Sometimes billionaires get bored with having “amassing money” as their sole purpose in life. They start to think their success in this activity somehow entitles them to dip their toes into politics.

What if a billionaire decided (s)he wanted Scotland to regain independence?

Let’s not worry why – if they’re billionaires it’ll almost certainly be an angle they’ve spotted for amassing even more money. We can deal with that later. For now let’s focus on the shared prize. After all, we’ll all benefit.

I asked folk what the big spend items should be to ensure they got their way. Have I missed anything? Here’s how it added up. By my reckoning they’d only have to give away £65.5m of their hord to pretty much guarantee success – so they’d remain a billionaire – but have I missed anything?

My rules are simple:

• “it must be legal” – so that removes any Russian interference or bribery of politicians.
• It must be “honest” – so no “political parties as personal private companies” or hidden donations via secret offshore accounts – the sort of stuff British parties like to do.

My independence budget

My budget comes to £65.5m. For a billionaire intent on giving Scotland independence, that’s easily affordable. Here’s how I’d spend that money.

Command the audience

Biggest item in my budget is a free-to-air Pro-independence TV, YouTube, And Radio News Channels. GB News has successfully shaped right-wing thinking across the UK, and with the lack of any significant Scottish news channels “IndyNews” would do the same for a progressive, pro-independence agenda focussed on Scotland.

Finally, the British media and British public national broadcaster would have something to balance against their constantly negative coverage of our political parties and government. No longer would the biggest strategic topic on Scotland’s agenda – independence – be ignored.

Next on my list would be a free paper like Metro, balancing out the 99% negative coverage fed to us by foreign-owned media such as The Scotsman and Herald. “Indy” would provide topical coverage of Scottish issues – but without the negative, Westminster-oriented, coverage. It would be given away free throughout Scotland and financed with advertising. My budget would allow it to be set up and initially funded until it reached sufficient scale to continue mostly on its own. It would seek to cooperate with other pro-Indy publications such as The National.

Level the political playing field

Next on my list are two equally costly areas of investment: levelling the field in political party funding, and political lobbying.

Currently British parties attract vastly more in donations than Scottish parties – but they still get to field candidates in Scotland. This is for two reasons: firstly because they cover England and Wales as well as Scotland – they’re just larger. Secondly because big business and other groups with an interest in what British governments will decide are only interested in parties that might be in power in Westminster. Scottish parties have never been in power there.

So this means I need to spend big on donations to Scottish parties like The SNP – as well as lobbying in Westminster and Brussels to “smooth the way” towards independence and separation.

And more battle busses. Naturally!

Advertising

There are other ways to make the public more aware of independence and what they may be missing by not supporting it. These include advertising – both physically and online. Areas to cover include ad hoardings and social media advertising, as well as “Led by Donkeys”-style political headline makers.

Finally there’s re-invigorating the grassroots Yes movement. Supporting the movement with central services like social media delivery and better funding for groups like Believe in Scotland – but also paying the fees to ensure high profile figureheads can be employed to be a higher profile public face of the movement.

Together with the better-funded Scottish political parties, initiatives such as constitutional conventions and grass roots social and cultural events become much easier to facilitate when the budget isn’t the issue.

Here’s my full budget summary:

Now we just need the billionaire to step up.