WHATEVER your politics, and whether you are a Yes, a No or a Don't Know, there can be little doubt that the independence referendum debate has given the democratic process a shot in the arm.
The public has become engaged with politics in a way that might have been thought to have gone out of fashion along with soap boxes and megaphones. Up and down the country, in fora organised by both Yes Scotland and Better Together, crowds have flocked to meeting rooms and public halls to hear for themselves the arguments, and to contribute to them. The politicians have come to the people, and the people have responded with enthusiasm.
That thirst for knowledge is very much to be welcomed. In print and online, The Herald will continue to provide a platform for all to air their views. And next month we will be hosting a special event in Glasgow in which leading figures from each camp will discuss the big issues.
We will soon be faced with the task of making the biggest political decision of all our lives. You, our readers, are cordially invited to help inform this debate.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
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