1 month until Voting Day

The bell is about to ring on the final round of boxing between the 2 contenders. We've had 11 rounds (months) of jabbing and counter punching between the two campaigns and the state of play as I see it is this


No

According to the polls they are ahead on points and only need to avoid a knockout punch in the final round to claim the win. It has been argued quite successfully that they have been merely covering up and offering very little in the way of style or substance, choosing to spoil the opponents attempts to take the initiative. This may result in a deduction of points on the scorecard, living up to the self styled label of Project Fear. The lack of charisma and ambition may come back to haunt them on voting day as people may be reluctant or enthused enough to get out and vote NO, to turn the hypothetical lead into a victory at the ballot box. Recent highlights include the victory in the debate last week and particularly putting the First Minister on the back foot over the Plan B. Regardless of whether he actually has one or not, perception in a debate is everything and Salmond struggled to convincingly fend off the assault.


Yes

The underdog going into the fight, Yes has impressed the crowd with its ambition. It has offered a lot of positive options for Scotland with some impressive body blows to No that may just have caught the audiences eye. A real crowd pleaser which might turn the verdict in its favour and cause an upset. There has been a real sense of style and ambition, which must be applauded by the neutral, the Yes campaign has certainly picked its moments to attack and had No on the backfoot as No preferred to cover up rather than go toe to toe. As far as concerns go, it is believed that they are down on all the judges scorecards and would require a knockout blow. There has been a massive argument over the currency and to a significant proportion of Scots, the lack of a Plan B damages the challengers credentials. One thing that can be certain is that those who have been impressed will certainly score them favourably in the final reckoning but will it be enough to win the day? The challenger certainly feels that the media has been far too generous and lenient to No and has concerns that this may have a material effect.



Perhaps it's a bit odd to use a boxing analogy to describe these pivotal moments in Scotlands history but it certainly has been a long slog. 12 months of the two camps slugging it out in the press, on the TV and on the internet. You would have to be living under a rock not to feel engaged in the discussion (and I don't even live in Scotland).

From my perspective, the truth is that there is not going to be a new angle forthcoming in the next month (unless Alex Salmond outlines a Plan B). The Undecideds will have to make a decision based on the current arguments as to what is best for the future of Scotland. I've heard No voters say that they can't understand why anyone would vote Yes. I've also heard Yes voters say that they cant understand why anyone would vote No. It would be nice if everything was in black and white but the vote is as much about perspective as anything else.

If I was employed at Faslane or in the Financial sector I would vote No and if I was living on the breadline I would be more inclined to vote Yes.

The real question is when weighing up the pros and cons of both choices what do you think is the best choice for Scotland? People can find statistics to back up anything but its got to be a personal choice. Do you believe that Scotland will be a better place in or outside the UK?

Perhaps I'm sounding a bit preachy on the matter but I find these visions of doom after a Yes or a No vote as being very unhelpful. I'd like to think that whatever the choice made by the residents of Scotland it would be a choice based on positivity rather than a matter of it being "the best of a bad bunch"- my own thoughts when I last ticked a box in the General Election of 2010.