Calm campaign

Barry Turner (Letters, 26 July) distorts the reality of Scotland’s historic constitutional debate by alleging that bullied No voters fear “reprisals” if they display or express allegiance to the Union.

Does he know of any person physically attacked for showing a UKOK badge?

Has anyone he knows of been threatened with violence or property damage for displaying a unionist sign? Has he read about one person whose car has been scratched because of a Vote No sticker?

Has he or anyone else in “Project Fear” heard of householders who found a brick on the living room carpet and one “windae” missing?

In the past two and half years there have been thousands of public meetings to discuss Scotland’s future; tens of thousands of street stalls and hundreds of thousands of canvass hours in this truly grassroots campaign for independence.

If someone had suffered more than a coughing fit we would have heard about it.

Scotland is awakening from a long sleep walk. Yet for all the passion this campaign has been characterised by civility. One side is saying No Thanks while the other’s saying Yes Please – it’s a tea party.

Perhaps the more obvious explanation for the greater preponderance of Yes signs is that those who want independence want change.

They share an inclusive, optimistic vision of the future where fears are reduced and self-determination leads to a richer, fairer land, one that has a representative government and is prouder, happier and more peaceful.

Recent political history offers another clue to what’s going on. Once upon a time we had four successive Conservative governments with massive majorities and yet no one could remember voting for them.

Fraser McAllister

Inveresk Road

Musselburgh