Truth be told, I feel like an imposter getting a vote on May 6.
It seems to me that this election is just an independence referendum dressed up in different clothes. The question of independence should be up to Scottish people, not a posh Londoner who is here barely half the year.
Some people would say it’s not my place to vote in an election that will change Scotland forever. I’ve never even been north of St Andrews and I hate Tennent’s but, more importantly, independence won’t bring about the tectonic plate shift of change in my life that it will for other people.
I might have agreed that it wasn’t my place last year. But being a student in Scotland this year felt different. Since I only stepped foot on campus a handful of times, I didn’t feel part of my university at all, but I’ve felt a much deeper connection to my local community.
Scotland’s politics feel more corrupt than Westminster’s
I think having different Covid rules was a big part of this. When the policies were different, I suddenly felt very far away from all my English friends and family. Scotland really did feel like a different country and Nicola Sturgeon’s decisions had a big impact on my life, so Scottish politics felt vital.
Whether I was watching my English family enjoy looser Covid regulations without me, or I was lording it over them when things were better here, throughout the year I felt solidly part of the Scottish nation and the Edinburgh community.
I never thought I would see Edinburgh as my home. This year has changed that. I’m not going back to London even as term ends and I would love to stay and work here.
To me, the outcome seemed decided before campaigning began
And then Scotland became the first nation to make period products free and the first to add LGBT inclusive lessons to the school curriculum. I felt I was living as part of a cool, dynamic and forward-thinking nation that was on the cusp of starting afresh.
These are nice policies but they are relatively easy fixes. For me, a lot of the optimism and idealism around independence was punctured by the naked cynicism and sleaziness of the Salmond-Sturgeon feud. Scottish politics now seems more corrupt and Machiavellian than even Westminster.
But what shocked me most of all was reading about Scotland’s drug death crisis. The country’s drug-related death rate is three and a half times higher than in England and Wales, or anywhere else in Europe. Dealing with this emergency is a huge challenge that requires competent, data-based policy making and urgent funding. The SNP have failed spectacularly at this, with grave consequences for Scottish people.
I’m voting Labour – but expecting an abysmal result
Having my say in the upcoming election has cemented the sense that Scotland is my home, so I am looking forward to voting, but with slightly less enthusiasm than I would like. To me, the outcome seemed decided before campaigning began.
I’m voting Labour but fully expecting an abysmal result. When I wake up excited to go and vote on May 6, it won’t be because I have much belief in the party I’m voting for. It’s rather that it’s a milestone in feeling at home here.
Liberty Phelan is News Editor of the University of Edinburgh’s student newspaper