Vote!

As the adage goes, vote early, vote often. Well, okay, don't do that, but today: those of you who are eligible, please do go out and vote, whichever way you've decided to go. Polls close at 10pm, so you have plenty of time, but the doors really do close bang on 10, so don't leave it to the last minute!  If you're genuinely still undecided, try to bring it back to the basics of what kind of place you'd like to live in long-term. There are genuine "heart" and "head" arguments both ways, so ultimately it boils down to which parliament you trust to make the right decisions for you. This is simply a vote about how we're governed, not about who are friends are or our geography.

Whichever way it goes, I at least have been happy with this whole process. For all the media has tried to conjure up images of division and arguments, the true story is far better. According to the Grauniad a record number of people are registered to vote in the referendum - 97% of all people eligible - including people who have never voted in their lives before. Hundreds of thousands of people across the country have taken part in town hall meetings, discussions and debates. We've discussed changing the way we're governed without the use of bombs or bullets, and little violence of any kind. Most of the ill-tempered side of things has been on the internet, where you'll find people getting far more worked up about far less important topics any time you care to look for it. I certainly haven't met anyone who's "fallen out" because of it. I won't naively suggest that it's been trouble free, because there have been some folks spoiling it for everyone on both sides. However, on the whole it has been civil, and this is extraordinary for something that so many are so passionate about.

I won't go over my arguments for voting yes again, as I'm sure you're all looking forward to the debate being done. I've had a good few conversations with people off the back of that blog post and some people have expressed their thanks for putting it together. Thank you to all who took the time to read my ramblings on the matter! I hope it was helpful. Today I am doing my last bit for the campaign - what's called "knocking up", which is simply contacting all those in the area that said they'd vote yes, and making sure they remember to go out and vote. Seeing how the whole campaign is managed, with hundreds of volunteers in Stirling alone, has been fascinating.

Finally, those of you who pray: pray for voters to have wisdom to make the right choice, that the whatever follows the result is good and positive for all people, and that ultimately God's will is done. There are some good words and more points to pray for here, here and here. This world is temporary, and all we can do is make the best of it we can while we're here. "And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." (1 John 2:17 NLT)