robin1234

OK, but there is a big difference. The Scottish parliament in 1707 was a genuine representative parliament of a free, independent country. (Certainly, the two countries had a vexed history after the century of civil war and revolution, the seventeenth century.) The Irish parliament a century later, that signed on to the union between Ireland and Gt Britain, was a tool of the Protestant ascendancy, and didn't represent the Irish people.

scrubbedexpat099

The English Parliament of that time was not, without looking it up I doubt the Scots were any different.

Hotscot

Of course I don't agree with this. Not saying you're wrong..I'm not arguing.
I just feel for example that I, and others like me, should have more say as someone born in Scotland, who has contributed positively for many decades, and intend doing so again. Compared to say a 15 year old child from Greece who recently turned 16.

However it's nae problem since the majority of my fellow Scotsmen/Scotswomen/other voters saw sense.

robin1234

Well, this was 1707. Times were different. This was way before a democratic franchise, which was gradually introduced in the UK between 1832 and 1920 something. But, for the time, those parliaments fairly represented the ruling classes (church, aristocracy, landed gentry, and burghers) of their two countries.

Giantaxe

Boiler managing to quote a thread that he's responding to... strange times indeed.

scrubbedexpat099

We are certainly living in interesting times, my guess is that in 10 or 20 years this will be a WTF issues compared to much more significant issues coming down.

Pulaski

The Apocalypse is surely coming!

Lothianlad

The whole affair was skewed in some ways......

a Lithuanian girl (EU citizen) undergoing a course at an Edinburgh educational establishment and working at an Edinburgh catering establishment so as to partly finance her stay in Scotland, with every intention of returning to her home country once she had qualified....she was temporarily registered as resident in Scotland....a young woman with absolutely no personal connections with Scotland or any other part of the UK or with no actual interest or concern in Scottish society or its part in the UK Constitution.....

..but when questioned by one of her restaurant customers she confirmed that she was registered to vote in the Referendum due to her residential status in Scotland and with every intention to vote "YES" simply because Scotland was "a small country just like her own country" - to which she would eventually return with absolutely no concern her vote might well have on the future fortunes of her "host" country.

Meanwhile a true born Scot who had recently moved across the border to take up residence in Berwick-upon-Tweed, a couple of miles or so inside England, was completely denied a vote in the Referendum irrespective of his feelings towards his Scottish homeland.

Weeze

So you don't think someone who both studies, works and lives in Scotland deserves a vote?

Hotscot

Perhaps they could have widened the privilege of voting in some ways and reduced it in others. It was a monumentally important vote that would have changed the direction of a nation, and probably it has.

Steerpike

both = 2
count (studies, works, lives) = 3
2<>3

Keep up!

dunroving

FIFY.

neilcumming

Im not bitter at least the scottish parliament will get more powers, if they dont break their promises.I feel sad for the ordinary working people and pensioners whose hopes of a better future in an iScotland now gone at least for now.
I was speaking on the phone with my son and hes was saying the same thing about the Lithuanian girl who got a vote .He wasnt happy about the Poles and eastern europeans being able to vote and and alot of them go back to their country after a couple of years

neilcumming

SNP on track for third term.
SNP on track for third term | Scottish National Party
8000 new SNP memberships since day after the vote!
Well lads an lassies looks like we will be back here in 5 or 6yrs lol.

robin1234

Turnout statistics are interesting, especially in light of the excellent high turnout for the recent referendum.

2011 Scottish Parliamentary Election - 50.4% turnout
2010 UK General Election (Scotland) - 63.8% turnout

Why was there a comparatively low turnout for the Scottish Parliamentary election? Maybe some registered electors felt it was not that important, a bit like a council election or Euro election. But now that voters can see that a Scottish government has really important powers (such as potentially breaking up the Union!), maybe the turnout will increase to match the Scottish UK General Election turnout. Then maybe Labour will win.