Re: if the scots go, do you care
 

I think you fixating on the "currency" question while I was generally speaking in general.

I don't get to vote and am a bit of a fence sitter that leans a little to the YES side. To say there haven't been any compelling arguments in favour is pure rubbish. If you go back through the threads there are many links to articles and youtube vid's that provide compelling arguments backed up with facts. If I remember correctly one was even done by a leading economist. There's more to the "YES" side than fixating on Salmond and comments like "every trick in the book".

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

Of course they would as like it or not London is a significant economic engine and a major world financial center and it would go with England taking its financial clout with it otherwise.

But the reality of scottish independence is that the politicians in London have said pretty plainly that they do not wish to enter a financial union with an independent scotland. Is it a bluff? Who knows. You would expect the leaders of an independent scotland to at least have a plan B rather than just sticking their fingers in their ears and pretending its not a potential problem.

Re: if the scots go, do you care
 

The currency issue is central to the economic questions, and the economy is central to the practicality of independence, so while I may not be fixated on it (as I dont have a dog in this fight as I cant vote), I do feel that those that can vote should be looking at this as a decent indicator of what a cluster**** its going to be if a majority do vote for independence despite the lack of a coherent plan.

Re: if the scots go, do you care
 

I didn't say (or at least mean that)there weren't any compelling arguments. My point was that the case for yes should be a bit more watertight than it is, at this stage, and given the gravity of the referendum.

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

I haven't been following the whole mess particularly closely, but did they ever say who'd end up being Scottish and who'd end up being British? Can anyone just trade British citizenship for Scottish, or will everyone in Scotland on independence day suddenly become Scottish?

Re: if the scots go, do you care
 

I agree and they'd have a better shot if they had "all" the answers but I don't think that's quite reasonable as a lot of things are intertwined. It does seem that the currency question is a big one and for me, I've been down the road of "that solution makes sense" to only read an opposing argument and end up back at square one.

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

Another informed opinion on the currency issue...

Independent Scotland's economy 'would crash if it tried to use sterling' | Politics | The Guardian

...bit of a dodgy name though :)

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

Why, because it's so fantastic? :lol:

Rising gap between rich and poor.
Increasing numbers of people having to access food banks.
Billions spent on nuclear weapons to be placed close to Scotland's biggest city.
Billions per year spent on a bloated armed forces that sends men to die in disgraceful wars such as in Iraq.
Embarrassing foreign policy in general.
Antiquated system of having a Royal Family.

https://opendemocracy.net/cdn/farfut...r-the-rich.png


But, you know, as long as London's well off and the Tories rich friends are having a good time, everyone else should just shut up and accept the way the country is going.

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

Well that's all lovely and fluffy, and I'm quite sure that all the "facts" in that flyer are not distortions or half-truths in the slightest, but simply saying "it doesn't have to be this way" is really not good enough. What is the alternative that is being proposed. How will Scottish independence help, for example, to improve trust in politicians (ha ha). How will Scottish independence somehow magically lower fares on rail services - is part of the manifesto for independence all about renationalising the railways, or are they planning to subsidise FirstGroup's shareholders? It's all bluster and nonsense, if I were a Scottish voter I'd want to see something a bit more substantial than this on which to base my country's future...

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

5,295,000
The first set of results from the 2011 Census in Scotland have shown that the population of the country was at its highest level ever. The population on Census Day was 5,295,000 - up 5% (233,000) since 2001 and the highest rise between two censuses in the past century.

I for one can't get my head around how this is going to work. Where will they get tax base from to run the country considering the population. The whole of the UK taxes are rising to keep up with demand for services. Can Scotland afford to pay it's obligations to their OAPs pensions, unemployment benefits, health care, housing benefits, Passports I could go but I think those Scot's that want Independence haven't really given this a lot of thought, maybe they have. I see a major disaster with a yes vote...... It's like when your kids decide to get out of the house to be Independent and how many come home to Mum and Dad because the reality is it's hard out there on your own...

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

:goodpost: This, exactly.

Its all very well to say "it doesnt have to be this way", but no one should make such an important decision based on speculation and wishful thinking. A plan that actually holds water on cursory examination would be nice.

But its an emotive topic for many voters (especially younger ones with no financial commitments and poor prospects anyway) and many will vote based on emotion rather than rational analysis of the opposing positions, so much may depend on who gets out to vote.

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

If you have the time, watch this video, it's one of many that answer your question. This one I found particularly easy to follow and understand :-)

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

Well let's see. Me and my siblings are Scottish. I left home at 16 playing hockey and never "had" to go back home and am doing quite well for myself. My siblings left after high school and are both doing well. Both my daughters went on their own right after high school and are putting themselves through Uni.

Maybe it something to do with being Scottish.

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

That's true but I wouldn't necessarily label it to younger voters. And then there are some that don't believe all the doom and gloom either.

Re: if the scots go, do you care?
 

Well it isn't lovely and fluffy, that's the point I was making. I was answering the question posed regarding why Scotland might want to leave the UK. And I've given plenty of reasons for this. The UK lags behind much of the developed world in many social and economic areas. Politically, Scotland is vey different to the rest of the UK in general - as evidenced by the vastly different voting patterns.
And I genuinely think that the SNP are more invested in the nation than the politicians at Westminster.

There's plenty of evidence been provided to show that Scotland could be a success post-independence. I don't think anyone's ever said it's be a utopia. The MSM are very against independence - you might want to stop just reading articles which just back up your biased viewpoint. Someone recently posted an article saying how great it was and it was a study commissioned by the Better together campaign!