I’m English & I’m voting YES

BqmgkRGIgAAbABBBy Mike Bell

My name’s Mike I’m English & I’m voting YES. Although strictly true it isn’t how I see myself after 38 years in Scotland. In my Twitter profile I more accurately describe myself as English by birth, Scottish by choice.
I’ve been a gradual convert to the idea of independence, gently nudged along by my SNP member wife. I began to do my research in order to counter her arguments and ended up joining the SNP myself and becoming a passionate YES supporter.
We have six grand children and my motivation is winning independence for them. I want them to grow up in a country that leaves no one in society behind, where wealth is shared, where education & health services are free and their rights as citizens are enshrined in a written constitution.
There’s been a lot said about anti-Englishness. If it exists I haven’t seen it in all the 38 years I’ve lived here. Maybe I’m lucky, maybe it’s my charm 🙂 but I think it’s more likely that, beyond a bit of banter, it simply doesn’t exist. However, I do believe there is an anti Scottish element amongst the establishment Scots who happily stick the boot into their country in defence of their own privileges at Westminster. Their redundancy will be one of the most pleasurable consequences of a YES vote.
Let’s make the vote for YES happen. Leave nothing to chance. Give up as much of your time as you can to persuade the undecideds and the soft no voters. 
Finally. Thanks Scotland for making me so welcome.

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  1. Oddly enough my name is also Mike and I was born English, but I have been in Scotland for 33 years. I completely agree with Mike Bells comments about social justice and also about feeling welcomed here. My feeling is that we would be crazy not to take this opportunity!

  2. hektorsmum says:

    Glad and thank God for you and yours Mike, now we only have to make the daft Scots understand.

  3. Good blog and if you could impart your wisdom on a few Scots,you may be able to persuade them.If you are out and about knock on an extra door for me,I am not able to walk any distance about 10 feet and thats me done for the day,so one extra so I can feel that I am making a difference,great to read of somebody actually digging out the facts.

  4. Nova Scotia says:

    Thanks Mike. I was born in England and moved here 28 years ago. I live in the West of Scotland and have never encountered any anti-Englishness.
    I’m voting YES for a brighter future!

  5. Tim Chisholm says:

    Well done Mike. I was born in England and lived in London for 30 years whilst working as a policeman. I have chosen to retire in Scotland because of the warmth of the people, the stunning beauty of the country and the social awareness of the Scottish parliament. I too will be voting yes and backing Scotland – Home of the brave.

  6. LMS says:

    Thanks Mike – great post, so happy that you’ve always felt welcome in Scotland – and that you’re voting Yes!….we need more like you here now – and to relocate to an Independent Scotland 😀

  7. gerry parker says:

    I was at the launch today. It would be hard to meet nicer group of people .

    🙂

  8. magnus says:

    Since the days of watching the Edinburgh Tatoo on B/W telly in my Englsih family home, having an English schoolboy preference for the saltire rather than St.George (who was never English anyway), choosing my hobby of being a Jacobite reenactor rather than a government soldier, falling for a Glaswegian lass who came to live with me in England until I retired when we sold up and moved to Fife, deciding that the Scottish Labour party was different so resigned the labour party and and joined the SNP (which suited my socialist and equality values), realising that Scotland’s own government (which I can vote for) is still controlled by Westminster (which I cannot vote for) I have now decided that Independence is the only way for Scotland to go taking me and my partner with it. I am very pleased to see I am not alone amongst ex Englsih pats!

  9. Matthew Williams says:

    I was born in England but moved to Scotland when I was 12 (23 years ago). I lived and was schooled north of Inverness, went to University in Aberdeen and have subsequently lived in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as back home in Sutherland. Like others I have never encountered any anti-Englishness beyond the odd bit of jovial banter. For a more democratic future, with a government closer to the people, and the opportunity to make Scotland (and perhaps the rest of the UK) a better place to live, I’ll be voting Yes.

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