1001 challenge; thoughtful thursday

Today is the most important date in British history since 1707 and The Act of Union.

I'm proud of my Scottish heritage, but think that this referendum is completely undemocratic. The outcome will affect us all - yet the majority have no say in the matter. Arguments on both sides are based on a set of beliefs and not on facts; what one politician thinks will happen versus what another politician thinks will happen.

I’m well aware that beliefs, rather than facts, form the basis of all parliamentary arguments. But if we don’t like the choices we make, we have the option to change them in due course. In this case the decision (as I understand it) is irrevocable.

I’m unimpressed with the level of debate on both sides. What started with Great Expectations is really A Tale of Two Cities. I guess I have a problem with politicians generally; especially those who preface their arguments with the phrase “any sensible person will agree with me ….” This immediately implies that if I disagree I must be stupid.

For me, the referendum represents something far more significant than a spat between Edinburgh and Westminster (which is what I think it really boils down to. And which is something I can understand and sympathise with).

My mother, a miner’s daughter from a small village between Edinburgh and Glasgow and fiercely proud of her roots, would have been upset by the anger that is emerging between the two campaigns and the prospect of a bitterly divided nation.

And there we have it; divided nations.

I have a problem with Nationalism. It’s not the same as patriotism. Patriotism is about pride; Nationalism is about superiority. And superiority - or aspirations to - inevitably leads to conflict. We’re currently remembering the millions who died 100 years ago because differing tribes asserted their muscle under the banner of Nation or State. People around the world are still suffering now for much the same reasons.

As far as this day is concerned, politicians on both sides have presented their arguments much like I’ve presented this image, in black and white; but they’re not, anymore than the image is. Both are far more complex than that. We might call it mono but there are shades of grey between.