Independence? Let's get basics right

DUNFERMLINE, birthplace of kings and captains of industry and once the royal seat of Scotland, today finds itself dealing with more common Scottish issues - joblessness, traffic and the dwindling prosperity of the town centre.

This is the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie and the final resting spot of Robert the Bruce, the home of ballerina Moira Shearer and Skids front man Richard Jobson. The town was once the centre of booming industries - first coal, then textiles, and naval shipbuilding.

Now locals say industry is deserting Dunfermline and nearby Rosyth - there has been a series of job losses - and the town's once-proud identity is being swallowed by its larger neighbour.

"We've become a dormitory town for Edinburgh," David Low, 39, tells The Scotsman as a cold wind whips through the High Street. "There's less and less industry here. Really, the closure of the dockyards in Rosyth was our death knell. Since then, we've just been fighting the inevitable. It doesn't really matter what party is in power."

Dunfermline has been on the receiving end of globalisation and people in the city make their feelings known. One schoolboy preparing for his Highers calls the place a "bit of a dump", complaining of second-rate shops.

Sky Television's call-centre is the biggest employer for school-leavers. The closure of computer printer firm Lexmark's factory in Dunfermline last year was the latest in a series of blows - 700 jobs were lost. Businesses don't seem to last very long, and what jobs there are will be found through friends, people say.

In a by-election last year, the Liberal Democrats stole a surprise victory in this Labour stronghold. The central election issue was ostensibly tolls on the Forth Road Bridge, but job losses were always in the background. The tolls were central because so many residents travel to Edinburgh to look for work.

John Stein, 56, an engineer, says work is the central issue in the town. "There isn't much. All the manufacturing industry is disappearing round here. The dockyard is almost shut down." A veteran of overseas jobs, he said: "If I could get work in this area it would save me having to work abroad."

Like many others, he was convinced Dunfermline itself is being badly run. "The centre of the town is a total disgrace because of the way the Fife region is actually running it," he said. "If you are not a bus driver, you can't get into town. At Christmas and New Year, if you come into shop in Dunfermline, there is nowhere to put your car."

Many people complain bitterly about the traffic system, the removal of the city-centre bus station and parking, and angrily describe local politicians as incompetent or worse.

They worry new housing to accommodate demand from Edinburgh will increase pressure on the overstretched facilities.

Myra Thomas, who has lived in Dunfermline all her 83 years, said: "It's a city in crisis. There's nothing going right."

The sun begins to break through and shine on the cobbled streets leading down to the magnificent City Chambers. Despite the grumbles, the residents of Dunfermline are still proud of their community - though they take some prompting to talk about the bright side.

"I lived in Edinburgh and I moved over here five years ago and I love it," said Sheena Davidson, pushing her grand-daughter Amelia. "It's like living in the countryside, but you are within walking distance of a town or city."

The Forth Road Bridge, with its tolls and the delays, is the biggest issue, she said. Her daughter, who works at Edinburgh Airport, has now bought a house in Edinburgh because she could not be sure of getting to work on time.

The same was true for Denise Christensen, a manager at Asda. "My man has to travel it every day. They should get rid of the toll - £7 a week it costs, and it takes an hour every morning to get across there, too."

Another contentious point the Fife Health Board's decision to close the A&E department at Dunfermline's Queen Margaret Hospital. The nearest casualty department will be at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, a 20-minute drive away.

"Our hospital was brand new and beautiful. Now the A&E is being shut down and people are wondering whether our local authorities even care about us. All the money and attention go to Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy, and don't tell me the latter isn't because it's the home constituency of Gordon Brown," Elisabeth Welsh, 70, said.

It is difficult to gauge nationalist sentiment here - there is growing impatience with Labour, who many blame for letting industry move abroad and also frustration with local government. But any talk of independence focuses on the distant future.

"I think our future is with independence, but there are urgent issues that need to be dealt with here first, such as how to replace the industry that is leaving. Any upheaval like [independence] may leave us struggling as companies move to Hungary and China because of the uncertainty," June Hastings, 54, says.

Graham Johnston, an electrician, was taking young son Jamie for a haircut. He is clear that union versus independence takes second place to local concerns, like the roadworks that delay his morning drive into the town. "I don't think it's put forward enough," he said. "No one has really come and said, 'This is why you have to vote for independence'."

But Jackie Fox, walking rapidly back to work after her lunch break, was as emphatic about independence as she was about "our council", who have "done everything wrong".

"There's a lot of our facilities that we don't get to use for our own benefit. Most of them are shipped out - our resources, our oil, our gas, it should be for us."

Patriots see need for changes in the flower that is Scotland
"Out of the folk in my modern studies class, four out of five people are for independence. They feel the Union isn't relevant to today's society, we've got what we wanted out of it, there's no reason why Scotland wouldn't survive as an independent country."

Steven Mill, 17, student at Queen Anne High School

"The area around Dunfermline could be cleaned up a bit. But the whole of Scotland is beautiful like a flower."

Donna Scott and Debbie Forrest, Dunfermline

"I think we should stay in the union. I was in the Royal Navy for 23 years and I served on two nuclear submarines. Scotland should be proud of the nuclear arsenal. What happens if we go independent? We won't have a navy or an army. So we'll still be dependent on others."

Robert Parker, 43

"I'm a true Scot, but a parliamentary union seems the best idea in this age of change, and Scots can still keep their identity."

Elisabeth Brooks, Perth

"If Ireland can do it, so can we."

Charlie Farrell, Dunfermline

"I don't want independence. I don't like that man that runs the SNP. I don't like his politics and attitude."

John Stein

"My general feeling is that there are too many unknowns about independence. Why don't we improve the Union as it exists? If the Scottish Parliament were doing its job, we wouldn't even need to be discussing independence."

Alan Hopkins, 66

"When I moved to Scotland from Redditch when I was 16, I could not believe how advanced the area was. I hadn't seen a dual carriageway. In Redditch we had an outside toilet. Dunfermline had electricity everywhere. But the problem is the town hasn't changed or advanced since then. I don't believe in independence, but something certainly needs to change."

Graham Merry, 74

"There is no way Scotland can compete on its own in the modern marketplace. The salaries in Dunfermline, for example, are way too high. That's why the jobs are going. To be honest, I think Scots are too lazy and don't want to learn anything to transfer themselves into the knowledge economy."

Lord Hughwright, 72

"Every country seems to be coming together at the moment. So I don't think we should be independent."

Carly Haldane

"I feel that Scotland should be an independent, neutral country, like southern Ireland. Maybe we should keep a token UN force but get rid of the nuclear bombs."

Rab Mercer, 46

"Why not independence? All this talk about being isolated from Europe - it's absolute claptrap."

David Lloyd, 75

"I think we should be independent because we face different issues, like our schools. But I don't think people my age are interested in the independence debate around here - a lot of them have bigger issues; they are pushing buggies and have kids."

Sara Turnbull, 17, Rosyth

"I think we should be independent because it makes you more patriotic. Americans think of Scotland as North England. If we were our own nation people would work harder because of their pride."

Laura Turnbull, 19