TWEEDDALE West Councillor Willie Archibald is Scottish Borders Council’s Older People’s Champion. Here, he writes exclusively for the Border Telegraph...

I WRITE this at the end of a week which has seen The CBI forced into a humiliating retreat and hurried attempt at cover up over their support for Better Together.

CBI, which has a Royal Charter, is bound thereby to remain politically neutral and apparently did not understand their Charter and Constitution.

These are the people who are supposed to advise and champion business and they are shown to be clueless in respect of even their own affairs.

Further Westminster expenses scandals in a UK driven to need food banks to feed the poorest in society does not engender faith in Better Together.

For over two Millennia attempts have been made to Completely incorporate Scotland into a greater British entity. All attempts have failed and Scotland remains resolutely thrawn, and determinedly different.

Even, what was supposed to be a comprehensively Complete and incorporating union in 1707 failed.

Two main pillars of an independent state, the legal system and therefore courts and justice remained out with the Union. In addition to that the Scottish Churches, which of course included education, and universities remained separate and distinctive after the Treaty of Union.

Scottish lawyers were not prepared to sacrifice their unique system for something strange and foreign to them.

Similarly the Churches, reformed and pre reformation retained independence to worship and organise their affairs, although attempts were made to interfere in religious matters in Scotland from time to time. These differences continue to this day and grow more pronounced with every passing week. Politically Scotland is a different country and this is exemplified by the impending referendum on Independence.

Important though the devolved Holyrood Government is it cannot deliver on a range of policies that would truly reflect the political choices of electors in Scotland.

In September we have the opportunity to take control of the full powers of Government and exercise them to reflect the wishes of the Scottish electorate. One simple cross in the YES box will remove the situation where Scotland is governed by a Conservative party which has only one rather forlorn MP in Scotland .

One simple cross in the Yes box would help remove the absurd scandal of the unelected House of Lords, the cost of which has rocketed by £42 million in the last three years. There are more members now in The House Of Lords than there are elected MPs.

What a jolly little wheeze, many who lose an election have themselves been appointed to the Lords, all they have to do is dream up a fancy title - Lord Tweedlededum will do, and of you go to the House of Lords, there you get to dress up in a gown and collect expenses and perks for life often running to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Little wonder that the Yes campaign is heading for a decisive win in September.

The goings on in Westminster cost us dear here in Scotland. We have nuclear weapons on the Clyde and a nuclear submarine graveyard rotting away on The Forth, which no one knows how to dispose of.

Local councils face budget cuts. Poorer families and those with disability are subject to humiliating checks as tax breaks for the rich continue to make our society increasingly polarised.

September’s vote truly is the chance of a lifetime to effect real lasting change for Scotland. Your chance to seize the future.

Make that choice.