Dear Scotland In Union,
I am a Scot: four words and four letters which are greater than the sum of their parts.
I am a Scot who is proud to have been born into a family steeped in history from shipbuilding, engineering, and service. I am honoured to have been born in a country of past achievements from such greats as Alexander Fleming, Robert Louis Stevenson, James Watt, Elsie Inglis, John Napier and Thomas Telford.
I am a Scot who benefitted from the creation of the welfare state, but who was also encouraged to achieve my potential under what was considered one of the best education systems in the world.
I am a Scot, no matter which part of the world I happened to be in, I was proud to proclaim my national identity as a Scot and extol the virtues of my homeland.
I am a Scot who looked to the future and not to the past. I am a British subject and carry a British passport.
I am a Scot who looks at the flag of our country, the Union Flag, and can’t help but notice that the St. Andrew's Cross forms the greater part of it.
I am a Scot who objects to the nationalists' attempts to erase my country's history, to besmirch the achievements of great Scots who have been before me.
I am a Scot who believes that as one country, a United Kingdom which has served us well for over 300 years is the best way forward.
I am a Scot. I am neither a nationalist or a separatist. I am a Scot; I am a patriot. To attempt to disassociate the two is the way a backward-looking, blinkered, small-minded minority in our country.
I am a Scot.
- Tom Hinde