To really cherish something, you need to have lived without it. This is how I feel about Scottish social policy.
As a lifelong English resident from a humble background who now studies in Scotland, I am particularly grateful for the significantly greater public investment Scots enjoy.
Having paid £9,250 for a first university year ruined by strikes and Covid, I will never take for granted the fact that I now pay nothing for higher education in Scotland.
And there is much more of note than what just affects me. From taxing income more progressively to building a record number of affordable houses and recently giving NHS staff four times the pay rise than their English counterparts, Scottish government funding per person is 30% higher than in England, according to an Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report from earlier this year.
I’ve been subjected to UK policies with no say – I prefer the way Scotland is run
As an immigrant who has never been eligible to vote in UK elections that decide my future as much as anyone else’s, I am extremely grateful that Scotland enfranchises all of its residents. And as part of a generation that faces dire economic prospects, I am proud to now live in a region where 16-year-olds can vote, as it forces politicians to listen to the demands of the young.
No matter what side of the argument you lie on, it is an objective truth that Scottish independence carries an element of risk
You get the picture. Having been subjected to UK Government policies all my life, I much prefer the way Scotland is run. Isn’t it logical, then, that I take my first ever opportunity to participate in a British election on May 6 to vote for Scotland to break away from the UK?
Well, it’s not that simple. The bottom line is that no matter what side of the argument you lie on, it is an objective truth that Scottish independence carries an element of risk. There is no precedent for it and, therefore, no one can know for sure what would happen. Nation-building, as we saw earlier in this century, can appear a slam dunk, but prove a total disaster. So is building the Scottish state a risk worth taking?
Weighing up the pros and cons of Westminster
Maybe, if Scotland’s relationship with Westminster brought little or no benefits. But, in my opinion, this is not the case. The fact that Scotland has the devolved power to diverge on so many policy areas is a testament to this.
Furthermore, the IFS report mentioned earlier found that the predominant reason why Scotland spends a third more per person than England, is due to the Barnett Formula – the system the UK Treasury uses to allocate funds to devolved administrations. In other words, Scotland can afford so many social democratic policies precisely because UK membership means the country’s government has disproportionately more money to spend per head than other UK regions.
There is, of course, one big policy area where Scots do not have self-determination – Europe. The frustration here is understandable. Scotland, in contrast to England and Wales, voted overwhelmingly to retain the benefits of EU membership. But, paradoxically, while Brexit has made Scottish independence more popular, it has also made it more impractical.
Is starting from scratch worth the risk?
Since the UK has left the European single market, re-entering it as some Scottish residents hope to would resurrect the (not yet resolved in Northern Ireland) border conundrum. If Europeans are to travel freely to Scotland, what’s to stop them going into England and the English into Scotland and then EU territory? This would compromise both the British decision to end European freedom of movement and the integrity of the single market. The solution? A hard border or another half-decade of negotiations- neither an option no Brussels nor Scottish official would want.
The likelihood of EU membership seems slim for an independent Scotland
Add this sobering reality to the unsolved currency enigma and the likelihood of vetoes from member states. Being from Catalonia, I am all too aware of the Spanish government’s determination to root out secessionism at all costs.
The likelihood of EU membership seems slim for an independent Scotland. Thus, the benefits of leaving the UK take another blow. Instead, Scotland has it in its power as a devolved administration the ability to pursue benefits of EU membership – Erasmus participation, for instance.
As someone whose political beliefs align much more with the current Holyrood administration than Downing Street, I understand the frustration at being ruled over by politicians whose policies you know hurt most people.
Despite that, we must not take for granted the devolution abilities which no other UK region has and ask ourselves: given that the benefits of independence are hard to pin down, is it worth it to forgo all we have now and assume the risks associated with starting from scratch?
Adrià Aranda Balibrea is Opinion Editor of the University of Edinburgh’s student newspaper