Chicken Licken

I'm not surprised that the latest opinion polls are turning somewhat - in the debate over whether Scotland should vote to become an independent country in 2014.

Because that's certainly the way I feel - even though I'm a declared sceptic over independence - what I wanted was a second question on the ballot paper - on the prospect of more powers for the Scottish Parliament.

So in the absence of a proper choice and facing a straight Yes or No - I'm more inclined at the moment towards Yes even though I have still to make up my mind.

The reason I am turning against the No - or Better Together - is that they must think we're all idiots or children given the endless propaganda the No side puts out - which basically says that Scotland would become a 'basket case' if we vote for independence.

Now I don't buy that for a minute - nor do I swallow the suggestion that Scotland would be cast out into the wilderness as far as the international community is  concerned. 

Or the madcap idea that Scotland would have to reinvent hundreds of cross border quangos - such as the Child Support Agency or whatever it's called these days.

In my personal experience many of these cross border bodies are completely useless and creating new ones with a blank piece of paper - would be a great opportunity for Scotland, not a threat.

And those that are efficient and doing a good job - DVLA, for example - would be keen to hold onto hundreds of thousands of customers - if a future Scottish Government decided there was no need to reinvent the wheel.

Likewise with the notion that a vote for independence would leave Scotland isolated - all alone and without friends in an uncertain world - leaving us Scots to beg for admission into the European Union or the United Nations.

I say that is a load of old tosh - a scare story wheeled out by the political establishment in the great tradition of Chicken Licken - who was encouraged to believe that the sky was falling down - but just because an acorn fell on his head.

Now there are uncertainties in life - always have been - back in 2007 for example was it possible to predict that the last Labour Government under its new leader - Gordon Brown - would make such a terrible mess of the economy by allowing public and private debt out of control?

No, of course it wasn't - because we were being assured, on a daily basis, that the last Labour Government had put an end to 'boom and bust' - and that the country's politicians knew what they were doing.

Which was completely wrong, of course - and even though the last Labour Government did not, of itself, create the global economic crisis - when the hurricane finally hit the UK was in a worse position to weather the storm than many other countries - Germany and Canada to name but two.

So I think a bit of humility on Labour's part is called for - not least because their 'big idea' for the future is yet another Labour Government at Westminster - whereas the real issue is whether Scotland should have  proper control over its own economy.

All of which means that I'm pleased to see an upsurge in support for independence - especially among young people.

Because that's probably the best way to force the Better Together parties - Labour, Tories and Lib Dems - to explain why the Westminster Parliament deserves to remain in the driving seat - after making such a dog's dinner of things in recent years.

And if they can't explain that to me without resorting to scary stories like Chicken Licken - then I will quite simply change the way I intend to vote.