Back in 2014, I voted yes in the Scottish Independence referendum. My only criteria for that decision at the time was “is more devolution a good thing?” Yes and therefor yes.

7 years on, my criteria have greatly expanded and my opinion certainly changed.

Now I consider many things:

- Economic viability
- Cultural consequences
- Nature of government

And from there into the minutia. But on all these accounts, I fear Scotland finds itself in a losing battle. Not just in the context of threatened Indy but in general

The “devolution” criteria for instance. The SNP government has concentrated power, whittling away at the councils during their reign. Would you want to live in Indy Scotland where all the power is held dictatorially from Holyrood? If no, do you really think they’ll disperse it?

Economically, while Scotland has popular industries in whisky and oil, these do not offset the reality of a hilly land whose inhabitants are just as likely to be on benefits as they are to pay tax. I’d rather be subsidised by our competitive brethren in the south than the cold...

...austere faces that populate the grimmest buildings of Brussels. I’d rather not be subsidised at all. But changing such things is a matter of facing problems head-on. Not forever fighting false boogeymen who supposedly wish to control us against our will.

Finally, Cultural impact. Do I really need to explain that Scotland shares the vast majority of its culture with the people of England’s shires, those in the valleys of Wales, and our close kin in the moors of Northern Ireland? And we have done for as long as history can relay

Close enough in thought and temperament to work harmoniously together but different enough to round off each other’s flaws. Building one of the world most successful and longstanding institutions in our union from English ambition and Scottish enterprise

(Apologies to any welsh or Irishman in the thread, I would stroke your cultural ego but it’s Monday and I’m running out of brainpower!)