Peter Howson: I don't want to be part of Britain

Alex Salmond is one of the few politicians I have met who I can trust and who I know wants the best for Scotland. I don't trust Westminster, I don't trust David Cameron and I don't trust Ed Miliband. I am an SNP supporter - although the referendum isn't about that.

The No camp says independence is a walk into the unknown and the financial markets are going to collapse, everything is going to go wrong and we are going bankrupt. All this is just fearmongering. People tend to have this thing about security; but fear is a terrible thing. Ultimately, there is no such thing as security - we don't know what is going to happen in the next 24 hours or even in the next second.

There is far too much focus on the issue of money and that again is a fear thing. Who is going to get poorer? The social injustice aspect in Scotland and Britain is already extraordinary. What worries me slightly is that anyone over the age of 55 is said to be more likely to vote No. Again that is symptomatic of our need for security and of selfishness. This vote is really for the future of our young people.

We are here on the planet to help our neighbour, to love one another, not to fight with each other - we are here to help people who are less fortunate than ourselves and that is a duty we have as a society.

The fundamental of society is we help the less able. But I do believe the whole basis of the NHS is going to be dismantled by the Tories and there is going to be more of an underclass than before. There has always been an underclass, but you can see it more clearly than ever before. The biggest psychological difference I can see between the Yes and the No campaigns is that idea of "let's go for it". The Yes campaign have this attitude of positivity, whereas the No voters are negative. The No camp seem to still have this attachment to the idea that Westminster make the rules and to think of us as being poor wee Scotland, we can't do it on our own. We have got to go beyond that, but it is not just about going blindly into the unknown. A lot of people know that if we become independent - when we become independent - whatever problems we have got we can sort out.

I can't stand the whole business of Trident - I think they should just get rid of it and that is one of the main issues for me wanting Scotland to become independent. Trident and any weapon of mass destruction is morally wrong. Countries such as Denmark are members of Nato and they don't have nuclear weapons. Another of my main reasons for voting yes is that I am a passionate supporter of Scottish arts and Scotland has some of the greatest artists and performers in the world. But I think they have been hijacked to go to London to be on this "artificial" world stage and for me an independent Scotland could be an even greater cultural centre.

I am in a quandary because, although when I went to collect my OBE at Buckingham Palace [awarded in 2009], it was really exciting and I enjoyed that day, there was something at the back of my mind that said there is something wrong with the whole thing. When I saw the amount of money they spend on that, it did not seem right. People have been phoning me up saying that because I have an OBE I should be supporting the No campaign. Every now and then I just want to hand this bloody thing back. I don't want it. Having an OBE doesn't mean anything to me and I don't want to be part of Britain and what it is doing in the world at the moment.

I don't want to be part of paying taxes to bomb Afghanistan or Syria or Iraq. I don't want to pay taxes towards Trident or military drones and I don't want to have to pay for the Lords to have four-hour lunches.

The old order is finishing - we are no longer an Empire. England doesn't have an identity, Britain doesn't have an identity - but Scotland still does have an identity and that is the great thing. If Scotland becomes independent then England can hopefully finally find itself again.

If it's a No vote, then we go back to stasis and it is like nothing happens and nothing will happen. It will just be the same as before and people will get more unhappy. People have started thinking for themselves and the panic in the No camp is palpable - you can feel it. They will use every single ounce of their guile and power to stop independence, but I do think people see through that.

I know what Scotland could become in my own heart - for me it could become a great centre for the arts, for example, or a great centre for medical research. The banks and people with money will go where confidence is highest. We are a great nation because we have got a unique humour, we work hard and there is a brilliant amount of caring here.

Scotland has always been the most amazing, friendliest place I have ever been. The people here are incredible. But there is a Calvinist feeling in Scotland which has always held the country back. It is almost like we are not good enough and I am worried this opportunity will be lost simply because of the intransigent negative attitude we can't do it on our own. We have to start believing in ourselves.

However, I don't exactly know what kind of Scotland we will have under independence. I don't know because it is in the future - but all I know is it is worth taking a chance on and it is worth going for. Whatever kind of Scotland we will have is up to us - it is up to the people and the government to make this a better place to live.

The way I see it if we get independence, it is almost like starting from scratch. It is quite frightening in a way, but it is exciting at the same time. Everyone has got a responsibility to engage: it is the future that is at stake here. We haven't had to fight for it - nearly all countries which become independent have to fight for their freedom.

All we have to do is put a cross on a bit of paper.