oooh this will possibly out me
I have met, worked with, lobbied and debated with over the past couple of years politicians from the HoL, HoC and Holyrood on all sides of the political spectrum. Generally - i would say the HoL are by and far the canniest operators at a political level i have ever met. Really - Francis Urqhart / Kevin Spacey wouldn't stand a chance. By and large every single one i have dealt with at committee and APPG level has been furiously capable and on top of their brief. As long as there isnt a TV camera in the room - then the preening starts.
I have seen all of the MPs suspend a discussion mid sentence for the division bell with "an excuse me - we must vote, democracy is important" and pick the discussion up exactly where it left off 5 mins later.
Many of the ministers i have worked with and senior civil servants have similarly been solid public servants. Every single one of them by and large really believe they are doing what is right for the UK. This is why you dont hear about them on the news. They just bloody get on with the job of running the country. Most of the work is done at committee level and there is non of the noise you see at PMQ - which is playing to the gallery on both sides. I have personally witnessed and been party to the discussions and negotiations with the drafting and development of contentious new laws. And by and large -the MPs got on with it and the party political hat was set aside apart from what could only be called mild banter and jocular prodding. This is not peculiar to any political party - all the major parties got on with the job of drafting and agreeing legislation.
When doing similar in Holyrood the same could be said of the opposition parties i worked with on drafting of bills. Except for the MSPs I met from the SNP. I have never come across such self serving, short sighted venal and divisive policy, not politics - but policy. When drafting a new law - hang the consequences, hang the electorate - but lets use this as vehicle to get one over the chap across the chamber. So people suffer in the street? - as the MSP i met said "fuck-em they are sheep - they will vote for me what ever". I must say that as well they civil servants I met were also incredibly dependent on political patronage - they amount of independence was palpably less than at WM.
So it is a truism, that people don't get the government you need, you don't get the government you want, you get the government you deserve. If Scotland votes yes, the 52 MPs will immediately lose their voice at Westminster - no one will listen. And the discussion will be awfully brief and awfully one sided. Because come what may, if yes is voted - I don't see the SNP holding a general election - you see they will have power and they will claim an electoral mandate and by god you will have the government you deserve.
Don't listen to me, don't listen to Westminster - listen to the world leaders, the other economists. To the independent think tanks, to the other countries that went down this route in a tidal wave - of it will be all right. To those that think that LTB is the answer to an argument over the dd's boyfriend - is pulling apart your marriage the answer? The grass looks greener - for sure - but after the party is over, after you have told a 2.5tn economy, who is your largest trading partner by an order of magnitude to fuck off to the far side of fuck and then say - would you pay our pensions please? What do you think realistically will happen.
You economy will still be run by London - AS and NC has stated that it is their preferred choice. Except the 52 mps who had a really loud voice will be gone. So your economy will be entirely at the mercy of a parliament that you have told to fuck off and is now concerned as much with its relations with Belgium as you.
The EU will be a distant pipedream as well as all the benefits it brings.
You will have the same head of state.
You will still have many of the same institutions apparently.
So what will have changed? really..... not much but then everything. You wont be freer, but then you were never going to be really. You won't be in a fairer country - that we know is just a fairy story. You wont be richer, the trams look nice. you wont be more democratic. You wont have better quality institutions. You certainly will have reduced your voice that you need for international negotiations, and you will be poorer.
So often change seems shiny, new, exciting, radical. Sticking it to the man. yeah.
You will get the government you deserve.
Look at them - and ask the question - do i deserve this?