A Perthshire health worker is among the skilled Scottish expats vowing to return home before 2014 so they can say "Yes" to starting life afresh in an Independent Scotland.
Paul McNeela, a 47-year-old mental health nurse, originally from Perth, Scotland, now lives in Perth Western Australia."I am resolved to come over to Scotland in 2014 to do everything I can to help the Yes campaign," says Mr McNeela.
After qualifying as a nurse, Mr McNeela "reluctantly" left Scotland for London in 1996 to find work because "there was no budget in the hospital finances (in Scotland) to fill the many vacancies that existed". From there he emigrated to Australia in 2006. But he believes life will be better in an Independent Scotland and is planning to return in time to vote Yes.
"I have always believed that Scotland would be better off independent as the Scottish people and their parliamentary representatives must be better placed to make sound decisions for Scotland rather than a Westminster government more interested in appealing to the South East of England," he says. Describing some of the benefits he believes an Independent Scotland will bring Mr McNeela says: "As a health professional I have seen that general health and mental health are adversely affected by poor opportunities. If only the Scottish parliament could have the full range of powers of a normal independent country we could get on with the job of really caring for the health and well being of our people. "
