MP for Cardenden and Kinglassie, Lindsay Roy has aired his beliefs that the only answer to the Referendum question is ‘No’.

He said, “Along with other politicians representing the No and Yes campaigns, I recently had the privilege of attending a hustings on the referendum on independence in a large secondary school in my constituency.

“In my brief introductory remarks, I set out the reasons why I believe that Scotland’s future is best served by staying within the successful family of nations that make up the United Kingdom.

“In a nutshell, the main benefits we want to continue are secure within a strong and stable union - for instance improving standards of living, retaining the pound, having effective defence and security systems, maintaining continuous membership of the EU and guarantees on pensions.

“I also highlighted that under devolution, Scotland already has a high degree of ‘independent’ powers over many aspects of Scottish life, for example education, law, the NHS, transport etc.

“Given the context of a school debate, I then went on to compare what happens in education in Fife with Government across the UK.

“Each school has a rich history, differing traditions and a proud heritage. Every one has a unique record of individual, team and school achievements and a high degree of independence about how it runs its own affairs in the communities it serves. Just like the Scottish Parliament, there are a huge number of powers devolved to schools over which they have ‘independence of operation.’ “Indeed, most decisions about key aspects of school life are rightly taken within the school, e.g. the timetable, spending of budgets, course options, uniform and code of conduct; these are real powers with a real purpose with decisions taken locally.

“However, each school in my constituency remains an integral part of Fife Council and there have been no calls for complete separation or independence from the local authority. Why is this the case?” The member for Glenrothes and Central Fife added, “Quite simply, it is because there are major benefits of being part of the ‘United’ Kingdom of Fife.

“So what are these benefits? Fife is a strong, stable and secure authority in which resources are pooled and shared according to need, as are risks.

“The building of new schools is funded centrally, and so too are matters such as professional development, legal and architectural services and purchasing contracts.

“Individual schools have a huge say in running their own affairs but also benefit from economies of scale and virtually all parents and staff agree that schools are ‘better together’ under the protection of the Fife umbrella.

“And so it is with Scotland. We enjoy the many advantages that devolution has brought, but also the major benefits of being part of the wider union that is the United Kingdom.

“Just like Fife’s schools, people in Scotland have the best of both worlds with a strong Scottish Parliament within an effective United Kingdom.

“As a parent and grandparent, I believe that Scotland’s future is best served by remaining in the strong family that is the UK”.