Due to Colin's father's job he spent his childhood not just in Scotland but also in England as well as in West Germany,
so it took a while to become convinced of the need for independence.
What probably sealed it for me was the fall of the Iron Curtain – all these new countries, some even smaller than Scotland, and they could do it, why couldn't we?
Somewhere along the line though it became clear to me, that while it may not directly affect me, it affects my family back in Scotland, my parents, my sister, my niece and my nephews. They deserve a better future, and so I will make my case to give them that better future. Of course with Brexit I am now also directly affected. I am one of Theresa May's bargaining chips. Having become increasingly involved in social media over the last few years, and now directly involved in the Germans for Independence page, I will continue to do all I can to promote Scottish Independence. For the country I love, and for my own family and all others who live there.
After finishing my education I moved permanently to Germany, where I have been ever since, while still trying to keep up to date with what is going on in Scotland. In the early days it wasn't so easy, but since the arrival of the internet many more options have opened up. And so it is, that I have been able to follow the increase in support, not just for the SNP but also for the independence movement in general, in recent years closely. In the first referendum I was at first a wee bit coy about speaking up, always conscious of the fact that in doing so I was going to be asking people to make a decision which was going to affect their lives, but not mine, living so far away.
