Scotland YES or NO

“If Scotland wants to be like the vast majority of NATO members and have no nuclear weapons stationed on its territory, NATO will cut off its own nose to spite its face and reject Scotland as a member, even though that would leave the strategically-crucial North Atlantic Gate (also known as the ‘GIUK Gap‘) guarded by a non-member state and one with basically no military at all.”
This is one thing that worries me. I am in no way saying nuclear weapons are a good thing, the point I am trying to show is who will, and how is this strategically important area for defense going to be protected.

I am beginning to get the impression that the Nationalist "YES" campaign is based entirely on the hatred of all things English and this resentment of "sharing their oil" . They are looking at everything in an idealistic kind of way and through rose tinted spectacles. There is never a hint of anything that could possibly go wrong which I find extremely odd.

I watched J.K.Rowling on Newsnight and had to agree with everything she said. Scotland seems to me to have the best of both worlds at the present moment, and with the proposition of more devolution (excellent) I just can't understand why they want to completely break away from the rest of us? Surely they have a pretty good set up, along with the security of the UK, particularly financially, in a very uncertain world, oil won't last for ever. the Middle East is a colossal worry, North Korea, Russia, the list is endless, and as a former poster said, once Scotland has gone there is no coming back. I would have thought that long term that would be of great concern.

To be fair, a lot of the abuse was in response to her likening extreme nationalists to Death Eaters...

JK Rowling is today reported to have received "a torrent of cyber abuse" after donating £1 million to the "No" campaign. Does this sum up the Nationalists? Perhaps we are not "better together" after all.

The whole devolution thing is making me so sad and I no longer watch the Scottish news.
I have Scottish born offspring and they cannot vote for the land of their birth, and no they don't want a separate Scotland, but there is nothing they can do about it.
I am now sticking my head in the sand and hoping for a NO vote.

Its the irrevocable nature of the vote that bothers me. If it's Yes in September, that's it. There will be no going back. Quite scary, in my opinion. But I'm only an exiled Scot and have no say in the matter of my own nationality.

Haven't read all the thread because I feel the NE might be better off if the money which now goes to Scotland might be spent here. I always tell crabby Scots (a lot of them in Durham) that the best view in Scotland is the road south.

Apparently JK Rowling has donated £1 million to the NO campaign. I think she perhaps she should have given her money to a worthy cause.

I feel sad used to feel sad at the prospect of Scotland breaking away for the rest of the UK but am now having second thoughts and thinking that if that's what they really want then so be it. I only hope that the Scottish people are sure about what they are voting for as the YES campaign seem to view the whole thing through rose tinted spectacles.

nigglynellie, nobody can change geography or history. After a Yes vote nobody is going to hitch Scotland up to a fleet of tugs and tow us off into the Atlantic (although if it was a bit further south for a slight increase in average temperature it might be worth discussing...) My parents, like those of many of us, were involved in the Second World War, my mother, in the ATS, from England and my father, in the Royal Navy, from Scotland. I think that if the British Isles had faced the threat posed by Hitler and Scotland had been independent then, the two countries, along with Wales and Northern Ireland of course, could have fought together as they did. Why not, indeed?

This has been said over and over again, but the wish for independence is NOT an anti-English thing (anyway, why just pick England; are we supposed to 'hate' the Welsh and Channel Islanders as well?) Those of us who are Yes supporters would like to be governed by a government that we vote for. I know that this is an ambition held by many who live in places where a teddy bear could get in if wearing the right colour of rosette, but if that applies to you, can you not sympathise?

Well I don't know the ins and outs of this referendum, and I live way down in England, but my overwhelming feeling is one of great sadness. I saw the D-day commemorations together with the lone piper reminding us of the Scottish regiments and the contribution they made and the lives, together with those of other British regiments that were lost, and I just feel that it is SO sad that Scotland feels the necessity to split from the rest of us after all we have been through together over the years. I know that we have had our differences, and like anything else it is not perfect, and I'm not minimising that, but 300 years is a long marriage through thick and thin which has been quite a fete! particularly as we were at daggers drawn for so long before the union. We in England don't want them to go, but it would appear that they do - sad and bearing in mind we are such a small Island, I'm afraid foolish.

I read a very interesting post on the Herald website from someone who has been out canvassing regularly in Glasgow's housing schemes with Radical Independence. He says they are getting an astonishing response for YES from the people who live there which he thinks is due to the fact that they feel they have nothing to lose, can hardly be worse off, have no pensions, mortgages or savings to worry about and therefore are much more willing to take the chance that Independence offers of a change for the better than their counterparts in the leafy suburbs.

Out of personal interest, this chap had asked a supplementary question - 'Have you ever been asked for your opinion anent the referendum for a survey or opinion poll' to which question the answer was universally 'NO'. This factor might explain why the big, paid-for polls consistently show a majority for NO when doorstep canvassing shows YES with a clear lead. As polling is almost exclusively carried out via landline telephones or on-line, the people polled will be mainly the 'better off' who are more likely to be risk averse and feel financially secure in the Union, rather than the less well off communities where computers are thin on the ground and mobile phones are the main means of communication. This theory could also explain the apparent lack of YES voters among older women, reflecting the fact that middle-class older women are much more likely to be on-line than their poorer sisters (The demographic of MOST Gransnetters is evidence of that fact

Chris Deerin writes about the latest proposals for Scotland from the Tories. It is surprisingly interesting reading.

I think we are agreed on that point ana
Bring back the Scottish monarchy rosesarered ?

If enough voters in Scotland vote YES, then it will happen.... there may be troubles ahead [like the song says] but in time it will sort itself out. Scotland did used to rule itself after all, and can do again, if the majority want it enough.But they can't be faint hearted about it, they either want it, and are prepared for risky economics for a while, or the whole thing will be pointless and come to a state of in-fighting and collapse.That's why I said earlier that it's not all about money.

The rolling poll (Ipsos Mori) info here for anyone who's interested.

Did anyone mention revelations, G23? I don't remember you mentioning Nicola Sturgeon as a successor to Salmond (I might not have been listening), though I have heard or read about it somewhere. Paul Hutcheon is hardly a fool and what he said in that blog post is interesting, I thought. Nothing deeper than that. Just sharing

I realise that, Jess, but I'd have thought the situation would be a hell of a lot more unsettled in Scotland than in England, if the YESes win.

Its about Investment ana. Investors both local and non-local are always reluctant to risk their money in an unsettled situation. And it sure would be unsettled.

Some companies based in Scotland have already indicated they may well leave if future business prospects look uncertain. I don't see what the number of English companies owned by foreigners has to do with it.

Bags Paul Hutcheon says that ' in the event of a Yes vote. I’m told the FM is unlikely to lead the SNP into the 2016 Holyrood election – a role earmarked for Nicola Sturgeon.'

Hardly a great revelation - I'm sure I told all of you that at least a year ago.

Have you thought about how many English companies are owned by foreigners, Newist?
People vote for all sorts of reasons, Grandmanorm, many of them personal. Politics is about people.

Short blog post by Paul Hutcheon about what Salmond might do in the event of a referendum No, and what he might do in the event of a Yes.

mcem, a lot of the nationalism talk I've heard is extremely anti-English.

I am concerned like you Grandmanorm it also ,seems impossible to get straight forward answers to basic questions. Apparently Scotland will have no MI5 or MI6, which to be honest I do not know that much about, what I do know is they defend and protect our country, how on earth do you put together in a short space of time, years worth of intelligence information.
Foreign Embassies for Scotland all over the world will cost millions.
I read there are about 4 million that will be voting so in that case can I take it that there will be 4 million tax payers, not counting the 16, 17 year olds that will be voting. How on earth can that many people pay for all of this, after all Scotland only has 1 license to extract oil. A high percentage of companies in Scotland are not Scottish, even the salmon industry is 80% owned by foreign companies, what if these companies decide to leave, will the taxes to pay for basic services have to go up. If its a yes vote and it all goes wrong there will be no going back, then who will pick up the pieces, I can not see the activists having market stalls to help those who will be worse off.