Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Don't be fooled by ardent 'no' voters suddenly claiming to be ardent 'yes' voters. The SNP has always had a highly developed operation on that score, making their grass roots appear much larger and more vibrant than they really are. It is especially pernicious online. You have probably heard of the 'cybernat' phenomenon. The BBC' Scotland Politics editor, Brian Taylor, had to have his blog comments permanently turned off about 18 months ago because the cybernat infestation was so bad, it was impossible to have any meaningful debate beneath any of his posts. The Scotsman continues to suffer. Just have a look at their report on Osborne today and then view the synthetic outrage beneath it.

The Scottish voters are not fools. Polls have been showing for some time that they didn't expect the pound to be on offer to an independent Scotland. Other polls have shown Scotland to be just as Eurosceptic as the rest of the UK, despite assertions to the contrary by the SNP.

What will happen over the next few days is, the SNP will repeatedly be challenged to reveal their back-up plan for the currency. If they fail to provide one, others will step into the vacuum. There is one opinion piece on the Tele already, aiming to show that if it's not the Pound, it's the Euro. I predict that observation will gain traction over the coming weeks. There is no appetite for the Euro in Scotland. A Yes vote was never very likely but after today it is becoming a still more distant prospect.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance...what-it-means/

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Wonder if that's why English Jimi's gone so quiet... :D

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I'm sure he will be along soon 'tae' tell us how everything will be fine after a landslide victory for the yes camp.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

What you mean when he's finished crafting Salmond's PR campaign?... :D

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

It OK the Nats have a plan B for a new currency with most households having a stash of the currency already. :D

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2014/02/38.jpg

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

He's trapped under a bridge somewhere by the weather :LOL:

---------- Post added at 15:14 ---------- Previous post was at 15:10 ----------

That reminded me of this :)

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Listening to the SNP's response to this has been hilarious basically they seem to be saying this is a bluff it will never happen when we get independence we'll get what we want. Scottish people are not that stupid as to believe this well jimi aside and it shows how ridiculous the SNP are. Nearer we get to the vote and more and more facts come out and reality is less then the SNP say this vote will be a waste of time. One man's obsession and vanity project is going to crash down around him though I doubt he'll do the honourable thing and fade back into obscurity. Given the delusion that seems to exist he'll say the vote wasn't fair or proper in some way and start calling for another vote.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I am sure the Scotties will love using the Euro.. NOT.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The SNP have arrived are now in the big boy politics now. Westminster is willing to play their cards strongly and Scotland has just had it made quite clear to them that in the event of Independence that Scotland would really be Independent. It's not a fun little game, it's not a chance to be a bit different, it's real Independence. Salmond is furious at the suggestion that voting for Independence would make them Independent.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Maybe he wants Scotland to be like a spoilt child - leave home to show how 'independent' you are but reserve the right to come back when the cupboard's empty, you've no clean clothes and the money's run out...

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Leave home but get your parents to be the guarantor for your rent...or something...

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Please me I post that not all the people in Scotland want's independence as I for one think we are all better to be united as one unit ... sorry Jimmi ...

---------- Post added at 21:49 ---------- Previous post was at 21:40 ----------

and would certain people stop trying to goad Jimi ... please :D

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Haha the SNP are totally pathetic. Their responses to the news from Westminster was so funny. claiming that it was all a bluff and just trying to get people to vote no.

They really are showing their true colours and acting like spoilt children. How can they expect to be independant and still use a currency from a different country is beyond me. However there are silly people out there that will still side with the SNP and believe that Westminster is just trying to trick people in to staying part of the UK.

Better as one.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Yes, we're torn between Osem Jnr. either doing that or wanting to live with us forever*... :erm:

(He's a top lad so I probably wouldn't mind if he wanted to :) )

Seriously I don't see how any Scot determined to gain independence would view what Salmond's offering as that.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I'm watching you Mrs Teeny Weenie.:D

-MOD EDIT- Please stop posting full articles. A simple quote and link to the rest of it is perfectly acceptable however.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Oh dear as well as fat ecks currency plans being torpedoed now his EU plans are taking a kicking.

http://bit.ly/1gOObn9

Maybe time for the mystical 'legal opinion' the SNP claimed to have to make an appearance.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

It's great isn't it.

The SNP asserts that currency union is in everyone's interests. The top mandarin in the Treasury says it isn't, so he therefore is wrong. The Chancellor says it isn't going to happen (as does his shadow, and his Lib Dem deputy), so therefore they are wrong. It's just a negotiating tactic, and anyway they're just bullies.

The SNP asserts that Scotland can join the EU, on its own terms, within 18 months of this September. Now the head of the European Commission says it will be difficult, and may be impossible, for Scotland to join the EU. So therefore he is wrong, and his views, coming as they do from the man that runs the machine and knows all the heads of government Scotland would have to negotiate with, are "preposterous".

John Swinney is preposterous. I can't believe the Scottish people are going to turn out in September and vote for what the SNP is selling. I wouldn't even buy a used car from them.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Nearer we get to the vote the more downsides and out and out lies will be bought into the light and scots will have to see the SNP for what they are a bunch of fantasists and liars. If the tactic to answer everything and everyone that doesn't agree with the SNP version is to insult them or accuse them of bullying this is going to descend into a complete joke and the Scots people are worth a hell of a lot more then for scotland to be seen that way.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The problem is, the SNP has had the field to itself since forever. They have been used to making wild assertions about how indeScotland will be a land flowing with milk and honey without anyone bothering to call them out on it. Now, there is an actual debate leading to an actual vote and people are calling them out on their nonsense. And it is suddenly becoming clear that the SNP has grown so used to making unchallenged assertions, they actually didn't realise that this time, they were going to have to have some evidence and some convincing arguments behind them.

It is truly shocking that with each assault on their assertions, their response is invariably to claim that they are being bullied, their opponents are preposterous, everyone else is wrong and the SNP is right.

The truly awful Angus Robertson has been on the airwaves this morning uttering threats about the Scottish people rising up against all these bullies. He treats the Scottish people with contempt, assuming that they all see things the way the SNP tells them, without engaging any critical faculties at all.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

After much reasoned debate, and in light of the growing consensus of opinion disputing Salmond's version of the 'facts', the SNP's catchy new pre-referendum slogan has just been unveiled:


Vote YES- everyone else is wrong & they're all just nasty bullies anyway so there!


:D

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

No way do I want the euro, I want to stay with the pound to better safe than sorry I will vote NO, just wish it was all over. !!!!!!!

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

So now the EU are also bullying Scotland? Poor Salmond, everyone is picking on him :(

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I don't like the provocative language the SNP use. They always seem to react in a petulant way whenever they get exposed. They are living up to the stereotypical Scotsman image of having a short fuse, aggressive nature and always spoiling for a fight. It's embarrassing. Because David Cameron won't have a live debate with Salmond he's a "coward". Because the Chancellor has ruled out a currency union he's a "bully".

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

... And because Barroso has predicted difficulties with Scotland's application to join the EU, he's "Preposterous".

All of which is highly undiplomatic language from people who aspire to seats at at places like the UN, NATO and the EU.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

[QUOTE=Jimi;35672874]I'm watching you Mrs Teeny Weenie.:D

Watch and learn Jimi :LOL: :waving: ;) and remember and try to behave ....

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

They're not endearing themselves to many people on a domestic or European level. There is a real sense of denial creeping into their campaign as Salmond's wishlist (AKA The White Paper) is torn to bits left, right and center.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

i cant wait to see what he will say if the vote come in and they want to stay part of the UK in september, what is he going to say then the Scotish poeple are picking on him lol

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

He will say that the no vote was a result of all the brits bullying the scots

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

lol he probably will or the vote was rigged.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Salmond will probably react the same way as the EU does to a no vote - demand another vote so the Scots have a second chance to get the 'right' answer.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Whatever his excuses will be it certainly won't be because the Scottish voters don't want something fixed that isn't broke

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

You're not expecting him to accept a defeat with grace and magnanimity then? :eeek:

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I only hope the NO vote is a significant enough majority to send the Nats off under a rock for a significant length of time. A slim victory will just leave them agitating for a rerun.

They haven't done a bad job being in charge of the Scottish parliament where they have just enough power not to be able to knacker things too badly so I wouldn't mind them as a suitable replacement for labour up here.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

If only there were a suitable alternative for Liebour down here!!!! ;)

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

What's becoming very clear is the SNP has no plan B they were so deluded they would get their own way in all negotiations that no alternative was prepared or planned so all they can do when plan A is torn apart by the real world and how it works in reality is be petulant. Right now neither the SNP or Scotland are looking good.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The EU dose not understand what a no vote is, which is the same for that idiot Salmond. He will keep going at it until he gets a yes vote.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Maybe they'll have to change the question to get him to see sense. How about:

"Do you want to remain part of the UK and reject Alec Salmond's plans for an independent Scotland? Yes or No"

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

i cant wait to see his face when the no vote wins

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Same here :)

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

i bet he will try and rebuild hadrian's wall and sulk like someone robbed his lollypop

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Indeed, the conservatives have proven just as inept, guess we'll have to give nick a go next time round :shocked:

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Will the conspiracy against those poor Scots ever end? :(

http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index...-came-to-power

Yet more bullying from the Tory-led, London-based, anti-Scottish media. Yet it doesn't even stop there. Guess what the so-called 'impartial' state (i.e Westminster) broadcaster did then:

Unbelievable.

Also I was so angry at this propaganda I went and looked at what the BBC stands for, it's so obvious I can't believe we didn't notice it before. It's the BRITISH Broadcasting Company!

Sickening.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

What, and no use of the Welsh flag either?? Blasphemy!!!

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Don't forget the anti-SNP Ryvita Damien. "It doesn't stop with TV. I saw a packet of Ryvita with a Union Flag motif grinning out of the packaging" I hope that comment is genuine I really do. The picture below shows just how despicable Ryvita are...

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

It all smacks of a relationship whereby one partner is accusing the other of holding the them back..But what we are holding Scotland back from I'm not entirely sure.

Just exactly what do they expect to get from independence? What vision do they actually have of a future Scotland? How much richer will the average Scot be?

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The seps really are getting their excuses in early.

Even if the referendum is a resounding, thumping great big NO, it will merely be evidence of a massive Establishment conspiracy. Apparently.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

If they do get smacked down i'll choose to believe it's evidence that we're not as gullible as they think we are.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

:D

http://newsthump.com/2014/02/17/alex...ger-member-of/

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Noooo, Virgin are just bluffing

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Virgin aren't just bluffing. They're bullying Salmond and, by extension, all of Scotland.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The next thing will be that Salmond will start claiming they were bullied into having an independence referendum... :D

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

This is a good point

salmond does not talk for the people of Scotland - he speaks for a minority some of whom are the worst sort of racist crackpots.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I agree with you. I just wish it was over & we can get back to normal, if that is possible. We could never go it alone. We need each other. ;)

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I agree
:clap::clap::clap:

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The latest survey conducted shows it's still a unanimous no:

http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net...20Scotland.pdf

The next poll should be out by the 1st of March. Will be good to see how things sit following the last 7 days of white paper bashing from down south and Europe.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Punditry suggests that Salmond's Braveheart rhetoric over the pound and the EU may win him some short-term sympathy over the next few weeks, but that once the furore dies down Scotland will be left with the threat of actual independence, i.e. no EU and no pound, and this will play on voters' minds, further entrenching the NO vote.

For the time being, it's heartening to see business as usual in the YouGov figures, a 60/40 vote for the Union amongst those certain to vote. Even on the top line results, YES is going to have to take all the 'don't knows' in order just to lose with its honour intact.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

What was nice to note that only 1 in 5 surveyed felt negatively towards England, and only 1 in 4 thought the Union was a bad thing.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

It will be interesting to see how this translates to polling once we've had a few weeks. I don't believe it will lead to a temporary Yes bounce. I think we might see a slight uptick in Nos with Yes remaining the same. However that No vote will become a lot more solid and less likely to budge.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Remind me, why do we want them to stay?

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

because, as the campaign says, "we're better together"

I don't want Scotland to leave, I don't think any right minded person would.

Same as any right minded Scot should want to stay.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

"Them".

There's a reason right there. We're a tiny little island yet Salmond's crap still stirs up the us and them nonsense. The sooner people realise that nonsense has no place in the present the better.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

We don't want 'them' to stay, we want 'us' to stay together...
:clap::clap::clap:

Exactly.

I was born and raised in Scotland, and have lived in England for thirty-odd years (after a spell in the forces); I have one brother who lives in England, another who lives in Jersey, and a brother and sister who live in Glasgow (and all of my siblings have families, some of whom live inside, and some who live outside, Scotland).

There is no them/us, there is only us - anything else is being used to divide us, to raise emotions (mostly negative) for other's political benefit - the old truism of "it's easier to find a scapegoat for your problems than to solve them" is being used here.

I am not keen on having to go through border controls to visit my parents' graves in St Conval's Cemetery..... :(

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Yes them, no reason at all by the sound of it

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Turns out Herman von Rumpy-Pumpy agrees with Barrosso: Scottish EU accession will be difficult, if not impossible:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...00-a-year.html

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Well said Kabaal and Hugh... What does A Salmon and N Sturgeon really hope for, what is there to gain or benefit!!!

Would he be called King Salmon the First, President Salmon or Prime Minister Salmon.

Just for instance the vote was yes and a few years down the line everything went tits up, who would they turn to for help.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I hate Alex Salmond. He's put me on the same side of a debate as Manuel Barrosso and Herman Von Rumpuy.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Is he now the most bullied person in the world?

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Manuel, George, Ed, Danny, Sir Nicholas and now Herman have all put the boot in.

Poor Aleck. They took his dinner money and his library tickets.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Poor Eck. Even his past comments are coming back to bully him.

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2014/02/24.jpg

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Remember Comical Ali?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9aW1atFLMM

His grandiose and grossly unrealistic propaganda broadcasts before and during the war were met with widespread derision and amusement.

One Telegraph reader pointed out that Alex Salmond is quick becoming the Scottish version. "Comical Ali Salmond".

Bullying Scotland???
 

Even David Bowie's 'bullying' Salmond's Tartan Twits now:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...h-independence


:D

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

If Scotland goes independant, it won't get in to the EU as Spain won't let it in because of their Basque independence problem*, it will be full bore passport and Customs controls at Scotland's EU border - there are only a dozen crossing so it won't be that difficult to close the border to vehicles and the A1 already has the area set aside for a border post.

If a Scottish person wants to work in the rest of the EU they will have to apply for a work Visa like the rest of the world.

* if Scotland goes independent the Spanish Basque region will want Independence as well (as well as other parts of other eu contries)

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

There has been a 'yes' bounce. ;)

A small one, mind you, but nonetheless.

This of course is exactly what the No campaign expected would happen, which is why they have started getting the hard messages out now, 7 months ahead of the vote, rather than in the last few days.

Salmond is being played off the field by experts and he doesn't even realise it. In playing the man, not the ball, he has lost an opportunity to counter the argument about the pound. He has gone for populism (Bullies!) and denial, which is a great rabble rouser, but in six months time the facts about the pound and the EU will still be on the table and Salmond's ammunition has already gone.

And the longer he sticks to his current line of denial, the more entrenched will become the idea that he and his plan can't be trusted.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Kind of concerned there is a bounce in Yes to be honest. Can't believe that such obvious nationalist populism resonates better than the practicalities of the economy. It's always been my assumption that most of politicking is a side-show that matters little, bar a minority of ideologues, and the fundamentals of jobs, pensions and mortgages tend to decide elections. :erm:

I see what you're saying about this being a temporary boost that will then give way to the practical questions of independence but that polling suggests most Scots believe Westminster is bluffing. That would explain why there hasn't been a boost in the No polling and why they believe that Westminster is 'bulling' Scotland.

It's also quite surprising that, according to the poll, a large number of Scots seem to honestly believe that rUK would be willing to lose some sovereignty over our currency and risk being on the hook for Scottish banks. It's not as if we haven't got an example of us rejecting currency unions before nor have a pretty good example of why a Currency Union without closer political union isn't a good idea.

Again I am not sure they quite understand what they will be voting for in September. That they are voting for Independence and not just a slightly greater degree of freedom from Westminster. They won't get to leave the Union but keep everything they like about it. Get to have a better country but still depend on the rest of the Union for the things it does well.

Salmond really is a snake oil merchant with a brass neck that would make any of the main political parties leaders blush. I quite like the story about him in the Economist: http://www.economist.com/news/leader...ded-submission

Hasn't changed much then. Only this time that ice cream will not only be cheaper, it will be healthier and you can have as much as you like without getting fat. For free.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The polls were carried out in the immediate aftermath of the row blowing up over the pound and Salmond's typically pugilistic response.

It's difficult to get across to someone in England just how loathed the Tories are up here. Yes, they have a core vote of around 16% but outside of that they're about as welcome as bacon butties at a bar mitzvah. Any Tory saying or doing anything with regards to Scotland will immediately elicit a contrary response from a significant section of the Scottish public. This is why Salmond is so desperate to get a TV debate with Cameron, and why Cameron has had the good sense to refuse.

However, Darling (for it is he who is pulling the strings) is playing a blinder. He has got Balls, Alexander and Osborne singing from the same hymn sheet and at a point in the debate which has forced Salmond to expend his ammo far too early. You don't need to worry about the immediate reaction. The Scottish electorate is not stupid and the cold, hard facts about currency, and EU membership will weigh heavily on the debate from now on, with people increasingly dwelling on the message rather than the messenger.

And remember, the only poll that counts is the one where you mark an X in the box. People tend to think much more carefully about the ballot box than an opinion poll.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

But how does Better Together make it clear that the rejection of a Currency Union is not a bluff? Otherwise this will undermine the whole thing, if most Scots think they're getting in anyway.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Most Scots don't think it's a bluff. Polling has shown that a clear majority think the pound will not be on offer in the event of a Yes vote. They have been showing this for some time, certainly long before this week's events. Polling has also shown for some time that Scots want to keep the pound. These two facts will work together in the coming months.

As I said, the facts about the pound and EU membership are now on the table, and will remain there. Salmond will be under continual pressure to reveal his Plan B until he either does a U-turn, or makes himself look utterly ridiculous.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The EU won't be on offer either.
All goods imported into the EU will have a 17.5% VAT rate added. There may not be a duty rate except on sugar, Ireland will ask for the excise duty on Scotch to be doubled to protect Jameson's whiskey.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Another tidbit that has gone largely unreported this week is that Lloyds TSB has registered the new holding company for the TSB Bank, which it is due to sell off, in England, for tax purposes. The company said it was concerned about the impact on the sale, if the company had been Scottish-registered, because investors believe there are too many unanswered questions over the tax regime of an independent Scotland.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...land-move.html

The TSB was founded in Scotland in 1810 and will continue to be registered as a bank in Scotland, although that will be cold comfort to John Swinney who in the event of a Yes vote will not be able to tax the company's profits. Those will flow into the UK exchequer in London.

Standard Life, which is registered in Scotland but has most of its pensions customers elsewhere in the UK, is also said to be somewhat concerned for its future. And I bet they're not the only ones.

This is good, the nearer we get to the referendum, the more businesses are prepared to abandon attempts to curry favour with the current office holders in Edinburgh in favour of looking out for their long-term interests.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Some folks just like to hear what they want to hear. Think about all those people who ran up totally unserviceable levels of expenditure and debt in spite of all the warnings about what would inevitably happen. It's the triumph of hope and even despair over reality.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

But even then there is a tangible benefit to better public services and a ideology that favours higher public spending. In this case there is little other than emotion...

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I was actually referring to personal spending and debt. However as with public spending, unless the money borrowed is well spent it doesn't guarantee anything except greater debt. which sooner or later has to be repaid along with vast amounts of interest which buys nothing. There are plenty of foolish and naïve people around.

As for the yes voters, well there's nowt as queer as folk...

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

An ICM/Scotland on Sunday poll out today shows a slight increase in the No vote and no change in the Yes vote since the UK parties confirmed a separate Scotland would not have a currency union with rUK.

I've also since heard people criticising Survation, the organisation which did the Daily Mail poll during last week which showed a slight uptick for Yes.

Either way it hasn't at this stage crippled either campaign and when undecideds and definite abstainers are stripped out, the underlying figures are now as they ever have been, namely about 38 Yes 62 No. Which after a campaign that has already been on for well over a year, is pretty damning for Salmond.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

That's just more 'bullying' for you. Salmond's got it all under control... :D

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

... and now Ed Miliband is the latest to kick sand in Alec's face:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/poli...-Minister.html

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

At what point do we question how much we're willing to put with this level of bullying?

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

"....if they left the UK while he was Prime Minister".

You can always rely on Ed for a laugh.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

If Scotland votes for independence this September they won't actually break away until March 2016.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The proposed separation date is just another one of Alex Salmond's assertions. Unlike the currency and EU membship, that one hasn't come under any scrutiny - yet. ;) In the unlikely event of a Yes vote, the negotiations will take as long as they take, and won't be subject to a timetable dictated by the SNP, who continually forget that most of their promises hinge on the goodwill of people and organisations they have spent the last 18 months royally slagging off at every opportunity.

Even so, I suspect Mr A may have been chuckling at Ed's presumption of being Prime Minister after next May. Or ever.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

It's all well and good for Salmond to keep up the braveheart rubbish but he has to realise that the Scots are not stupid enough to vote yes on that alone and that he was going to have to answer serious questions in most of his plans. It's worrying that he has nothing to offer in answer to latest events then to retreat into some lala land of denial that he seems to believe and expects others to just go along with. Right now unless I've missed something he's about as credible politically as sooty and sweep.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I read an interesting comment piece in the Graun last week, which suggested that the SNP knows the jig is up and is now pursuing a core vote strategy, pushing all the right buttons to ensure the hardcore activists stay happy.

Presumably somewhere in the party hierarchy they will have worried what will happen to the nationalist cause if the referendum is a complete disaster for them. Party splits may not be entirely unthinkable, but if Alec can say "I did my best but those rotten scheming Unionists used their Establishment power to thwart me" then he might survive with his reputation intact. Amongst the party faithful, at least.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

At the start of this I always wondered if Cameron had played Salmond's bluff but calling the referendum way earlier than the SNP would have wanted it. I think Salmond wanted to gradually inch his way there by getting more devolved powers ,establishing the SNP in Scottish politics more consistently, and then calling it when the time suited him (i.e if the Euro is no longer a basket case).

I still wonder if this is the case and if Salmond has another goal in mind. Devo-max....

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Salmond is a gradualist and wanted "devo max" as a precursor to full independence. He wanted devo max as a third option on the referendum but Dave played hardball with him. He knows he can't sell independence in the raw but he thinks there's an outside chance of selling it if he makes it look as much like devo max as possible, hence the guff about currency union, NATO, the Queen, etc, very little of which has been SNP policy until quite recently.

He may have been hoping the UK Gov would start giving concessions in order to buy off potential Yes voters - maybe even promising to grant devo max, everything except actually relinquishing the Westminster parliament's sovereignty over Scotland, which could be obtained at a later date.

He may now be hoping to shore up the Yes vote as much as possible in order to prevent the issue being buried for 50 years.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Trouble is if Scottish independence becomes an issue too often it may no longer be the case of Scotland breaking from the union but the union wanting shot of Scotland I've seen a hardening of views towards Scots independence with many people getting fedup of constantly being portrayed as the bad guys I know it's hardly representative. Personally I'm getting sick of salmond and his pathetic nationalist rants but I don't hold anything against the Scots or Scotland as a whole I know he is a part and not representative of scotland. By the time this is done the damage he could do might not be so easy to repair even without the issue not being resolved for quite a while.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

I think a good deal of damage has already been done. A great many people I know are hacked off with hearing about how Scotland wants to have its cake and eat it - pick and choose which bits of 'independence' it wants to suit themselves and to hell with everyone else. Even if there's a sizeable NO vote I wonder how many companies might be thinking that the genie's out of the bottle and Scotland isn't a good place to be.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

The only danger is a slim majority NO vote.

That will allow Salmond to lick his wounds and come back for another go in 10 years or so. A resounding rejection of his plans will be enough to kick the Nats into the long grass for a generation or two and leave Scotland open for business.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

From 'Twop twips' this monring:

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Alex Salmond's true aspirations for Scotland revealed: He wants it to be like Panama or Montenegro.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...cy-Plan-B.html

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

Well, he's been called out on it.

Be interesting to see how he trys to sell this one, as this, for any right minded Scot would be the nail in the yes campaign coffin.

Re: Will Scotland Leave the UK?
 

So what are the polls indicating now?:erm: