Five reasons why Scotland should vote ''Yes''. By Prof Liam McIlvanney
1) A ''Yes'' vote shows the world that a different type of politics is possible.
• Five reasons why Scotland should vote ''Naw''
Right now, a top-down political campaign, backed by the major UK parties, the mainstream media, big business and the research resources of the British State is running scared of a grass-roots political movement.
The attempt to patronise, terrorise and bully ordinary Scots into voting ''No'' has backfired, and the recriminations in the ''No'' camp have already begun.
Whatever happens on September 18, the debate of the past two years has already transformed the country.
One of the ''Yes'' movement slogans is: ''Another Scotland is Possible''.
Another Scotland is already happening.
2) ''Yes'' is a vote for democracy.
There are more giant pandas in Scotland than Conservative MPs (clue: we have two giant pandas), and yet we have a Conservative Prime Minister.
The system is broken and needs fixing.
A ''Yes'' vote will mean we always get the government of our choosing.
We may not always like what we get, but at least we won't be blaming others.
We will be taking our own decisions and making our own mistakes.
3) A ''Yes'' vote will banish nuclear weapons from Scotland's soil.
New Zealand is rightly proud of its nuclear-free policy.
One of Europe's largest concentrations of nuclear weapons is housed within 50km of Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city.
The Trident weapons system is being renewed at a cost of 100 billion ($NZ199 billion) at a time when citizens of Glasgow suffer the highest mortality rates and lowest life expectancy of anywhere in Britain.
A country that squanders billions on nuclear weapons while its people are resorting to food banks has its priorities all wrong.
4) ''Yes'' will make politics matter once more.
When I was back in Scotland in June, I attended referendum debates from Glasgow to rural Argyll.
What I saw was people earnestly debating the issues surrounding next week's vote, people ''doing politics'' in a way they haven't done in decades.
At a time when political systems across the globe are suffering from voter apathy and disengagement, the independence referendum provides (in the words of one Unionist commentator) a ''steroid injection for democracy''.
A ''No'' vote risks dissipating this energy; a ''Yes'' vote will carry it through to a renewed democratic Scotland.
5) Finally, if you're still not convinced, try this.
Imagine Scotland was already independent and was offered Union on the following terms: ''We will move your Parliament 600km away; your MPs will be a tiny, powerless group in that Parliament; we will site weapons of mass destruction next to your biggest city; we will run down your public services and siphon off your oil revenues.''
Who would sign up for Union on that prospectus?
- Prof Liam McIlvanney is Stuart Chair in Scottish Studies at the University of Otago.
