Scotland forever!

Stansgran I can see your point. It must be frustrating for people to accept Scots MPs having a say in English matters, but unfortunately Holyrood has devolved powers and while we get to make decisions in many areas i.e health and education there are still some areas that are controlled by Westminster. Scotland therefore must have a voice in these matters.

Having lived in Scotland all my life, it'll be a No for me and for most of my family and social circle. I have only seen one Yes flyer and that was in the window of a car in the Tesco car park! I have not spoken to one person who intends to vote Yes (Although I appreciate that this might say more about my friends and family than the mood of the country).

I think the currency issue will be a huge factor in how people vote and it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few months. Unless Alex Salmond can convince the electorate that George Osborne was talking rubbish when he said there could be no currency union, I think he will be put on the back foot.

I think one of the issues is that the Nationalist have actually delivered quite a lot in their time in power; free prescriptions, free sight tests, free personal care and tuition fee reform. While this all looks positive I don't think enough scrutiny has been applied to how we can afford to sustain this in the long term.

I genuinely think that if the No vote prevails that the Nationalists will use the result as a bargaining tool to extract greater powers from Westminster.

I don't really like getting involved in politics (I don't know enough about it) but I don't think this is an issue that anyone in Scotland can hide from.

wow! what a memory you have absent Forgotten all about that, so granny23 was the first Scot to throw her hat in the ring.Sorry thatbags you are hereby relegated to being the second Scot to do so.

rosesarered In an earlier thread granny23 made some very extensive and detailed comments about Scottish independence, a subject about which she is very well informed. I think she made her voting intentions crystal clear a long while ago.

I get so cross that we have MPs representing Scotland in Westminster and they have their own Parliament and as far as I can see we tax payers pay for the lot.

I think the issue of EU membership will be a deciding factor in the results of the referendum.

If Scotland becomes independent, there will be considerable difficulties in joining the EU, I suspect. Will it have a 'bypass' (my word) accession to the EU or, which might be likely, a wait of 5 years before becoming eligible. There will be some strong opposition from other European members in allowing an 'easy-in'.

It'll be interesting to see how this develops.

Need a proper Northumbria, Joelsnan, i.e., North of the Humber.
I thought Yorkshire had a vote when Blair was in power and voted no. Might vote differently now.

Well I guess they could just pass a law that said the Euro and the GB pound were both legal tender in an independent Scotland. But that would leave them without a currency of their own wouldn't it, and although i am no economist, that would not work would it? The point about one's own currency is that it is backed by a promise "I promise to pay the bearer on demand" and all that.
Help! I kind of follow this kind of thing if Robert Peston explains. But I'm sure there are considerable disadvantages to not having your own currency.
If Scotland were to have a Scottish pound it would not be backed by the promise of the Bank of England.

Yorkshire has about the same population as Scotland (so do many other regions). I think Westminster has treated this region particularly badly, therefore I would like to propose independence for Yorkshire

Here-here Bags.
I am an English/British resident of Scotland - 33 years, more than half my life. I shall be voting NO and so will most of my friends and neighbours, most of whom are Scots born, who wish to remain with the Union. I only know a handful of Yessers and yes, I believe most of them are carrying huge chips on their shoulders. I know a number of people operating small businesses. Should there be a Yes vote, it will have a huge impact on them and many of them will either move south of the border or, more likely, go out of business. As for Sean Connery, the great Scottish Nationalist, he does very well fighting for his Country from the safety of the W.I. or Switzerland or, Spain, or wherever he lives - nuff said .

Got it the wrong way around!!! good grief it is time I retired

That's what i thought, whitewave

What did you mean by "no on a chip", by the way? I'll be voting no because i think the yessers mainly want to vote yes because of massive anti-english chips on their shoulders, not because I have an anti-english chip. I am English as well as British. I live in Scotland and have done for half my adult life.

Oh yes that is what I meant I think

And the Catalonians.

Re currency - it may not be something that Westminster recommends but they can't stop Scotland using the £. It just means that they wouldn't have a say in the currency they were using which doesn't sound very democratic to me.
With regard to Spain it is probably the Basque issue?

The point about the BBCis the licence fee. The fees paid by the scots would go to a new SBC or whatever and that would enable them to put on the programmes that people in Scotland really want. And buy East Enders etc from the BBC.
Yes Wales too, NHS and Education are not run from Westminster - the latest NHS reorganisation does not apply (although cuts do) and there are no academy schools or free schools.
Re the currency the 3 main Westminster parties all agreed publicly last week that it is not going to work. For a whole lot of technical reasons. The Governor of the Bank of England (a Canadian) agrees.
Had not thought to the passport issue!
I think that Alex S just tells it and sells it as he would like to think it would all be sorted - as if he would win every negotiation that would ensue, hands down. And there would be a few negotiations (could go on for years and years and fully occupy AS and all his cronies in the process. ). One of the issues that would have to be renegotiated is EU membership for Scotland and there are a number of very powerful figures in Europe who are very much against them getting it - because of the example it would set in other parts of EU. (think of Spain in particular)
Also I think the un-picking process would cost a fortune and taxpayers on both sides of "the border" would have to pay.

The NHS in Scotland is already under the control of the Scottish Government as is Education. Donald Trump is in a huff because the courts have ruled against him in the matter of a windfarm which he says would spoil the view from his, as yet not constructed, monstrous hotel. Ironically, he has already spoilt the views of those residents affected by his constructions.
I'm born and bred a Scot, though I have lived in England for over 40 years. I am proud to be Scottish and British. I hope that my compatriots on the other side of the Border will feel the same and keep the two nations united. I would not wish to relinquish my British passport.

penguinpaperback It is a EU legality -

"For the Scottish government, free university tuition for Scottish students has been a mantra"

"Because of European law, the Scottish government also has to provide free tuition at Scottish universities for students from other EU countries - but not for those from other parts of the UK."

"It has been argued that if Scotland became independent after next year's referendum, then students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland would have to be offered free tuition too."

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23279868)

I suppose the money has to come from somewhere.

The maximum fees payable by UK and EU students at universities in England and Wales trebled last year to a maximum of £9,000.

GiLLT57 Do you know that if the vote is for indepedence then you will become a Scottish citizen?

I would love to know why English students pay more? Stories like this make me believe for Salmond, it's a case of anti English rather than pro Scotland. There was a BBC programme on late one night, might be a couple of years ago now which followed the lives of families living near the area Donald Trump was building his golf course. It was shameful, the poor people would find their fences torn down, lanes blocked by Trump's builders, security people. When interviewed these people didn't have any high regard for Alex Salmond!

I have read a bit about the issues involved and really if I was Scottish I would want much more information than they seem to be getting. It is no good voting "no" on a chip or "yes" on a nostalgic whim.

Questions like

If the Scots stick with the £ will they have any say in de-valuing, interest rates, etc etc

What share if assets/debits will be coming the Scots way and how is it to be decided.

What about the oil? Is it true that pipes are being laid to Newcastle from the North Sea

What happens to the NHS - how is that to be carved up

Loads more but you get the point

If I was given the opportunity to vote it would be YES

I am Scottish but moved to England for a year in 1968 when I was offered a job. It has been a long year! I am not entitled to vote but if I did I would vote a resounding NO. Alex S seems to want it all his own way but still have England to lean on re the £ if everything goes pear shaped for him.

MacSporran and Rory will also be voting NO!!!

At least Sean Connery is from Scotland Gill, I don't think David Bowie is Scottish is he?