The Tabloid Arguments Against Independence

Leaving aside the tired old argument about the economy, as regards the issue of Scottish Independence, there are those who express fears over some of the more basic aspects of life. Whether they are of a social or vocational nature, or are concerns over current leisure pursuits such as watching television, they are the sort of arguments you might hear in the pub, or in the letters page of the Daily Record. Here are just a few:

I would never support Scottish independence - I have friends and/or family in England.

Applying this logic, it would therefore surely be absurd to have friends or family in Canada, or Ireland, or Denmark, or France, or Australia or indeed anywhere outside of the UK. There are huge numbers of people from the Republic of Ireland living in England and plenty of English people living in Ireland. Yet Ireland has been independent since the early 20th Century. Likewise there are huge numbers of Canadians living in the United States and vice-versa, yet the two remain separate countries. There are equally large numbers of New Zealanders living in Australia and vice versa. Furthermore, it has been estimated that up to 2% of New Zealand citizens are resident in the United Kingdom at any one time, yet the two states remain sovereign and independent of each other.

My son works for the passport office (or the Civil Service), surely he would lose his job?

Scotland, like all other independent countries, would have its own passport office and civil service.

I watch EastEnders. They wouldn’t show that on TV here if Scotland gained independence.

People in Dublin watch EastEnders. In fact, EastEnders is aired around the world in many English-speaking countries, including New Zealand, Australia and Canada. It is also shown throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Furthermore, wih the age of digital television truly upon us, the idea that your viewing pleasure would be in any way seriously affected is highly unlikely.