I didn't expect relevance to the independence referendum when reading "Under another sky", Charlotte Higgins' excellent account of Britain in Roman times, but then I found her description of the early connections between the Roman Empire and its offshore island.

When Romans first began crossing the Channel, Britain was 'terra incognita' to those at the centre of imperial power. Naturally, they relied on those who had been there for information on this remote province.

Higgins states that the descriptions they received were based not on the reality of the country, but on the political ambitions of those giving the information.

A General seeking advancement would find it 'politic' to record how he had fought mighty battles to defeat warlike, savage tribes, while those seeking to undermine him would report that those in Britain were simple folk, not given to battle, and easy to subdue. Citizens in Rome were left without an accurate picture of the province, having relied on information from those with a political axe to grind.

The same has been happening in the parts of the referendum debate which have become party politicalised, with varying pictures painted of the 'distant land' of an Independent Scotland. The manifesto approach of 'promises, proof, and predictions' has all but obscured the fact that the vote in September is about whether we should control our own destiny, rather than who should govern an independent Scotland. The voters' decision should not be based on which politician has the most effective crystal ball, but on their own willingness to choose a different future. There is no more certainty to an independent Scotland than there is to a continuing UK. A "yes" vote will reflect Scotland's wish to make decisions in the country which affect the country.

The experience of history tells us that these decisions may be for the better, or sometimes, for the worse.

Despite the propaganda, nobody is seriously claiming an independent Scotland will be a land of milk and honey, but it will be a country with a chance to change direction and take a different path. Those unhappy with the track record of Westminster should see this as an opportunity for things to be done differently - whether on social welfare, defence, energy, tax, or in reflecting the views of the voters more accurately.

Independence won't guarantee a perfect future any more than it will expunge the past. Links with other countries in these islands will remain strong - though hopefully more international links will be possible with the removal of the UK 'filter'. People living in Scotland will be as free to claim their own cultural heritage as they are now - whether they consider themselves Scottish, British, or a mix of heritage. Governance doesn't change that, one's own cultural identity is a matter of personal decision and feeling, though one which sometimes seems to sit ill with the current UK Government

In September we vote on how Scotland should be governed. A Yes decision gives us the chance to then vote on what kind of country we want and who we feel is best placed to achieve that aspiration - just as in other countries.

Even before the Romans were being fed misinformation on their off shore province, the popular dictum was "Beware of Greeks bearing 'gifts'".

Perhaps in 2014 that should be replaced with "Beware of politicians bearing 'facts'".