Scottish independence

As a Scot, I am fed up with all this and we have months to go yet. The money that is being spent on it all.
We are a small island and should stick together.
I have a wide circle of friends and I don't know anyone who is going to vote for an independent Scotland.

Oops missed out the "and" between yet and money.
Just shows how fed up I am with it all.

Reading over the last few posts I'm so glad I live in the wilds of Norfolk!

What a muddle. How on earth can anyone make a reasoned decision if nothing is going to be decided until after the referendum?

Why are we, in darkest Norfolk, having to watch a party political broadcast for Scottish Independence?

In case the few scots who might vote for it are away in Norfolk! They wouldn't want to miss it!
Would they?

Nobody has to watch anything they don't want to watch, Nfk. We do have a great multiplicity of channels!

You're right - and I did switch over. I just wondered why it was being broadcast here. Galen I don't think I've met a Scottish visitor. The ones who come usually stay!

It's assumed by many, including Spanish politicians, that if Scotland becomes independent then it would be only Scotland which would be expected to apply to rejoin the EU. The rest of the UK would be in exactly the same position. Repealing the Act of Union produces 2 different entities; Scotland and England/Wales/Northern Ireland. (This is different from what would happen if Catalonia becomes independent by leaving Spain.) It seems very unlikely that 60 million Europeans would suddenly become non-members. Spain obviously has a considerable axe to grind on this one.

What worries me is that if there is a No vote, we might end up being taken out of Europe by a UK referendum dominated by the South of England whether we want to leave or not (in my case, definitely not).

Granny 23, you are very good at explaining what this is all about. Keep it up!

interesting poing

or point

when I think when this was raised before the EU Secretary General (or whatever the he is called) stated that Scotland would have to apply for membership and, like all new members, adopt the EU if accepted. The UK would remain a member because it still would still exist – just minus one of its members. I may not have got this straight and there is probably a different Great Panjandrum in charge now. It's all very confusing.

Yes, but it is the Act of Union which is at issue, not the Union of the Crowns, and so strictly speaking, the UK will still exist as a kingdom while the 2 political entities will be different. This has not happened before in the EU, and so anyone who is dogmatic about what will happen is not necessarily right.

I've got to the point where I'm just longing for the indyref to be over, whichever way the vote goes. I'll be voting no.

With you thatbags.

Just had an interesting email from a young nephew living and studying in Scotland. He states that many of the older generation want to stay in the union but among his generation there is more a feeling they want to go for independence. This was just part of a much longer email, but the rest made it obvious he was aware of much already put forward by Granny23.
I'd never considered a generational divide before and I understand that university students tend to the more radical views of youth, but it's an interesting perspective.

My Scottish friend and her family are all for independence, but I still feel that on the day, standing in the ballot box, there will be lot whose courage will fail them and won't vote for independence after all.

Reading these last posts and the interesting points they raise, I am sure that there will be lot of lucrative work for the lawyers specialising in International Law. It maybe that belonging to the EU would mean taking the Euro as I can't imagine it working any other way.

I will be very surprised if the Scots voters vote for independence.I also think that Alex Salmond never wanted a yes/no vote and must be secretly aghast!
We should stay united, we are only a small island anyway. The Scots do very well at the moment, what with no student fees and other goodies. The younger generation may vote for it because they are more radical. However, if it does happen they will have to paddle their own canoe for the future, and good luck with that.I don't feel 'hurt' like some do, as I know from holidays in both Wales and Scotland that there is a big anti-English lobby out there, anyway, it's a long way to travel now, so holiday in England.Not saying everyone is like this to all you Scots Gnetters, but, oh yes, it's there all right.

I understand that the 1707 Act of Union was a voluntary arrangement between sovereign nations, so I fail to understand why a petition to dissolve it is not to be decided by all voters in all the constituent countries of the Union. Cherry-picking by sectional interests is not good enough. I also understand that Scotland was bankrupt at the time of the Act of Union, following foolish and failed attempts at empire building, leaving old England to bail Scotland out and pay for their porridge.

That should all be taken into account in the great settling of scores next year, and whilst I have no personal desire to suppress anybody, neither do I feel obliged to underwrite somebody else's nationalistic profligacy, past or present. So if Scotland should decide to go solo, then so be it, the UK will then have to be ripped apart and all things Scottish sent back over the border. However, one thing which won't be bag-piped up north will be the pound sterling, and I rather suspect that whatever the nature of the various new flags, control will still be exercised by the English in England, with a welcome bit of Irish and Welsh help. Time, I think, for the old British lion to wake up and start roaring again!

'Oh I will walk 500 miles!'......... ok then, off you go, but watch out, us English may steal your boots!

Trying to decide, should Scotland float off, what should appear on the Rump of the UK flag (ROTUK) thereafter. Roses, roast beef, daffs, leeks, oranges and Bushmills, perhaps, together with a dash of curry, fish and chips. What do you think?

Don't know! maybe we should have a referendum on that?the results may be interesting.

The Labour Party will loose some 40 MP's that sit for Scottish constituencies. It will make it much harder for them to win general elections.