Hampshire says: We want to stick together

With just 12 days to go before Scots vote in the independence referendum, a Daily Echo survey has shown that most people in Hampshire want Scotland to remain with the UK.

Of the 500 people asked in five locations across the county, 69.8 per cent said that they want Scots to vote ‘no’ on September 18.

We also asked whether people thought that Scottish independence would make a difference to life in Hampshire – with only 24.8 per cent of people thinking that it would.

Despite that, more than four in ten (45.8 per cent) thought that they should have had a vote in the referendum that could see the break-up of the UK.

One of the people hoping that Scotland stays in the UK is proud Scot Alan Fraser, from Freemantle, Southampton, who has lived in England for 30 years.

The 58-year-old dad-of-four said: “The cultural reasons for staying together are there for all to see. We have a shared culture, a shared sense of humour.

“There is a great affinity – I’m proud of having a Scottish identity but other than that I don’t see a difference between us. I think our chances of building a fair and just society are better together.”

Brian Bennett, who has lived in Hampshire for the past 34 years, having moved from his homeland to work, has also called on his countrymen to vote ‘no’.

The 68-year-old, from Chandler’s Ford, said: “I think it’s very important there is a ‘no’ vote, because I can see an awful lot of things going wrong if there isn’t – there’s the currency for a start, and the debt.”

Issuing a passionate plea to his fellow countrymen, he said: “Don’t vote with your heart, vote with your head – think about it and all of the problems that could arise.”

The survey results come as politicians and business leaders from across the county join the Daily Echo in backing the Union.

They have pointed out the economic uncertainties that could result in damage to the UK’s economy and residents being hit in their pockets, and the country’s loss of influence if such a long-standing part of the country breaks away.

The sharing of the UK’s oil and gas resources has been another thorny issue, with the UK’s Exchequer potentially losing out on vast sums of money if Scotland claims the lion’s share, as expected, of the North Sea’s reserves.

Much of the uncertainty is over what currency an independent Scotland would use – ‘yes’ campaign leader Alex Salmond wants the country to keep the pound, but his opponents say that becoming independent and keeping the pound is not an option.

Another issue is whether an independent Scotland would take on its own share of the UK’s £1.5 trillion debt.

The Better Together campaign says that homeowners in the UK could be hit if an independent Scotland walks away from debt altogether, which would lead to a higher cost of borrowing and put up mortgage payments.

Support for the Union in Hampshire comes from across the political spectrum.

Hampshire County Council leader Cllr Roy Perry, a Conservative, said: “It’s been one of the most successful and peaceful unions anywhere in the world between nations, and it would be a very unhappy day for the UK, England and Scotland if it were to be broken.

“The real problem that I have is the unforeseen effects that perhaps will arise – I just don’t think it has been thought through.

“Once you’ve taken it apart, it’s a lot harder to put it back together again.”

Southampton City Council leader Cllr Simon Letts, from Labour, said: “What we gain from being together is a sharing of the resources of the whole island.

“Losing Scotland would also threaten the seats we have on the UN Security Council.

“The uncertainty of the economic impact is most unsettling, as businesses like certainty and I think Scotland voting ‘yes’ could be bad both for Scotland and the UK’s economy as a whole.

“I would imagine the impact on the pound and the stock market would be profoundly negative, and of course that would have a knock-on effect for the rest of us.”

Southampton Itchen MP John Denham, also Labour, said: “The more fractured we become as a nation the less effective and influential we will become in the world, both the UK and Scotland, at a time when we actually need to increase our global influence due to the challenges we face.

“I don’t think you would see the effects on day one – but it’s really about what happens over the next four to five years, all of the institutions which are shared between the UK and Scotland would have to be picked apart.”

The business community is also firmly behind keeping Scotland with the UK.

Stewart Dunn, chief executive at Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “I would hate to see a ‘yes’ vote. The union has been there for more than 300 years. I think it has stood the test of time and together we are stronger.”