
The Brighton Photo Fringe brochure hit the streets today and I was pleasantly surprised to see my Notting Carnival picture promoting the launch party, so thank you for that dear organisers. On another note we went down to our local boozer last night to have a farewell glass with our neighbours Xavi and Mary who are moving up to London, but as Xavi teaches part time down here we’ll probably see them as much as ever (especially as he’ll be kipping in our front room on occasions). The conversation rolled around to the Scottish referendum which I find an increasingly fascinating subject, and the ramifications of a Yes vote that will probably have a more profound effect south of the border. The most immediate problem would be the 2015 general election which surely would be postponed as Sottish MPs sitting in Westminster would be voting on future English legislation. Postponement of an election is in itself an interesting proposition as they only introduced fixed term parliaments in 2011, I believe it’s only happened once before and that was at the start of the Second World war. The other future scenario that could occur is that an independent Scotland joins the EU, and England in a referendum of it’s own votes to leave it. Add into this mix, the monarchy, the currency, the British army, the legal system, nuclear weapons and we have a mind boggling entanglement which would see even the best divorce lawyer quaking. If it is a ‘yes’ will we see the appearance of the necessary statesmen who can make forge a working relationship without it reverting to a situation akin to the Balkans and the former Soviet Union? There is something devilish inside me which relishes a ‘yes’ in so much as it clarifies English identity, no longer would we be British, or citizens of the UK, also it puts a spoke in the wheel of UKIP as they would have to change their name, and we may even start to see the seeds of republicanism starting to take root. We’ll have to wait and see I guess!