Episode 2 Mibbes Aye, Mibbes Naw

Across Scotland, we've all been wrestling with a big decision.

There's no escaping September 18th and the campaign for our votes.

Cannae stand it.

Oh, dear.

Vote Yes - if is doesnae work out, move country.

We'll move to Ibiza!

For the last four months,

our cameras have been in homes across Scotland - big and small,

in town and in the country,

and if things have been a bit heated around your dinner table,

you can take comfort you're not the only ones.

I'm British - I was born British and...

You were born in Scotland.

I was born British.

You were born in Scotland. You're Scottish.

So join us for the story of the summer

as real Scots ponder independence.

Mibbes Aye,

Mibbes Naw.

I'll be like, "That's it - let's get voting!"

Our cameras have spent the last four months in the homes of voters.

From castles to council flats,

we've followed Scots from wealthy and poorer backgrounds.

# Down on the West Coast, they got a sayin'

# "If you're not drinkin' then you're not playin'"

# But you've got the music... #

A few have always known know how they'll vote,

but most started the campaign with an open mind.

Here's what you missed last time.

Shaun the hairdresser hoped for some inspiration at the salon,

but he still has no idea how he's going to vote.

Simon, the laird, lives in this castle

and he's always known how he'll be voting.

No.

Jessica and her fiance, Mark, were involved in a family stooshie.

We can still be part of Britain and still be proud Scots.

We're not, though, cos we're a forgotten nation.

Lifelong friends, Stewart and Frank,

run this boat together.

Stewart's undecided and Frank's a Yes.

He's been trying to convince his shipmate to follow the same course.

And that's what you missed on Mibbes Aye, Mibbes Naw.

We'll be watching to see how our voters make their momentous decision

and we've been giving them some homework, too -

campaign highlights to wile away those long summer nights,

starting with news of a magical boost for the No Campaign.

JK Rowling made the headlines,

not for writing a new bestseller,

but for writing a rather large cheque.

REPORTER: The £1 million she's donated to Better Together

is a major boost to their campaign.

In a statement, she said...

There's always risks there.

You still never fully know what's going to happen.

Aye, well, going independent's too big a risk.

Exactly.

"I just hope with all my heart that we never have cause to look back

"and feel that we made a historically bad mistake."

She's a much respected figure throughout Scotland, I think.

She's got a place in every family in Scotland

and I think she's come to the conclusion

that we're better together, listening to the arguments,

so it's a very important endorsement for us.

That's right, and she writes fiction, Margaret!

REPORTER: The Edinburgh-based author says Scotland

is an exceptional country,

that the vision set out by Yes supporters is highly appealing,

but she's worried about the economy, the future of medical research.

Gie your £1 million pound to medical research, then.

The Harry Potter author predicted

that she might be demonised for speaking out about independence,

and that was reflected by some of the more vitriolic reactions

to her comments on Twitter today.

That's ridiculous.

If the wifey's got her opinion, she's got her opinion.

Yeah, but there's ae gonnae be a slagging match

in something as big as this, Frank.

At the end of the day, whether it's a Yes or a No vote,

we all have to live together here.

You dinnae want bad blood to come out of any of this.

# I'll be a thorn in your side

# Till you die... #

There's no room for bad blood on Frank and Stewart's boat.

# If we sink

# We lift our love

These shipmates don't just run this charter business together -

they've been best pals since they were eight years old.

# I'll be a thorn in your side

# For always

# If we sink

# We lift our love... #

Today, they're taking family and friends

on a trip to see a shipwreck.

The boat they're looking at was bombed by a German plane

during the Second World War.

Frank's neighbour, Hebbie, watched it happen as a young boy in 1943.

-It's very interesting to see it.

-Yeah.

After all these years!

What, did you have anti-aircraft guns in...?

Reminiscing soon turns to referendum.

How do you feel aboot the referendum, Hebbie?

The referendum?

Oh, I think they should keep the UK together.

Keep it together!

I think there's too many unanswered questions.

It seems that Stewart is siding with Frank's neighbour

instead of his best pal.

Hawick-born Frank is voting Yes, whilst native Shetlander, Stewart,

seems reluctant to leave Britain behind.

My grandad, 100 years ago this year, was in France,

fighting for Britain.

Fighting for everybody that lives in this country now.

And he was fighting wi' Cockneys and Yorkshiremen

and guys fae Liverpool,

boys fae Glasgow - they were all British.

And I dinnae want tae lose that.

Yeah, but if you go back 300 years ago,

we were fighting instead of friends.

We were fighting amongst each other.

Naw - that's you guys fae bloody Hawick!

You Border guys.

We never were fighting wi' them.

The last time we were fighting with anybody was aboot 500 years ago.

-Touche?!

-All right!

-OK.

While Stewart contemplates the past

in trying to help shape his decision,

two pals in Glasgow contemplate voting for the very first time.

What do you think? In a month's time,

when it comes to it, what do you think you're going to do?

I don't know! I'm terrible at making decisions!

-Not got long left now - what are you going to do?

-I know.

I don't know!

I don't know - I'll need to think about it nearer the time.

And then it'll be a last-minute decision.

I said like...

Not long ago, I said that I was going to just flip a coin and say,

-yes - heads, tails - no!

-I won't do that but I'll need to just...

I don't know. I've still no decided - at all.

I know. It's tricky, isn't it?

So far, undecided voter Shaun has been getting

most of his information from clients and colleagues at the salon.

I think a lot of stuff is just...

I don't even know what they're saying!

Perhaps some "me time" will help make things clearer for him.

I'm just putting on my face for going out in drag.

I like to go out as a boy as well sometimes,

so this is just a bit of fun for me.

When I get dressed up I am called Peaches.

I call myself Peaches so, just short and sweet. Peachalicious!

All my friends that are coming round today,

they're all for the yes - they're all voting yes.

I always just think because I've got a job and I just get on with my

normal, everyday life I don't really think it's going to affect me.

Maybe it will when it happens and all that kind of stuff.

Maybe it will affect me but, at the moment,

I don't think by changing, like, just going independent and changing

Scotland, it's going to change that much for me, I don't think.

But maybe it will.

I just don't think it will - I go to my work and do my days at work

and go and get my night out, go and see my family and that.

I don't know how it's going to change that much, to be fair.

We're never going to know until we try it, so...

That's what people keep saying, and if it doesn't work out then we

just have to try and pick ourselves back up again.

It is my decision, obviously, at the end of the day,

but I'm just getting the decision from my friends anyway.

So, that's why I'm thinking, maybe I should be a sheep

and follow the crowd!

It's the height of summer,

but our national raincloud threatens

to put a dampener on Glasgow's Pride,

though nothing's going to rain on Shaun's parade.

He's on a mission today and seems determined to make

up his mind...with a little help from his friends.

But what if we went independent and it went all a flop?

We can't go crawling back, can we?

I think it would be an amazing thing now. We'd get a good party,

we'd get to live it up.

But it's whether it's good for the next generations.

And I just think it depends.

But then it's up to the Scottish people then,

cos it's about who we vote in - what we decide.

And I guess that's the whole point of the exercise.

It's up to us.

I've spoken to Gazelle and I've spoken to these guys

and they all vote yes and I was thinking I was in-between.

When it first started, I was yes and then I went in-between,

and I still want to say no, so I can disagree with them

cos a bit of a debate would be fabulous!

Are you still no?

No, I'm in-between - I've always been in-between.

Are you closer to yes now?

Cos of all yous - that's what I was saying earlier on -

I'm closer to yes.

Can you imagine the party? Imagine the yes vote party?

Oh, well, I'm definitely yes!

I don't understand it anyway so I'll just vote yes,

so I'll be with all my pals and we can all vote yes

and we can all be fabulous together. Woooo!

If it does become an independent Scotland, I hope it's a

fabulous Scotland and it's full of glitter!

Whoo!

As Peaches and her pals head off into the dreich Glasgow night,

we can but ponder a sky full of glitter.!

MUSIC: "Sky Full Of Stars" by Coldplay

Back at the castle,

the laird and his wife are in no mood for partying.

How are they going to fund all of this?

To be honest, I agree, if you could have decent pensions,

people who genuinely need benefits having a better standard of life,

I agree with all of that, but how is it going to be funded?

It's not just about we can do it, how we going to do it?

-That's what I want to know.

-I know.

What's the advantages we're getting out of independence anyway?

-None.

-They're talking about more devolution anyway,

so the power is going to be more in Edinburgh anyway.

But, right...

Free childcare - SNP are in power right now -

why are they not giving it to me right now?

If I had free childcare, I could go out to work.

Out to work rather than contribute the tiny amounts

I'm contributing to the economy, I could be contributing a lot more.

Why do they have to wait until independence to do it?

More homework for our voters.

Back in June, some research

about the working-class vote was making the news.

In every election, there's a type of voter that the

politicians are just desperate to attract.

And now, in this independence referendum,

there's a new target. Who is it?

For the sake of argument,

we'll call him Easterhouse man...or woman.

So who are we talking about?

Well, it's people from

working-class areas, on lower incomes,

who lean to the left,

and the evidence suggests many are for independence.

-I've heard this before.

-I haven't.

So those that live in the more deprived

neighbourhoods of Scotland are more likely to vote yes,

and those that live in the most affluent neighbourhoods

are more likely to vote no.

I wonder why?

Because I think the SNP are playing on the fact that...

They're saying that life will be better.

So where do we find our Easterhouse voter on a wet Wednesday afternoon?

Whoo!

Despite the labels,

not everyone here's convinced by the SNP's plans.

It's all right saying increase

the minimum wage, but when you cannae

get a job what good's bloody talking about increasing the minimum wage?

All the kids has not got a job to go to, so...

That's a good point, actually.

I don't want to use euros or anything like that.

I've used them when I've been on holiday, and I just don't like them.

They all talk the same,

they all say the same - they're gonnae dae this, they're gonnae dae that,

then when they get in, they all dae the bloody same, so...

-Bang on!

-How many people think that - what she just said?

-I know.

-Say wan thing, dae another.

The higher up the ranks you go, I think it may still be no.

If you're in amongst the working classes, I think

the yes vote will be a strong vote.

More to gain, less to lose.

-But half the working class are not going to vote.

-How?

I don't think hardly anybody's hardly going to vote

because I spoke to all my family - my sisters, my mum, my dad...

-They not voting?! Why?

-Because they don't know who to vote for.

They're not interested.

Working class is traditionally SNP or Labour, and an awful

lot of people associate the no vote with the Conservatives.

And it's not, strictly speaking, true

because it's all of the other parties,

apart from the SNP are saying that they think it should be a no.

But, unfortunately, it's getting tarred with a Tory brush, basically.

People at the top of the scale it's like...

"I've got X amount of money, I've got my property,

"I've got business interests here, I've got business interests

"in England - how's it going to affect me financially?"

So, obviously, it's a bigger

decision for them on a personal level.

More risk for them to consider.

On the face of it,

Andy and Simon may not appear to have much in common.

One lives in a castle, the other in a council bedsit.

Simon works on his own estate,

whilst Andy works to maintain someone else's.

But they do have at least one thing in common -

they're both passionate about their country,

just in slightly different ways.

Simon thinks the idea of independence is too drastic.

Need to get from the top of the cliff to the bottom,

you can either jump and hope the water's deep enough,

or you can use a ladder or a rope or something -

let's be a little bit more sensible about it.

Andy's ready to take the plunge.

Sometimes, people in Scotland

can diverge from our southern neighbours when it comes to

things like welfare cuts, bedroom tax, invading other countries.

I mean, a lot of the time, people in Scotland don't go for that,

but we're carried along by the majority.

So if we have our own say in that,

we can make our own decisions, basically.

And it's basically like growing up.

I mean, I've grown up in my life.

I sort of became independent and self-sufficient.

I don't see why a country can't do it either, you know?

DRILLS WHIR

Big, grown up Andy is doing a spot of DIY.

He's preparing to get his message out there.

You can knock these up in no time at all and, of course,

because it's yes, the colour scheme doesn't matter, cos that was

thought out beforehand, I think.

And three letters, which is not Better Together which is...

Or no, which is negative.

Basically it's a case of drill a couple of holes, or whatever,

and just put them up wherever you want.

Just take a board, pick a spot...

Done - that's one.

Then just repeat the process

until you get bored - no pun intended!

Simon's not shy about showing his allegiance either,

but today he's not on the campaign trail - he's on the tourist trail.

There are currently 25 Crawfords staying at his castle -

from America, Canada and England.

They've come to celebrate their clan -

and all things Scottish.

Robert The Bruce, himself, is buried in the Abbey.

Within the grounds of the Abbey, we have Wallace's mother,

Margaret Crawford, who you all know is one of the reasons why

we have that great connection with Wallace.

Today, Simon's brought the Crawford clan to Dunfermline Abbey -

an important site in the history of William Wallace and

Robert The Bruce - who just happen to be a couple of his relatives.

I've always kind of known about my history and the family history,

so I suppose it just means I'm very passionate about Scotland

and where we've come from to get to where we are now.

It does really kind of...

It kind of gets you in the pit of your stomach thinking,

"Oh the real Scottishness of what we're looking at,"

all the different sites,

going round all the old ruins and Bannockburn at the weekend

and places like this.

As the pilgrimage continues for Simon and his tourists,

it's all one-way traffic in Andy's drive for independence.

Well, Monday was the 100 days to the referendum, so now's the time

when we start to put up boards, flags, stuff like that...

..just in the build-up to the referendum.

But it's just basically...

It's quite a good way to reach people

because a lot of these roads are quite busy during rush hour,

so you put a board up saying anything, just like, "Yes,"

hundreds, if no thousands, of people see it in 24 hours.

So even if they're taken down within a week or so,

they've served their purpose because so many people have seen them.

There's nothing really UK unionists can tell me to make me feel,

you know, I'd rather stick with the UK.

Because every day we're in the UK I think I'm losing something.

I think there's somebody taking advantage or somebody getting

one over on me.

It seems that a change in the political landscape has not

been the only kind of change on Andy's mind.

WOMAN: You've obviously had a big change in the facial-hair stakes.

ANDY LAUGHS. No change in your vote, though?

No, no, no, no, no!

Naw, I've still got a pulse!

Naw, naw, still got the pulse!

Simon's finished his tour-guide duties for the day

and is throwing an unseasonal Burns supper for his guests.

The Haggis! THEY TOAST THE HAGGIS

-WOMAN:

-Could any of this stuff this week -

revisiting all these sights and, you know,

it's been the anniversary of Bannockburn...

Yeah, were at both Saturday and Sunday

at the Bannockburn Live and the Pipe Fest on Friday.

And you're going to ask me, is that going to change my mind?!

No, why would it change my mind?

I still think Scotland's the best country in the world but it

doesn't need to be independent to be the best country in the world!

Tonight is the last night at the castle

for the visiting Crawford clan.

They have shared ten days of all things Scottish

with their cousin Simon.

It's not that I think it's better for me,

because it's not going to make any odds to me either way,

we will carry on being here and we will see Scotland through.

So, it doesn't matter which way it goes,

but I think Scotland will do better if we stay in the union.

"Whene'er to Drink you are inclin'd,

"Or Cutty-sarks rin in your mind,

"Think ye may buy the joys o'er dear,

"Remember Tam O'Shanter's mare."

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Homework time again for our voters.

It's probably fair to say that on the road to the referendum,

there has been one particular topic that has come up again and again

and again and again.

Perhaps man's best friend could shed some light on the matter,

in this clip, produced by supporters of the Yes campaign.

What's the only pound you cannae spend?

The dog pound! HE CHUCKLES

HE SNORTS

Aye, but there's a pound we can all spend, even after independence.

And that's the pound we have right now.

A pound is a pound,

whether it's got a picture of the Queen, Rabbie Burns, or even me.

In future, will Scotland have its own currency?

The Highland goat!

Aye, it's goat, not groat.

"I'll give you two goats for that pint of milk!"

HE LAUGHS

Well, Ireland kept the pound when it became independent in 1922,

and kept it for over 50 years.

-And look how great they are doing now(!)

-Yeah, exactly.

Whoo, I want to be just like Ireland(!)

But the UK Government has said it might not want to share.

The currency is under the pound, if we don't have the pound, then...

That's not going to happen, they realise that now.

Before we split up with them, they are just trying to say,

"Yous have part of that debt..."

But they won't have an independent Scotland and not give us

the pound, because there is too much...

They are missing out on too much.

The pound belongs as much to Scotland as it does to the rest of the UK.

It's like a shared asset.

But if they want to keep all the assets after independence,

then they get to keep the debts as well.

That thing's very good. Vote yes! I'm joking.

I love this idea that theoretically, if Scotland doesn't get

the pound, that then, we manage to magically ditch all the debt...

Get rid of all our debt.

No, Scotland has to take some of the portion of debt that the UK has had.

# I'll be the thorn in your side, till you die

# I'll be the thorn in your side, for always

# If we sink, we lift our love... #

Frank has been trying to steer his best pal, Stewart,

towards a yes vote.

If anything, he appears to be drifting further away.

I still have it in the back of my mind that we are stronger together.

I don't know, I really dinnae ken.

I ken an awfy lot of fine folk south of the border,

and I'm not really wanting to lose them either.

So, I'm not completely convinced.

Frank has come up with some good arguments and I cannae argue

with them, a lot of them,

but there are three things that niggle with me yet.

Well...

Your friends, all your friends south of the border,

I wouldn't say, "Right, there's a border."

You're going to be friends forever.

-There's not going to be a unified country, though.

-No, but...

-Any more.

Well, that's the whole point. That is the whole point.

300 years we've been in our position against Westminster,

and it's time for to stop it.

I don't think it's taking that much of a risk, to be independent,

because I think financially, we are going to be better off.

I know we are.

STEWART SIGHS

Yeah... I don't know.

Like Stewart, Shaun and Devon have been undecided voters,

but Shaun is swaying towards yes, with a little help

from his friends and the promise of a party to end all parties.

Have you made up your mind at all yet, or are you still confused?

At first, I was no, and then, I don't know,

loads of people have been talking about it and it's made me go maybe

yes, but then I've still not made my final decision, I don't know yet.

-Is there anything that could maybe sway you a wee bit?

-I don't know.

A lot of people have said, like, small businesses and that

will suffer if we vote yes,

and obviously we work in a small business.

But then, I also think with hairdressing,

people are still going to need their hair done,

so it's not really going to affect us that much.

But that's all I can really think about, obviously, your work

and stuff, but I don't think it'll really affect our job.

It is very tricky.

-I'm saying I'll vote yes now, but it might change again.

-I know.

-It's changed, like, three times!

-It's been changing every week!

But now... THEY LAUGH

But now I'm all for it, I think.

Aye, until next week, somebody tells you something bad, you're like, "Oh, no, I'm not voting for that!"

The more Blue WKD I drink, I change my mind again!

Shaun's opinion seems as changeable as the weather, whereas Mark

is standing firm, arguing his case for the union, with mixed results.

At the minute, you get your prescriptions

and all that free, right? You get free eye tests.

Aye, here, only in Scotland.

So, if we go independent, how will we be able to keep that up?

-But that's only in Scotland anyway.

-Is it?

-Uh-huh.

Jessica seemed to be swinging towards a no vote,

and even baby Oliver had got in on the act.

Are you voting no, yeah?

BABY GURGLES

He's voting no as well.

But could there be trouble in paradise?

I just think sometimes he talks nonsense and I'm just like,

I can't be bothered listening to him.

You know women and guys, don't you? Guys aren't allowed an opinion and women are allowed everything, so...

I've got my opinions, strong opinions on how I see things.

She doesn't agree because she thinks I don't know what I'm talking about.

If we take a big risk like going independent,

can you positively tell me that you know that we are going to survive?

-No.

-Boom! Point proven.

Mark may think he's proved his point, but it seems that

Jessica has been doing some extra homework on her own.

I was voting no just because I thought it was the right thing to do,

but when I've actually took responsibility and read up about it and things,

and realised the kind of benefits for Scotland to be an independent

country, I don't think it's more that I've surprised myself,

it's more that I feel I'm making a responsible decision.

For me, I think yes is the right thing to do.

Mum Sharleen has arrived for lunch with Jessica and baby Oliver.

She has always been voting yes

and had hoped that her daughter would join her.

So, what has changed? Because you were yes, then you were undecided...

Just all the information about it.

I don't want to have to pay £7.85 for prescriptions,

I don't want to have to pay £9,000 for him to go to university.

Just, like, the NHS is going to be privatised, there's

nothing beneficial to stay part of the UK.

-Are you totally, totally yes?

-Totally.

-Totally yes?

So, when you go into the box on the 18th, you're going to say yes?

Uh-huh.

So, what does Mark think about the fact that you're totally yes now?

He said he will divorce me if...

SHE LAUGHS

..if I vote yes.

-Just because he's...

-Joking? Or is he meaning it?

Well, he just likes being, totally, like... together, as a union.

Next week on Mibbes Aye, Mibbes Naw...

Could there be more than one union at risk?

If things don't go the way you're planning, what is your plan B?

Stewart finally makes his decision.

I've been doing an awful lot of hard thinking about this.

But is it the one that Frank has been hoping for?