But it is less than a year to go to the Referendum next September and I wanted to do my bit to support the Union. My motives are simple:
- I am a passionate Unionist by belief, instinct and love of our shared history.
- I also believe that independence for Scotland would not be in the best interests of my Northumberland constituents.
- Thirdly I do not believe it is in the economic interests of the Scottish people to go independent, albeit I recognise that is entirely their decision to make.
- Finally I wanted to make the case to the Scots I met - and I spoke to literally hundreds - that an Englishman south of the border felt strongly that his brother Briton, who resided in Scotland, was wanted and needed in the struggles and successes that lay ahead for this great nation.
You can not make that case by not going, hence my drive north. I stress this was not organised by my party nor was I asked to do it. I went because I care and I wanted to know more.
To a few in London or the south east this issue of the Union may not matter but I believe it does matter to people and I do not want it on my watch that this great country was broken into pieces.
I learnt so much, not least that our problems in Northumberland are Scotland's problems. The examples were multiple amongst the people I spoke to, and a selection of the businessmen, voters on the doorstep, shopkeepers, representatives and pub owners are set out below:
In Fordoun I met constituents of the local MSP, Alex Johnstone, who explained about their problems with heating oil, and we discussed how we in Northumberland have set up the type of oil buying clubs that have transformed the Northumberland winter.
In North Perthshire I spoke to representatives of the NFUS concerned about the same problems as my farmers - in particular CAP reform, coupling, the badger cull, abattoirs, the number of cattle herds and so much more.
In Perth I met the head of the Scottish Charitable Air Ambulance, set up to deal with the rural emergencies and road accidents.
In Argyll many locals I spoke to had the fear of military cutbacks affecting jobs: that independence would lead to military cut backs at Faslane, where over 5000 people are directly or indirectly employed around Helensburgh.
The formal Question and Answer sessions I conducted in Annan, Balloch, Stonehaven were all well attended and heated in their debate. As one SNP supporter laughingly conceded -"there is no glamour in saving a longstanding marriage - affairs always appear more fun". My thanks to everyone who came, and to the MSPs, local councillors and Scottish conservatives who hosted me or helped organise the trip. I was struck by the strength of the Scottish Conservatives, with outstanding councillors in Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and up and coming stars in places as far apart as Islay and Tweeddale. I knocked on doors in two distinct areas in 2 random housing estates. The results of over 50 people randomly sampled on the doorstep were strongly in favour of the Union. The Better Together team are doing a good job and it is clear that few I met are convinced by Alex Salmond, and his reluctance to debate the Better Together team.
In West Linton, south west of Edinburgh I helped out in a local council by election that takes place on Thursday.
In Biggar, in South Lanarkshire, where I stopped for a haircut, the salon was convinced that independence would mean less business and a departure of many customers south to England or other climes. My favourite line was in Biggar, when one of the people in the salon listening to our conversation interjected: "who are the SNP?" Alex Salmond would not have been pleased, but we must not underestimate him. We are in a serious struggle and it is vital that the Union is preserved.
I have been asked to go to several different places next time and accept that I could only do so much in a week, but I will go back again in the spring and continue to make the case that we are Better Together.
