be a country in which I would choose to continue to live.

I support our continued participation in the United Kingdom because that is where I believe we belong. It is the first and the greatest example to date, of a political and economic Union with a single currency and open borders. It is something of which we should all be proud and should be prepared to defend to the last. My mission is to ensure our prosperity, not to risk our future on the biggest gamble of Alex Salmond's lifetime. No thanks.