Will Scotland Leave the UK?

[techguyone]

Originally Posted by Osem

I think there's a whole lot of folks in Scotland only hearing what they want to hear right now and of course Salmond's always been the embodiment of presentation over substance. I'm not sure they fully appreciate that if it all goes pear shaped there's no way back.

I don't think they do.

My wife is Scottish and she lives here with me in England, she's engaged quite a few old friends in Scotland, and once the veneer of friendliness has worn off, it generally degenerates to 'well its nowt to do with you, you don't live here any more, you have no say - besides you don't know what you're talking about'.

Then we invariably get directed to 'Wings over Scotland' or some such comedy site.

I genuinely now think that enough Scots have been sold by the 'English oppressors' line (yes really...) that they'll vote for iScotland regardless of any consequences.

I also believe once salmonds make-it-up-as-you-go politics fall apart, it'll end up - somehow - being the English's fault again.

One things for sure though, whatever the outcome, there now exists a massive undercurrent of bad feeling between the Scottish & English people that just didn't exist before.

Than's Cameron for being a limp wristed indecisive politician... and thank YOU Blair for allowing Devolution to start this whole sorry mess starting - way to go fellas.

Originally Posted by Chris

I believe there is a TNS-BMRB poll coming this week. Their polls are conducted face to face, not across the internets, and are part of a wider market research project, so they may well catch a different set of opinions. It will be interesting to see whether they come up with something different than Yougov and Panelbase (and Survation?) which use a sample of internet volunteers.

Yes I am looking forward to that poll too. Whatever happens the comfortable led to No has gone now.

The Government and Labour have been shocking over this. Only now do they think they better pay attention. In late August Westminster and the media were more interested in Clacton than Scotland. I am pretty sure losing a seat to UKIP is less disruptive than losing the entirety of Scotland. The politicians have been coming out with suggestions for policy that haven't really not helped Darling. UKIP want to hold a rally up there! Hopefully now that the prospect of Yes winning is very real they'll decline to do so. Labour have done pretty much nothing, Darling and Douglas Alexander excluded, to campaign for fear of being tagged too closely with the Tories.

All the Westminster parties need to shut up and focus on this for the next 10 days and do what they can to help which means getting more involved (Labour) or stop feeding the Yes campaign's talking points (UKIP).

[Derek]

Originally Posted by techguyone

I also believe once salmonds make-it-up-as-you-go politics fall apart, it'll end up - somehow - being the English's fault again.

One things for sure though, whatever the outcome, there now exists a massive undercurrent of bad feeling between the Scottish & English people that just didn't exist before.

It'll be the fault of the English for not giving us whatever we want in negotiations plus a bonus.

This campaign has turned so poisonous it's untrue with NO signs being vandalised at every turn and some people if previously thought of as reasonable polluting my Facebook with David Icke level nonsense about secret oil fields that MI5 have kept quiet till someone who worked on the drilling crews mum leaked it on twitter (seriously) and having to take pens into the voting booth incase MI5 rub out the pencil marks and change their votes.

---------- Post added at 10:32 ---------- Previous post was at 10:30 ----------

Originally Posted by Damien

UKIP want to hold a rally up there! Hopefully now that the prospect of Yes winning is very real they'll decline to do so.

We've still got the prospect of the clowns in the Orange Order staging a march in Edinburgh to look forward to which is a massive own goal for the No camp if it goes ahead.

[LondonRoad]

The more information people receive over the next 10 days then the more likely the Yes campaign will succeed according to this study:

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politic...-yes-1-3534372

[MalteseFalcon]

Might already have been answered, but not going back through 136 pages (being lazy).

Was a reason ever given for excluding England, Wales and Northern Ireland from this referendum? If it is going to have such a dramatic effect on the UK if Scotland leaves why was it only allowed to happen in Scotland?

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

Was a reason ever given for excluding England, Wales and Northern Ireland from this referendum? If it is going to have such a dramatic effect on the UK if Scotland leaves why was it only allowed to happen in Scotland?

Because they'll be the ones to go Independent. It's their decision. You cannot force someone out of the country or force them to say in.

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

Might already have been answered, but not going back through 136 pages (being lazy).

Was a reason ever given for excluding England, Wales and Northern Ireland from this referendum? If it is going to have such a dramatic effect on the UK if Scotland leaves why was it only allowed to happen in Scotland?

Because it is not a referendum on ending the UK, despite the hyperbole in the Press this morning. It is a referendum on Scotland leaving the UK. As such, it's a decision only Scotland can make.

[Qtx]

Is this the demographic of the scottish population now?

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Qtx

Is this the demographic of the scottish population now?

The foreign vote could swing it

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...th-border.html

It's getting very dire indeed:

https://twitter.com/ian_a_jones/stat...93722219241472

The new TNS poll on Scottish independence is a sensation. It's embargoed until midnight, but I doubt the media will wait that long.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...eferendum-live

The Guardian’s Ewen MacAskill has been told there is little relief on the horizon for Alistair Darling and the no campaign: that the next poll to be published on Tuesday will confirm the trend.

[Mr Angry]

All to play for.

Clearly Osborne et al are now having to make offers of concessions beyond those which they had originally anticipated.

This is funny to watch.

[Hom3r]

What turn out will be needed to make it legal? What if less that 50% turn up to vote, surely you need a high turn out?

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

What turn out will be needed to make it legal? What if less that 50% turn up to vote, surely you need a high turn out?

On SKY News press preview last night they suggested, based on the postal votes submitted so far, that it's going to be the biggest turn out for any vote in Scottish history.

They way things are going this vote could be decided by a margin of as little as 30,000 votes. The future of a country decided by the slimmest of majorities. Whatever the outcome, almost half the population will not get what they want. It's going to take a long time to mend what is a country divided.

[Mr Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

What turn out will be needed to make it legal? What if less that 50% turn up to vote, surely you need a high turn out?

The first to get over 50% wins, no matter what the turnout is.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

What turn out will be needed to make it legal? What if less that 50% turn up to vote, surely you need a high turn out?

Nope. No minimum turnout needed.

As things stand the turnout will be high 80s maybe even 90s. A lot of people who would never normally vote are for this one which could be an issue for No.