Do not go to vote as if you are asking your bank about your balance

I HAVE been following the debate on Scottish independence and I feel the urge to interfere. I am not Scottish. My only association is through my wife, who is Scottish. We do live in Greece. But I had a passage through Scotland in 1976/77, where, as a young civil engineer (working for a London-based firm of consulting engineers) I worked for 12 months on the construction of the roll-on-rolloff ferry terminal at Aberdeen Harbour. I had a great time and loved and respected greatly the Scottish people. And it is for this reason that I feel that, somehow, I am qualified to have an opinion on the Scottish referendum.

My dear friends in Scotland; it is not about the money, and it is not about Alex Salmond. Politicians will find a spin to add to every little thing that might impact on your everyday life. But are you going to make a choice based only on these ephemeral issues?

Mahatma Ghandi once said: “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” Search for your soul and listen to your hearts. Scottish people have a great culture, a great heart and a huge soul. And when you go to cast your decision, are you going there as if you are visiting your bank manager to ask about your bank balance and your credit limit?

My dear friends in Scotland; it is about the soul and the heart of the nation. And the great untapped energy hidden in these notions will never come to the forefront if you do not take the “risk” to be free. To feel Scottish again. And I am not trying to put a nationalistic spin on this. I am simply trying to say that you should not be afraid to be what you are, to respect what you are, to truly love what you are, to be Scottish and to have the confidence that you can go forward and be great again.

There may be a hitch along the way. But it is a risk worth taking. And remember, you are being handed the opportunity to be free without having to contribute (as so many other nations, including mine, have had to do) an ounce of blood. George Trantas, 6A Amigdalias Street, Ekali, Athens.