To be or not to be: why I am voting Yes for Scottish independence

I have been a 'yes' voter from pretty much the start of the referendum campaign. My response to those in favour of staying British has been mixed; on one hand I can understand their anxiety and doubts, there are very reasonable questions that need to be answered, but on the other hand I just don't understand why some Scottish people don't want to have their future in their own hands and govern themselves. If we do go independent there will indeed be problems and obstacles to overcome, but I think we are smarter and more capable than we give ourselves credit for and that we can work out these problems, whatever they may be. It will be a time of adjustment and uncertainty, but that is inevitable and nothing to be afraid of. One of the main reasons I want Scottish independence is that the Scots did not vote in the current Tory government, who I particularly dislike. I find them patronising and out of touch with the ordinary man in the street. The south of England voted in the Tories and it is the south of England who will therefore get number one treatment from the Tories. The Tories boast that there has been economic recovery in Britain. That is only a half truth; to be more accurate there has been economic recovery in the south of England, not Britain as a whole. If we have an Edinburgh government then that government will only have Scottish matters to contend with and can give their 100% attention on the people that voted them into power. Another major reason for leaving the UK is the state of the NHS down south, which by all accounts is in a terrible state. In the Glasgow Herald newspaper there has been many letters sent in by doctors and nurses who are very concerned that the NHS in Scotland will get dragged down with the NHS in England. Also, if we go independent then getting rid of Trident will save the Scottish economy in the region of £350 million a year, money that can be reinvested into education, the NHS, etc. Westminster dumped Trident on us, as no other city or town in England wanted a nuclear arms base on its doorstep. Trident is only about 30 miles from Glasgow and Edinburgh. Finally, when Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to a Scottish referendum he did not allow a third option, which was 'yes, to be come independent over a gradual period of time'. I think he did this because he knew that if the Scottish people were given this option they would have gone for it. Cameron should not have denied us this alternative. The devolved Scottish government should have had the final say on how the Scottish people were to vote. So, these are some of the reasons why I am voting yes this Thursday. It is also just a gut reaction, a feeling that it is natural to want to govern ourselves and that we are good and clever enough to do it. Go for it Scotland.