I’m Voting Hell Yeah
There's been so many votes in Scotland since September 2014 that it feels like ancient history at this point. Back then, I was 16 and very excited at the prospect of casting my first ballot. Like so many of my peers at the time, I rapidly became very politically engaged in the debate surrounding the Scottish independence referendum, and wasn't hesitant at all to voice my opinions on the matter. It was so obvious that the best thing for our country was to vote no and remain a part of the United Kingdom - best for the economy, best for employment, best for guaranteeing our membership of the EU...
Ah, how things have changed. Had I known two years ago how the political climate of the UK would begin to shape, I would've voted yes in a heartbeat. Better Together managed to convince me that leaving the UK would mean leaving the EU, and that was not something that I wanted to toy with. Honestly, apart from fearing a major impact on our economy, the EU was the reason I voted no. The EU provides us with a platform to tackle issues larger than any one nation, like climate change. The EU facilitates collaboration between all kinds of people, from students wanting to experience living and studying abroad to scientists working on the cutting edge of technology. Perhaps most importantly for me, though, is that the EU helps safeguard our human rights - we have the EU to thank for stopping David Cameron from scrapping the Human Rights Act, for goodness sake.
On the 23rd of June 2016, I turned 18: just old enough to vote, as 16 and 17 year olds were denied the right to a say in their future, even though their voice could have altered the result. I put a cross next to remain, and went back home hopeful of a remain win. I simply couldn't accept otherwise - I fear living in a UK without the EU's great influence.
While the Better Together campaign admittedly could not have seen into the future and to this disastrous result, I am angry at them. I feared for the future of an independent Scotland because of their preachings, and now it is obvious that remaining in the UK these past couple of years could have been much more damaging instead. If Scotland had voted yes, if we managed to have hope and optimism, we could be in a much better place already. I don't accept this damned Brexit result. After 62% of Scots voting remain - with not a single Scottish local authority area favouring leave - I won't accept it. I can't. Nicola Sturgeon will inevitably get her second Scottish independence referendum, and you had better be damn sure that this time I will be voting to escape from this destructive union.
I am Scottish. I am European. I wish I could've been British. But I can't. I'm so fucking done with bullshit Tory governments that don't represent my country at all and referendum results that do not represent my country's values. Sorry, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but this really is our breakup now.
This time, I'm voting hell yeah.