Now this IS funny!

This is probably one of the most wonderful pieces to have been written in the Guardian by a pro-independence activist.

Ms Moyes

I do believe that the exotically name Vonny Moyes is actually, "an arts journalist and social activist (whoah!). She is comedy editor for The Skinny Magazine and columnist for National Collective and Bella Caledonia"

Now read on! What does Ms Moyes have to say. So much comedy potential... where to start?

"Capitalism is guilty of fostering the attitude that if we throw enough money at it, a problem will magically disappear. "

Get that one, Karl! You missed that theory, didn't you? Now read on....

"That’s not to say the economy is unimportant. Let’s not kid ourselves: without it we’d be stuffed. "

This is insightful stuff! But, but... I'm waiting to find out what difference that new Scottish Passport will make.

"We’re living in a first-world country where policy causes toxic structural poverty – where people rob houses for food, and families are punted from their modest homes over a tax. "

Lumme. This is clearly not good! Does the Scottish Government know about this? What can we do about it all, dear Vonny??? I'm beginning to worry that a new passport won't be enough!

"We need the freedom to dismantle the system completely."

Yes! Yes!! That'll work!! I can't wait to vote YES nooo!! When can we start??

In Praise of Edinburgh and Labour

Let us go back to early 1980s Edinburgh - a bit of a sleepy small 'c' conservative place, despite the festival. And yet, not long after the first Labour administration was elected in 1984, things changed for the better, transforming the City and its economy into the International City that we have before us today.
And where better to start that with Terry Farrell and his plans for the new financial district at the West End which commenced in 1989.

Of course, that wasn't all that was happening - the South Gyle was opened up to massive new investment in the City.

And now.... all of this is at risk. Does anyone believe that Tesco Bank, Sainsbury's Bank, Virgin Money and the Green Bank amongst others would have located HO Operations in Edinburgh if Scotland had become a foreign country to those organisations' customers? At the first whiff of a yes vote even our 'indigenous' Banks are preparing to be off (and where HO goes, the rest will follow without doubt).

Real people, real jobs. And yet if you were to spell this out to the Nats what would their reaction be? They're simply not interested. 

It's been a while

Yes, your scribe has been off to foreign parts (I'm not including England in that just yet), and on returning the polls have narrowed and the atmosphere has grown even more febrile and poisonous. Sorry! I mean peaceful and joyous, of course.

One of the things which is skated over in this debate is the obvious outcome of a yes vote - we'll live in a small country rather than a medium sized country. Are there no implications to that at all? Maybe it's simply too prosaic for people to comment on... and yet....
Let us be that simple commentator. Compare Lanark and Edinburgh. Edinburgh has a couple of arthouse cinemas. Lanark has no such things. Not because there is no one in Lanark interested in watching the latest release from Iran, but simply because there aren't enough people who are. It's a small town.
And you can carry that analogy into Scotland vs the UK. As part of the UK we can share in a community which is much larger than Scotland. Will there be room for a Radio 6 Music in Scotland? What about the New Statesman magazine? What's its Scottish readership?
How many people in Scotland take part in activities which are organised UK wide because only then can the numbers reach critical mass? You may of course say that there is nothing to stop them still taking part, post independence. But then again, you've just built a border and created a foreign country... to what end?