Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

You do realise, do you not, that “the Scots” and “the electorate in Scotland” are two wholly different things, I hope? And that in any case you can’t talk about “them” as some sort of homogenous mass?

“The Scots” do not vote for the SNP. Up to around half of voters in Scotland vote for them (though normally a little less than half). The voting system for Holyrood is not perfect, just as it isn’t perfect for Westminster either. The number of seats won does not precisely reflect the number of votes won. And in any case, the SNP is a minority administration. The only reason they have been able to cause such constitutional mischief in the last 5 years is because the Scottish Green Party reneged on an election promise that they would only support another referendum under certain very specific conditions. These have not been met (not even close), but the Greens have become the useful idiots of the separatist movement in Scotland, and have been giving their unqualified support for efforts to win a new referendum for several years now.

There are 6 Green MSPs at the moment, which is *just* enough to create a separatist majority in the chamber.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

That is the problem, They are bad enough just now. So if they get ever get independence . God help us. We wold have NO one to help us out.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

That would mean he’d have to post something meaningful and accurate to aid a debate, don’t wish for the moon.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Really?

Do you mean like "Covid is a flu"?

---------- Post added at 11:52 ---------- Previous post was at 11:51 ----------

I wish that you would have a sense of humour, but that's like wishing for the moon... ;)

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Are we allowed to have and display a sense of humour nowadays?

I don't mean on here, but in general. Going by the amount of untalented unfunny comedians shown on the TV lately, and the ascendancy of the 'ooh I'm offended' culture, I'm guessing the answer is no :D

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Thinking about the new Alba party, now this is going to split the vote between the SNP and Alba.


So neither is likely to get a majority, so who do they team up with, as I can't see Salmond or Sturgeon teaming up following recent events?


I guess the upside is that this could kill the independence vote

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

It doesn't really work like that under the Holyrood voting system. As well as the constituency vote (same as Westminster) we all get a second 'list' vote which adds additional MSPs, taking account both of the number of list votes gained, but also the number of MSPs each party has gained in the constituency contest.

The Alba party is only standing on the list. It is not standing in any constituencies. If everyone who votes SNP in a constituency, then votes Alba on the list, the likelihood is that the Holyrood chamber would have around 60 SNP MSPs, all from constituency contests, and a further 30 Alba MSPs, all from the regional lists.

Nicola Sturgeon has argued that nationalist voters absolutely should not do this because that result would be such an egregious abuse of a voting system designed to create proportionality and fair representation, it would only end up harming the demand for a second referendum. The risk for her now though is that most, but not all, SNP supporters do as she asks and vote SNP on both the constituency and the list ballots. If the SNP bleeds a few list votes it may lose what list MSPs it has, without the Alba Party itself gaining enough votes to pick those seats up instead.

It's very hard to work out what might happen, because the voting system in use in Scotland is really only designed to repair the main deficiency in the first-past-the-post constituency contest, which is that a party may have a good showing across the country, but come second everywhere and end up with nothing. If the list becomes full of parties that only stand on the list, and do not put up candidates in individual constituencies too, then there is an increasing risk of perverse outcomes.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Whenever I see the polling predictions of how the Scottish will vote, I remember my small group of friends living in Scotland. They all told me in private messages that they would always vote against independence or the SNP, but would never admit that on forums or in conversations with friends or family.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

What about dual nationality? - the U.K. already allows that for Irish (and Canadian, amongst quite a lot of others) passport holders.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

If Scotland left the UK, would their footballers then have to abide by the same rules & regulations as other foreign players?

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

What you’re proposing is removing British citizenship from people born with it, and who voted against separation. That would be an extraordinary state of affairs and would have international repercussions. This is not the same as removal of EU so-called “citizenship” post-Brexit, which is actually no more than a gloss on a web of international treaties. British is a nationality recognised everywhere.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Collateral damage, blame the snp or better still get rid of them.

---------- Post added at 14:58 ---------- Previous post was at 14:36 ----------

That doesn't sound much like separatism.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Like the Irish who separated?