Scottish Independence thread

[Darren Richardson]

I'm a don't mind, but largely because I'm in the middle. I think it would be better for both parties if they stayed together (mostly Scotland), but I'm happy for the Scots to go it alone, just so I don't have to put up with the likes of Salmond moaning about not having any control. What I don't want is 'devo max' or Scotland clinging on our coat tails by trying to keep our currency and such like. They want to be a proper nation, then fine, but do it properly. Get your own currency, army, tax system, healthcare, public broadcaster, EU membership etc like everybody else. Don't expect just to keep all our stuff.

Amen to that Wildy!

[Mr Mystery]

MM - was it a landslide victory? It was a big swing but not sure it was landslide?

I am really in 2 minds about this. My Dad is quite certain - 'I don't want my country broken up'. For me though, whilst I sympathise with this, there is a party of me says: 'If you can't see how good you've got it, go and don't come back'.

Why do the Jocks have it good?

The Midlothian question - why do Scottish politicians in Westminster get to vote on England/Wales affecting business?
The Barnett formula - more taxpayers money is spent per head of population in Scotland than anywhere else.
Westminster panders in fear to them - devolution, devo max, devo plus plus deluxe, whatever.

Why would England be better of without Scotland?
No Midlothian question.
No Barnett formula.
The makeup of the Westminster government would be unlikely to be a Labour majority for a long time seeing as a large mount of their seats are from Scotland.

I've got to say, Salmond is a master politician, for sure. But the outcome is key. It has all been designed to put him in this position whereby independence is a chance. He has cleverly said he will keep the Queen so the old dears in Ayr who have tartan doilies and a' that will be on his side. He has gotten 16 year olds in on the vote because they will buy into the Braveheart guff.

But if the majority of people in Scotland DONT want independence, what is the point of SNP? And if the argument is that SNP is a party to screw the best possible deal out of Westminster, why should the English tolerate that?

I think they should consider themselves lucky not to have seen a vote UK wide.

Aha! SNP in the event of a 'No' vote (most likely, but not guaranteed outcome) still have a roll - ensuring that someone is dedicated to fighting as selfishly for Scotland as the Tories do for London.

And stuff Woflie was saying about 'our stuff'.....sadly that's precisely the sort of attitude the Yes vote like to feed off - they'll label it uncaring English arrogance blah blah blah. Spod on the Interweb is one thing, but when it's spewing out the mouth of actual politicians, that's another. And that includes Boris Johnson!

[Darren Richardson]

I think they should consider themselves lucky not to have seen a vote UK wide.

I agree, if they had, most of us English WOULD vote yes to Scotish Indepence, after all why should Scots get NHS treatments free which English NHS patients have to pay for....

[eldargal]

I'm against but also not really fussed. I mean I think it is nothing short of insane and it will be a disaster for Scotland vote Yes but it is there decision so whatever. I don't for a moment think it will happen though. Depending on the polls the No vote has 47-50% ignoring undecided voters while the Yes vote have usually 37% and sometimes they hit around 41% in some polls (which is without fail reported as a 'surge' while the subsequent drop back to 37% is never reported, by certain media outlets...). On the day when making such an important decision most undecided peopkle will back the status quo, especially when the Yes vote have also been caught lying or simply having no real answer to certain questions. Like how they will keep the Pound when the Bank of England have said they can't.

[Wolfshade]

Aha! SNP in the event of a 'No' vote (most likely, but not guaranteed outcome) still have a roll - ensuring that someone is dedicated to fighting as selfishly for Scotland as the Tories do for London.

And stuff Woflie was saying about 'our stuff'.....sadly that's precisely the sort of attitude the Yes vote like to feed off - they'll label it uncaring English arrogance blah blah blah. Spod on the Interweb is one thing, but when it's spewing out the mouth of actual politicians, that's another. And that includes Boris Johnson!

It is a brillinat position to be in and unforutnatley a "No" Campaign will ultimately be always you are better off together and the future is all doom and gloom. Where as the "Yes" Campaign can play at the goodness of the scottish heritage and economy and can focus on any potential/alleged benefits and lets face it, most people would rather hear about postives about change rather than the current state of affairs which they know and short sightedly have been tight on people's wage pockets.

[Denzark]

Have you seen the George Galloway bit on independence? Can't find the linky to the short piece but it was the best thing that nasty little man has ever said. I paraphrase, but something along the lines of 'When you go through a divorce, you don't get to use the family credit cards...'

V. clever.

[Mr Mystery]

Mr Galloway can shut his cakehole just on general prinicpal!

[Wildeybeast]

I'm against but also not really fussed. I mean I think it is nothing short of insane and it will be a disaster for Scotland vote Yes but it is there decision so whatever. I don't for a moment think it will happen though. Depending on the polls the No vote has 47-50% ignoring undecided voters while the Yes vote have usually 37% and sometimes they hit around 41% in some polls (which is without fail reported as a 'surge' while the subsequent drop back to 37% is never reported, by certain media outlets...). On the day when making such an important decision most undecided peopkle will back the status quo, especially when the Yes vote have also been caught lying or simply having no real answer to certain questions. Like how they will keep the Pound when the Bank of England have said they can't.

Or automatically remain in the EU when Spain has said they can't.

[Morgrim]

As an aussie my feelings don't count in the slightest, but I'll toss them in anyway. :P

I think splitting is a bad idea. Not because of anything specific to England or Scotland, but because I feel any country splitting for any reason short of both sides being unable to stand each other is a bad idea. There's no chance of a genocide occurring in the Isles, little chance even of a bout of IRA style terrorism, ergo there doesn't seem a real reason for separating that will really pay off in the long term. Two different countries automatically have so much annoying red tape and roadblocks between them that can only be addressed at a governmental level, whereas within a country you can have the public effectively sidestepping the government and actually Getting Things Done.

[Mr Mystery]

Yet there is significant call for it within Scotland. Hence the referendum.

And for what it's worth, no, I don't think it's at all fair or even explicable that MPs from Scotland can vote on English matters, and Westminster really needs to sort that out.

On the whole, I'm quite in favour of decentralising power in the UK. Too much was stripped away from local councils and landed in Westminster.