Yesterday morning, as I sat down for my ritualistic dose of caffeine and began to write, I noticed that I had auspiciously planted myself in front of two older women from the UK. One was from Scotland, the other from somewhere else in the United Kingdom with an accent I couldn’t quite place. The non-Scottish woman asked her friend for thoughts on the independence referendum. The Scottish woman replied that she would have voted “YES,” but that her friends were all voting “NO.” She said that “they were afraid.”
Upon overhearing this, I felt a pit form in my stomach. Almost all of the enthusiasm that I had for the day was immediately drained. Not only was I excited to see a historically defiant and proud people vote for independence, but yesterday marked the launch of the Contributor section of Liberty Blitzkrieg. It was a big day for me, yet all of a sudden it was as if the atmosphere suddenly evaporated and despair filled the air. Although no results had yet been reported, I knew the result. It was going to be NO.
I’m pretty sure I have absolutely zero Scottish blood in me, but I felt a strong sense of pride and camaraderie with the rebellious northerners. They had a chance to really kickstart a peaceful process of political decentralization that would spread like brushfire across the world. From Caledonia to Catalonia. From Quebec to these United States. It would have been an unstoppable force. It would be humanity proudly waving a flag of liberty and saying we can be fully integrated within the world at large without being ruled from a centralized power far from where we live. This is my dream and vision for the future and I was hopeful the Scots could lead the way. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
In the wake of the results, I have witnessed a great deal of bitterness and anger about the vote. While I can relate to such sentiments, I try to take a much more constructive and optimistic approach to the future. First and foremost, we should all be proud that the vote happened at all. So many people within the so-called “liberty movement” are discouragingly extreme pessimists. While proclaiming to fight for liberty, many of them seem to think we are powerless in the face of the powerful. To them, the independence referendum is proof that nothing can ever be changed. I completely disagree with this perspective.
The vote did happen, and the people of Scotland were given a choice. They said NO. I have always maintained that my vision of the future is not a world homogeneously looking like the type of community I personally want to live in, but rather a planet consisting of an almost infinite variety of different, autonomous, interacting, and prosperous communities. There will be so many choices, and such freedom of movement, that pretty much anyone of any disposition can find a place they feel they fit in and can call home. Nobody is ever subject to a life sentence within a particular political structure they had no role in creating just because they happened to be born there.
So that’s my vision, but how are we supposed to get there? Well for one thing, via powerful political movements such as the ones the Scots just pulled off. As a result of this movement, the people of Scotland were given a very important choice. A choice that 99.9% of the humans who have ever lived on planet earth have never had. This in itself is an important achievement. If the Scots voted NO, who am I or anyone else to say they made the right or wrong decision? They were given a real choice, a vote that actually mattered for once, and for that we should be encouraged. As I noted on Twitter yesterday:
No matter the outcome, the vote in Scotland matters. A lot. We need more votes and referendums that actually matter in the U.S. as well.
Although I specifically mentioned the U.S., the above sentiment applies to the entire world. People everywhere should frequently hold direct referendums on specific issues that matter to them. The idea of representative democracy, in which we select some captured politician who will merely vote along the lines of special interests is outdated, immoral, childish and feudal. Recall the Princeton study that showed the U.S. is an oligarchy where the will of the people have zero effect on policy. So clearly we already know the status quo is not working for the vast majority of people.
So with that big picture vision out of the way, are there any positives those who favor decentralization can take from Scotland’s independence referendum other than the fact dedicated people actually made it happen? Yes, I believe there are many important takeaways, several of which are instructive going forward.
First, there’s the fact that fear was a driving force behind the NO voters. Fear is something I spent a lot of time addressing in posts several years ago. Fear is necessary in a very small number of scenarios we face as humans, but it is unfortunately applied in myriad situations where it makes our situations worse, not better. Fear is what allows despots to take and retain power. Fear is what keeps you from living life and achieving your goals. Fear is paralyzing. Fear makes a people reject their own independence.
Recall that the older lady yesterday (I would guess she was in her 70s) stated that her friends were all voting NO because they were “afraid.” This line took an increased level of significance for me later in the day as I was reading a lengthly article in the UK Telegraph and came across the following quote:
So with that in mind, it’s important to ask, who was fearful and why?
With the results now finalized, we have some definitive answers to this question. The post referendum polling done by Lord Ashcroft has been going around Twitter this morning, and the results are simply incredible. See below:
The NO vote was entirely secured by overwhelming support from those aged above 55. In fact, the “better together” camp failed to win any of the age groups below 55 years of age. For the 65+ crowd it was simply a blowout. 73% of them voted NO. So in a nutshell, old people filled with fear blocked independence. Similarly, fearful old people bailed out the banks in the U.S. several years ago, putting a nail in the coffin of the middle class and the youth generally. See what I am getting at here?
What we now know for certain is that old people in positions of wealth and power, and the ability to frighten others of their generation, is proving to be the most significant obstacle to global change. For those of us who wish to see paradigm shifting changes, this is a very positive realization. For starters, the older generation will gradually fade away, and the promises made to them via pensions will not be on the table for younger generations. Pensions were a huge issue for the 65+ crowd when it came down to their voting decisions. The BBC noted that:
A recent BBC poll found that pensions came second in a list of the 10 things that mattered most to voters – only the economy was deemed more important.
The economy and pensions. So basically old people on the way out felt like they had a reasonable handle on what to expect under the current regime, and didn’t want to rock the boat. It’s really as simple as that.
Going forward, the older generation problem will naturally resolve itself. So we know that the youth will be deciding the future. Thus, the real question becomes, what will influence the youth?
As a result of the horrific and self-interested choices of older generations, the youth will be left with a much more difficult and uncertain future. This is already happening, but it will worsen considerably following the next severe economic decline, likely to start in late 2015.
My biggest concern is that fear will be used to drive the passions of the youth, rather than constructive, positive influences. We know that fear is an extremely powerful driver, and it more often than not leads to disastrous decision making. There is no doubt that the youth will decide the future, but will their passions be driven by negative emotions like fear, or positive sentiments like creativity, compassion and community? Only time will tell, but its up to us to be aware of this dynamic, understand exactly what is at stake, and attempt influence the outcome as positively as possible.
Saorsa,
Michael Krieger
Without much consideration and research, I think it was fear of losing a lot of English free shit. TPTB can always buy votes with other peoples money.
You could also say that it was the fact that 95% of conservatives voted against independence – probably out of fear of being forever dominated by leftists.
I’m starting to believe old people shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
I’m positive there will be another such vote eventually. And the “yes” vote will win once all the old fucks die off.
On Zero Hedge ….
“There is a rising tide among the YES camp that view the Scottish vote was rigged. There are videos and photographs emerging calling the votes rigged. There is special focus on Dundee where photos are circulating on Twitter and Facebook demonstrating the rigging of the election. The polling stations also accused were directly in Edinburgh. This will be like Bush stealing the election in the USA and it will linger causing tremendous resentment in Britain. ”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-09-19/was-scottish-vote-rigging-caught-tape
A vote-counter dude is filling out ballots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jRWWilODlsc
When the current old fucks are dead and gone, today’s young will be the old fucks. And they’ll be the same as today’s old fucks.
Age ————- 16-24 ——-25-34——–35-44 ——-45-54 ——–55-64 ———-65+
Total pop.——-695,000 —-666,000 —-734,000 —-787,000 — 668,000 ——-627, 123
YES %———–51%———-59%———-53% ———52% ——–43% ———–27%
Votes ————354,450——392,940—–389,020 —-409,240—-287,240 ——169,323
Yes total— 2,002,213
NO %————-49%———-41%———-47%———-48%———57%———–73%
Votes ————340,550——273,060—–344,980——377,760—-380,760 —–457,799
No total— 2,174,909
No doubt about it, the 65+ crowd fucked it up.
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DAMN IT STUCKY–I nailed it. Perty smart for a guy with a fourth grade edjukation. I would have gone to the fifth grade, but I didn’t want to pass my Dad.
Stucky, it is pretty much certain that the welfare/warfare state can’t continue considering the world economic condition. More than likely these old farts will lose their social benefits before they expire. Of course, they will come together to vote for legislation, then, that will suck every drop of economic blood from the younger generation. Their tombstones should have inscribe on it, “Thanks for the Party, Suckers”.
To be fair, it’s a terrible thing to go hungry and not have a place to lay your head. I know as one who had lived in a van and not had a job or very little money. It’s scary. However, I was young and had a profound belief in God and a strong moral commitment. I never once thought of begging on the street corner. I wanted to work, to contribute to society, a man worthy of his hire. …but times have changed.
Today, I try not to pass up a person begging for money on the street and I try not to judge the adequacy of his need. Am I being scammed? Probably, sometimes, but I leave that judgement up to God. I do this not so much to help the other fellow although that is a definite consideration, but to become a better man, a gracious man.
Jesus said, ”
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Sorry for the diatribe. But in these times these words may provide hope for the hopeless.
Truly, we all have a choice to make, whom do I serve? God within or the government. It’s not that the gov is bad, it’s just that it’s the way it is practiced today that makes it so.
maybe there is a silver lining to this. Farage was most decidedly on the no side. I trust him as much as I trust any politician, his point was don’t bust this up, let’s keep it together and fix the whole thing. Time will tell
“People everywhere should frequently hold direct referendums on specific issues that matter to them. ”
That is an amazing quote and idea from this article and is true on so many levels.
In a true democracy, voting should be a monthly exercise that all adults 18 and over are encouraged to vote on divisive issues such as abortion and gay rights. Once every two years, for most people four years, is obviously not enough. Voting needs to be a cultural traditional thing with enough frequency that our populace is used to visiting the voting booth every 3-6 months.
Our power hungry politicians need to stop feeding the divide in our country. Voting on issues like abortion will at least give our country closure on the subject, rather then fuel a decades long societal disagreement that really still hasn’t been resolved.
True democracy is never going to work. When you allow people who do not produce anything to vote to take from those that do, you end up in a situation where there will be more takers than makers. That is where the western world currently is.
The founding fathers knew that, and it was never intended to be the way it has become. There was no intention to allow wealth redistribution – quite the contrary.
My calcs show it was those pesky 18-24 year olds that cost the election. IF they had only voted 70 % for like those 16/17 year olds, it would have passed.
Damn those 18-24 year olds, fucking it up for everyone else.
The 18-24 year old group voted 52% no. There were around 500k of them. If they had voted 70% yes instead, that would have been a 200k swing. Bingo, the yes would have passed.
Damn those young people. What the hell is wrong with them?
Any person retired pre independence would have had their pension paid by Westminster as that is where the contributions were made. The one think that strikes home from the statistics is that the more mature people were struck by rational thought. Even the 18 to 24 year olds realised that free university places would not be affordable by an independent Scotland.
Like it or not an independent Scotland would be one of massively reduced services and opportunity. They recognised that. Few will vote themselves into poverty unless they seriously lack intelligence. Scotland is not Detroit!
It is also interesting to note that the now unemployed Salmond refused to let Scottish soldiers stationed outside Scotland and Scots living south of the border to vote. He was well aware tgat such a move would have led to a crushing defeat.
On the same basis all US citizens and soldiers outside of the country should be stripped of the right to vote. Would you find this acceptable?
This is also part of a reason why NOs won; and probably not a small part (not that I am trying to cast the blame from the stupid Scotts — far from it, lol):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbJif7vISQg
p.s.
And just to mention some of the headlines from the MSMs in the last couple if weeks (or you can call it a list of threats against the Scottish people should they have the temerity to favour self-determination):
Scottish independence ‘would be cataclysmic for the world’, ex-Nato head warns
Scotland will be more at risk of a terrorist attack if it votes for independence, Cameron warns
Why Independence Could Put Scotland In Danger Of Russian Invasion
Europe Is Silently Terrified That Scotland Could Secede
Independence will put ‘a million Scottish jobs at risk’
Scottish independence: 36% of firms may move south
Scottish independence could spark mass pension crisis
OAPs panic over Yes vote
Scottish homeowners face mortage meltdown if Yes campaign wins
Scottish independence: Will it really tear the heart from IT firms?
Scottish independence would be worse than the 2008 banking crash, warns Alistair Darling
Scotland warned independence could cost billions in renewable subsidies
Scotland Yes Vote Risks $23 Billion in Power Work
Scotch on the rocks: Treasury warns independence could put £4.3bn of ‘Scotch Whisky’ exports at risk from copycat products
Cancer research ‘shut down’ if Scotland votes for Independence
Break-up ‘will cost Scots £140bn’
Scottish Independence: 700,000 to Leave if Union is Broken
Anti-English racists terrorising the No campaign in Scotland
Immigration a ‘nightmare’ if Scotland votes for independence
War veteran: Yes vote would be a betrayal of fallen WW2 comrades
Fight to save the Union: Scotland ‘A Yes vote is scarier than facing the SS’, say WW2 pilot
Scottish Independence: Business Leader Evokes Fears Of New ‘Jacobite Wars’
Scottish independence ‘would harm world’s poorest’
p.p.s.
In Dundee, a strong YES area, the count was suspended twice due to fire alarms.
The turnout in Dundee was 78.8%, which is lower than the 85% turnout in Scotland as a whole. And the turnout in the YES stronhold Glasgow was only 75%. Compare that to some of the other regions which had turnout at high as 95% and you get a picture.
So that’s my vision, but how are we supposed to get there?
more bread and circus please…..rock that vote.
Take it from an expert at playing the stupid..
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
Winston Churchill
The Money-Men in The City were NEVER going to allow the Independence Referendum to go to the YES side. Which is why every possible strategy and tactic was used, ahead of and during the voting, to insure that the final vote fell to the NO side. (see the examples cited by commenters above) There was just too much money and power at stake. The elites and oligarchs that control our globalized culture NEVER take chances, and they NEVER lose! The UK is controlled by The City, not Parliament, and certainly not by the will of the ‘the subjects’. Centers of the same power structure would stop a similar effort in the USA were one to rise, and this holds true for most of the planet today. Never doubt it…
JAH666–So you are saying, “You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”
So, things never change until there is a natural catastrophe that is beyond the TPTB to control.
You can’t change thing from inside the Matrix? I’m in a hell of a fix.
Homer – Resistance is never futile, but the vast majority of any population must awaken to the realization that, if they remain sheep, they can be sheared, or butchered, at the discretion of their ‘owners’. When sheep become something other than members of a passive herd, they can resist. When enough sheep desert the herd, only then can things “inside the Matrix” be changed. It takes a vast majority because of the overwhelming advantage that the ‘owners’ have in terms of control over government, the media, education, etc. “Freedom is the ability to say 2 + 2 = 4” and the real resistance occurs in the brain of those like you and me. I’ll keep believing things CAN change, even though evidence continues to show that the sheep will not rise up.