Referendum creating a division, says Florida Scot

Neil Sharp enjoys debating with his brothers in Scotland. Picture: Contributed

A businessman originally from Edinburgh, and now with a small company selling kilts to all corners of the United States, Mr Sharp is among thousands of Scottish expatriates living in Florida. The rules dictate none of them has a vote in next week’s referendum, but that doesn’t mean they’re silent on the issue.

“To my mind, the whole thing’s based more on an anti-English feeling than it is on a pro-Scottish feeling,” says Mr Sharp, 57, who admits to being “very vocal” on internet forums.

“The saddest thing for me is how it’s tearing people apart, how divisive it all is,” he says.

With its gently swaying palm trees, golden sandy beaches and the world’s largest collection of theme parks, Florida seems an unlikely outpost for serious political debate over the issue of Scotland’s independence. But scratch just beneath the surface of the popular holiday destination and swathes of tartan begin to appear.

Until the referendum issue, the biggest source of debate in Florida’s Scottish community has been the decades-long US government ban on the import of haggis. Since the date of the vote was set, however, all that has changed. Many admit they’ll be following the result with interest, and wonder about the future direction of their homeland whichever way polling goes.

“I’ll stay up a while and if the vote looks like it’s going to be close I’ll open up a bottle of whisky and stick around to see what happens,” Mr Sharp said.

Maureen McWilliam, vice- president of the 300-member Scottish American Society of South Florida, and her husband Peter, a Glaswegian who settled there, have also debated the issue with relatives at home and say they trust them to cast “the right vote”. “It’s high time we became a nation instead of a province,” Mr McWilliam said.