International Celebrities Voice Opinions on Scottish Independence Vote
The latest opinion polls show that the Scottish referendum vote is still too close to call, so it’s no surprise that people from all walks of life are still offering their opinions on which way folks should vote.
Perhaps the most famous Scot on the planet, Sean Connery, is an ardent supporter of Scottish independence, telling Scots per the Independent that this opportunity is “too good to miss.’’ However strong his support, the James Bond star and 1989’s Sexiest Man Alive will not be cast a ballot (he lives abroad for tax reasons).
Scottish actor Alan Cumming recently took a brief break from Broadway’s “Cabaret’’ to fly to Glasgow where he lent a hand to the Yes campaign, writing in a New York Times story that, “There has never been anything so politically important to [him].
“I enthusiastically became an American citizen because I wanted to vote in elections here, but even that pales in comparison to my passion for Scotland’s voting to control its own future,’’ Cumming continued.
Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite voiced his support of Scottish independence in an essay in Scotland’s Sunday Herald, headlined, “We are witnessing a rise in activism I thought I would never see again after the Iraq war.’’
Scottish bands Franz Ferdinand and Mogwai were among a slew of musicians at a pro-independence concert called A Night for Scotland, held in Glasgow on Sept. 14th.
“I’m a man of few words,’’ Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos told the crowd. “Tonight I’m a man of one word and that word is yes.’’
Scottish Wimbledon champ Andy Murray, who is no longer a Scottish resident and in turn cannot vote, revealed his support of the Yes camp at the last minute with a tweet on Wednesday night.
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The Proclaimers, a band deeply rooted in Scottish culture and famous for their song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),’’ are also onboard. According to a report by The Guardian, the brothers donated £10,000 (about $16,000) to pro-independence campaigners.
Icelandic singer Bjork (who has no obvious ties to Scotland) declared her support for independence in a pair of Facebook posts, first with a link to her “Declare Independence,’’ which was originally written for Greeland and the Faroe Islands, according to Herald Scotland. She posted the lyrics to the track, pre-empting it with:
s c o t l a n d !
s c o t l a n d !
s c o t l a n d !
Her second post included a link to a remix of “Declare Independence,’’ and a caption which read “declare independence / LFO mashup : GO SCOTLAND GO !!!!!!!!’’
South of the Scottish border in England, a drove of celebrities and public figures including Simon Cowell, Patrick Stewart, Sting, and Mick Jagger signed a pro-union petition in August, urging the Scots to vote no. The letter read, “What unites us is much greater than what divides us. Let’s stay together.’’
The independence campaign took a big blow earlier this week when David Beckham called for the UK to preserve its “historic bond.’’ Beckham explained in his open letter (below), which was shared by Scottish Daily Mail Political Editor Alan Roden, that he felt pride in representing the entire UK at 2012’s summer Olympics.
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A number of famous Scots, namely comedian Billy Connolly, and Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox, have remained relatively quiet on the subject. “I don’t want to influence anybody so I’ll shut up,’’ Connolly told the BBC.
We will soon see which of the celebrities get their way, but as of Wednesday, the polls showed that the No vote is just nudging ahead at 51 percent.
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