​Clore fellow Jane Bruce is from the north of England but is settled for good in Scotland - she is yet to make her mind up on how she will vote

So being on the Clore Social Leadership Programme has given me an interesting position from which to consider the current independence debate. I’ve been spending time thinking about how society works anyway so add the referendum into the mix and my mind has been buzzing away considering the potential ramifications of a yes or no vote. And yes, I am one of those annoying undecided voters still sitting on the fence with a mere handful of days left in the campaign.

There is head and heart at play in this decision for every voter and I’m no different. I’ve always ticked that box marked ‘British’ when asked (definitely not ‘English’) and my roots in the north east of England plead with me not to abandon the region to the same Westminster policies and London-centric climate that many Scots would like to opt out of.

Clore Social itself is a UK-wide programme and I’ve loved criss-crossing the British isles learning from a massively diverse and talented group of individual leaders. Of course there is huge ability within the sector in Scotland itself but the diversity and innovation I’ve discovered through Clore Social has undoubtedly been enhanced by it being a UK programme.

If this is true of our sector and one such programme, how might independence hinder all forms of cross-border innovation and collaboration?

And yet…independence offers a watershed moment for Scotland to choose to further the cause of social justice and implement progressive policies that could influence the rest of the UK and beyond. The potential for the people of Scotland to be the masters of their own destiny and to work towards creating a more just and equal society is definitely an aspiration I could sign up to. In particular, the ability to re-shape the benefits system and employment services so that they empower rather than demonise marginalised and vulnerable people is a tantalising prospect.

The Clore Social Fellows based in other parts of the UK haven’t exactly helped my decision-making with opinions ranging from “Don’t leave the north of England stranded!” to “Scotland should totally go for it!”. Whatever their opinions, there is definitely a recognition within the group and a hope even that whichever way the vote goes, there will be huge repercussions for the rest of the UK in terms of the way our democracy and society works.

So here I am still fidgeting on the fence, teetering from side to side, considering the arguments but not quite tipping over the edge. I look at my children and wonder how they would want me to have voted by the time they are voters too. I think about my community, what it needs, what vote it wants. I think about Scotland, a country I love and have settled in for good, I worry about the rest of the wider UK and the precarious state of the world as a whole and then I fidget a bit more.