Shifting Gear

With the election now less than three weeks away, there has been no shortage of talking points at Our Scotland.

This week the election battle moved up a gear as all of the big parties have now released their manifestos and the campaign has begun in earnest. At the forefront of the SNP manifesto is Scottish independence, closely followed by a proposal to abolish the inherently unfair council tax and replace it with a local income tax.

The Lib-Dems are proposing a similar tax scheme to replace the council tax, however they vehemently oppose being coalition partners with anyone who is proposing Scottish independence.

The Labour Party meanwhile have focussed their attention, after 8 years in power, onto education and because the other parties are shouting so loudly about it, they felt it necessary to tweak the Council Tax system adding a few extra bands in.

The Tories, well let’s face it, are the Tories still relevant in Scotland? Not according to think-tanks at Tory HQ, who have floated the idea of a divorce of the Scottish and UK Tory Party. Would this give the Scottish Tories a new lease of life, no longer associated with the events in the 80’s and 90’s?

Another divorce that has been hotly discussed at Our Scotland this week is the potential break-up of the BBC if Scotland were to be granted independence. How would it work and is it really the best broadcaster in the world?

At least Scottish Labour is the best in the world at something. They are the best in the world at clutching fictitious figures from the air and using them to berate their opposition policies. Is the Scottish public listening anymore and if they are do they believe them?

Belief – That is what this election is coming down to. Who do you believe the most? Do you believe that Scotland can smash the chains that have been holding us back for the last 300 years? Do you believe that Scotland can be a confident, healthy and prosperous country? Do you believe that Scotland can once again rise and be at the forefront of the developing world?

Or do you want another 4 years of Lib-Lab coalition?

One thing is for sure, you can have your say on all this and much more both before and after the election at Our Scotland.