Referendum reaction
It was one of the most discussed and debated political events
in Scottish history, but though the independence referendum has come and gone it seems the talking continues
After the vote I
t’s now certain that the fallout of the vote on Scottish independence will have repercussions not just in Scotland but also throughout the UK. Hardly had the last ballot paper been
counted than conversation had moved on to the content and meaning of ‘the vow’ from the three main unionist party leaders in the last week of the campaign, and the simple-sounding, but potentially complex, issue of ‘English votes for English laws’. Before the referendum, Scottish Dental
brought four figures from different sides of the campaign together at the Scot- tish Dental Show to discuss the motion ‘Scottish general dental practice will be better for patients and dentists in an independent Scotland’. Now that the vote has taken place
we are giving two of those participants the chance to look back at the campaign and give their perspective on its
36 Scottish Dental magazine
highs and lows, and, more importantly, what they think the result means for dentistry and the NHS in Scotland. Gerard Boyle is a partner in Shawlands
Dental Practice in Glasgow and is a keen advocate of independence for Scotland. “During the referendum campaign I sometimes felt that I was something of a lone voice in the dental profession, advocating independence for Scotland. However, I was not alone, but there is no doubt that ‘yes’-voting dentists were
“There is no doubt that ‘yes’- voting dentists were thin on the ground”
thin on the ground – by my estimation we probably represented less than 10 per cent – significantly less than the eventual 45 per cent of the population who refused to be taken in by the ‘project fear’ mantra of Cameron, Clegg and Brown – dubbed ‘three cheeks of the same backside’ by none other than fellow unionist, George Galloway. There’s irony for you. “Well, as a consequence of the decisive
‘no’ vote, amongst other things, we are stuck with the GDC as our regulator for the foreseeable future. “And what of NHS dentistry, the market
most of us operate within? Despite the assurances of the ‘Better Together’ camp that since health is a devolved matter, its state of health is purely in the hands of the Holyrood government, let me swiftly debunk that myth. The Holyrood government can only work with whatever pocket money they are given.
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