Rural Hungary

Have to ask John, isn't democracy by it's own definition, a dictatorship of the majority and your metaphor would be applicable to whichever side wins today?

Whatever happens today, the referendum will hopefully change the perception of politics for many in England and Scotland - and indeed Wales and Ireland... Never before have I heard a political issue so widely debated, well that's what I prefer to call it

As an aside, doing the school run at 7am this morning, went to the garage for petrol and there's a chap standing holding a board "SCOTLAND - Please help me get there". Assuming he was trying to get back to vote, I came very close to taking my son and I on a road trip North and only then did it hit me that emotion might actually make this closer than I thought possible

fidobsa

I've never regarded Britain as a democracy anyway. MPs don't vote for what's best for their constituents, they vote the way the party whip orders them to vote. If they had PR it would be a bit more democratic but the ultimate would be to do away with party politics altogether and have independent MPs.

FenTiger

Hear hear

Pollypaprika

Who was it who said 'Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor' :-)

Whatever happens...I hope that it brings a brighter future for Scotland.

FenTiger

On Facebook someone asked what could we call the UK or GB without Scotland and came up with 'Poundland'!

Pollypaprika

FenTiger

The Independence Election is finally over ...... I think the 'Yeses' must be devastated and the 'Nos' so happy. I would not be surprised if Alex Salmond tried again in five or more years time.
I'm mystified why people born in Scotland and no longer living there were barred from voting. People born in Scotland are still Scottish if they away from Scotland. They don't become English, American, French, Italian, Hungarian or whatever just because they are living in that country.
As per one website:
I wasn’t born in Scotland – Can I still register to vote in the referendum?

It doesn’t matter where you were born but you do need to be living in Scotland now. You also need to be a British, Irish, other European Union or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Qualifying Commonwealth citizens are those who have leave to enter or remain in the UK or do not require such leave.

The deadline to get onto the electoral register was 2nd September .... so a non-Scot living in say Spain could move to Scotland on 2nd September, register s/he is living in Scotland and vote! Huh! I would have thought a '5 year residence rule' should have applied.

Rural Hungary

I gave up questioning anything when I watched an interview with a French student, she is in Scotland to study - not sure how long for - whereupon she will go home to France, she voted no.

FenTiger

So the whole thing has been a total farce. It does not reflect well on Alex Salmond. He clearly has no heart for Scots who have ventured beyond Scotland. Funny enough the Scottish FA ... when they find out a good footballer has Scottish heritage via Grandparents they go doo lally and attempt to recruit them to the Scotland football team. Huh ...... come on .....

Rural Hungary

Yes, I think he shot himself in the foot as apparently, there are over 1.5 million expats and many of those would have been more likely to vote with their heart.

We have good footballers with Scottish ancestry??? Where

Jack_Russells4ever

Looks like there are already attempts to call for another election, there have been claims of massive vote fraud from some circles and claims of yes votes being found in a rubbish bin. We have not heard the last of Scottish secessionism.

fidobsa

So they might yet turn Great Britain into Little Britain!

FenTiger

Instead of Great Britain we should be called Great Benefits.

Rural Hungary

Sometimes I feel I'm living in Lucas's Little Britain already.