guest blog: a pupil’s perspective on the Big Debate

Scottish Independence is on the tip of many people’s tongues at the moment. When the prospect was first suggested I have to say I wasn’t swung firmly towards it but after some careful thinking and taking all of the factors into account my mind has changed. Whilst watching the debate between local MSPs today I felt rather excited about the idea. The debate began calmly and it was easy to see which party members were pro independence and who were against it (SNP and Green for, Conservative and Labour against) but as it progressed the ‘non aggressive’ tone became quite heated between the debaters. The topic of the debate was extremely relevant to the S5 and S6 pupils who will be able to vote on the matter in the 2014 Referendum, especially as local councillor Cammy Day stated that ‘we are the first generation for decades that will be poorer than our parents’. It now seems that many of my peers who were previously quite naive about each argument, myself included, feel more knowledgeable about what Scottish Independence would mean and have started to form their own opinions. Questions were asked such as about how Scotland would cope financially and what the relationship would be between the British Monarchy and an independent Scotland. Students also quizzed the panel on such questions as how the Conservative Party would contribute to the governing of an independent Scotland. It was very entertaining and at times frustrating watching the debaters speak so passionately about the matter and was a great chance to hear the opinions of my peers.

‘Iona’