11 hours to go

Well, the days have turned to hours.  At 7am the voting starts.  And I gather the polling stations will accept people in the doors up till 10pm and allow them to vote even if it's past the hour when they actually cast their vote.  Just don't risk it though!  With over 4,285,323 people - 97% of the electorate of the nation registered to vote, it is going to be some turn out.  

So time for a few last minute thoughts.  

Health.  UK faces increasing NHS privatisation and there is little Scotland can do if we remain in union.  So said Harry Burns in the Sunday Herald.  Harry of course isn’t an ordinary person like you and I.  Professor of global public health at University of Strathclyde, and the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland from September 2005 to April 2014, I would think he knows what he is taking about.  Indeed, I think he is one of the most trusted people to have contributed to this debate.   If what he says is true, surely there can be only one way to vote.  

Economy.  And what of the economy?  Well, I always tend to put a bit more credence on the views of people who have put their money where their mouth is.  Unlike political parties who put our money where their mouth is.  So when Martin Gilbert, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management (including Scottish Widows Investment Partnership), backs the economy of an independent Scotland to be a success, I know the economy of an independent Scotland will not be at risk.  The entrepreneur, who co-founded the company in 1983 company which is one of the largest business organisations in Scotland with substantial holdings of over £350 billion, said to the BBC that “An independent Scotland would be a great success.”  Add Sir Brian Souter, Chairman of Stagecoach plc; Ralph Topping who retired last month as CEO of William Hill plc; Sandy Orr OBE, Founder of Mint Hotels; Jim McColl OBE, Chairman and CEO of Clyde Blowers plc; Mohammed Ramzan, Chairman, United Wholesale Grocers, alongside leading finance sector figures like Jim Spowart, Founder, Standard Life Bank and Intelligent Finance and Sir George Mathewson, Chairman, Toscafund.   I’m happy with them to know what’s best for our economy.

Shipbuilding.  Apparently  rUK won’t buy ships in a “foreign” country.  Well, perhaps someone better tell the USA that.  The UK buys US-built  Trident missile system and other assorted weaponry, vehicles and aircraft stateside. They will be disappointed to know the rUK orders are being cancelled.

Borders.  Well, there won’t really be any.  Look at the UK Ireland border.  A change in tarmac colour suffices.  The only way it could be an issue is if it’s made an issue by rUK.  

We could go on.  But afford me one more observation.

The Campaign.  Bad behaviour on both sides, of that there is no doubt.  The mindless vandalism of the people who painted out the No posters.  And the arm up the back tactics from Downing street to business leaders.  Let’s condemn them all.   But as Dr Tim Stanley said in today’s Telegraph, it was the No campaign’s grinding negativity and inability to look anything other than establishment orientated that was its failure.  "The message coming out of the No campaign has been far too focused on what Scotland is incapable of doing by itself (an insult to regional sic pride) and far too obsessed with wheeling out big international names to make its cause (Bill Clinton? Seriously?!)". The No campaign just never came out with a  positive vision, a point echoed by Andy Murray.  Better together is not exactly inspiring.  It just says, lets change nothing.

So will I vote with my head or my heart?  Well, put it this way, I wouldn’t want to wake up on Friday morning and find the Nation had voted Yes and then discover we couldn’t do it.  So hopefully this blog has shown some of the home work I’ve done.  It's been fun.  So now, draw your own conclusions.  

But for me, the Ayes have it, the Ayes have it.