September 10, 201410 yr If the North cared that much about separate devolution they'd have voted for it. The North East assembly wasn't one of Prescott's best ideas. Devolution doesn't just mean a shiny new parliament building, we'd have been far better off reinstating the old metropolitan counties.
September 10, 201410 yr Whispers on Twitter that a new poll tonight will show a big(ger) lead for the anti-independence side.
September 10, 201410 yr The official line is it's a 'big surprise', and it's being hyped by the Daily Record who've been anti-indy, which makes me think it might be a big lead for No. Which would be reassuring given how much everybody's gone bloody mental over one poll. On the topic, it's absolutely ridiculous how little polling has been done considering it's just over a week away. We'd be getting them every day at this stage for a general election! Lack of adequate funding from the Scottish papers that wouldn't be an issue if the polls were getting consistent national support? (currently my favoured trivial reason to vote no) -x- Also, putting myself a total hostage to fortune here, but I'm more inclined to pay more attention to the ICM poll out tonight than the newsworthy Survation one. If only because ICM are up there with YouGov as the big beasts of polling and Survation are more of a budget outfit focused on quick turnaround polls with smaller samples and private polling for smaller political parties. That and Survation can vary pretty wildly.
September 10, 201410 yr What is a Devo Max? I think the whole country should have a vote on secession of the nations, just like in America all the states have to agree to it, as it's something that affects all of us and only 16% in the rest of the country are pro. It's particularly galling that Scots living outside Scotland don't even get a vote!
September 10, 201410 yr What is a Devo Max? I think the whole country should have a vote on secession of the nations, just like in America all the states have to agree to it, as it's something that affects all of us and only 16% in the rest of the country are pro. It's particularly galling that Scots living outside Scotland don't even get a vote! How would you define a Scot? It's not as if anyone has a Scottish passport. Restricting the vote to people living in Scotland keeps things simple.
September 10, 201410 yr TRAMS I will support trams every time. Every city and large town should have them! I also agree about the bitter irony of Brown saving Cameron's skin. Things not looking good for posh Dave whatever the outcome, and I expect him to be gone by the week after the next election.....
September 10, 201410 yr How would you define a Scot? It's not as if anyone has a Scottish passport. Restricting the vote to people living in Scotland keeps things simple. Someone born in Scotland or to Scottish parents. I still think everyone should get a vote, just like in other countries regarding secession. It affects everyone, especially in the North East.
September 10, 201410 yr That'd probably be because it was Mr Blair who chose him and you're responsible for that mess :) Also, there are only 59 seats from Scotland so we alone cannot elect a government. If we could we wouldn't have f***ing Tories in power right now would we. They only have 1.7% of our seats. No lecturing is the right word. Westminster politicians that we didn't elect, want or even like heading north to tell us that we need to stay part of the UK without offering anything but a promise of more powers that makes even the most fanciful of Salmonds promises look like a sure thing is a lecture. They are offering nothing new but are pretending they care now because their arrogance has meant that up until now they have dismissed the SNP as irrelevant. I do agree with you about one thing. The No campaign has been rubbish. Err, sorry I wasn't responsible for that mess at all. Never voted in my life for Labour OR Conservatives - just because they inhabit the same bit of land (more or less) doesn't mean I have anything in common with posh public schoolboys. I'm working class and so are all of my relatives. I accept, however, in the interest of national unity, that my own opinions are never the majority opinion. I'm very fair in my opinion of Scottish MP's. Two of three of the most recent politicians who had my respect were Scottish (John Smith and Charles Kennedy) and it's a tragedy in both cases they never got to achieve. For every good politician, though, Scottish or otherwise, there are plenty of not-so-goods, and it's naive of people to be saying "things can't get much worse" and have a protest vote on the Alex Salmond-pushed presumption that a paradise lies ahead if only independence could succeed. That's what Tony Blair promised (minus the independence) and here we are. Politician promises mean nothing they should all be honest and say "if things go to plan this is the likely outcome, we think. Probably."
September 10, 201410 yr Someone born in Scotland or to Scottish parents. I still think everyone should get a vote, just like in other countries regarding secession. It affects everyone, especially in the North East. Typically self-determination votes don't involve the whole country voting (by definition). I can't think of a single non-disputed one in the last fifty years that involved the whole country voting rather than the part that wanted to secede.
September 10, 201410 yr Apparently there will not be an exit poll on the day. There may be a chance of the BBC / ITN / Sky changing their mind as it looks like being close but, OTOH, with a large postal vote they may still decide it's not worth it. That will make Thursday night potentially even more interesting. After all, in a general election, early results can be compared with the previous election. These results can only be compared against the result of the 1997 referendum on a completely different question and the relative strength of the SNP.
September 10, 201410 yr Someone born in Scotland or to Scottish parents. I still think everyone should get a vote, just like in other countries regarding secession. It affects everyone, especially in the North East. People who were adopted but know nothing about their birth parents? People who believe at least one (now deceased) parents was a Scot but cannot prove it without a lot of hassle? Of course there are Scots aggrieved at not getting a vote - Armando Ianucci is one - but they are generally people who have chosen to make their home outside Scotland. Why should someone who was born in Scotland, moved away when they were a few weeks old, and have never visited the place since get a vote?
September 10, 201410 yr Typically self-determination votes don't involve the whole country voting (by definition). I can't think of a single non-disputed one in the last fifty years that involved the whole country voting rather than the part that wanted to secede. Say for example an American state decided it wanted to secede, I think (maybe I'm wrong) the rest of the 50 states would have to agree. I think that people who have moved away from Scotland still deserve their vote; it's their home. They may just be working away for a few years or moving with the industry. I think it's really unfair to strip them of their vote. What they may return to may very well look entirely different precisely because they were denied a vote.
September 10, 201410 yr There is indeed a strong case for allowing people working abroad temporarily to vote. Presumably some of them still have a Scottish address and may well be able to vote. However, you could also argue that people working in Scotland temporarily should NOT get a vote. That is where things start to get unnecessarily complicated.
September 10, 201410 yr This is why I wanted the Scottish Referendum to be settled by a mud-wrestling competition between Alastair Darling and Alex Salmond. It cuts out all the confusion.
September 10, 201410 yr Say for example an American state decided it wanted to secede, I think (maybe I'm wrong) the rest of the 50 states would have to agree. The US is probably the only exception to that rule though, and it's never been trialled in practice there. No established independence referendum (or at least, none that respected the principle of self-determination) would include voting in the country being seceded from, if only because it would make things immensely difficult if the home country voted massively against and the seceding one voted massively for.
September 10, 201410 yr This is why I wanted the Scottish Referendum to be settled by a mud-wrestling competition between Alastair Darling and Alex Salmond. It cuts out all the confusion. Heavyweight versus welterweight is never a fair fight. And that's before even considering Salmond's neck.
September 10, 201410 yr There is indeed a strong case for allowing people working abroad temporarily to vote. Presumably some of them still have a Scottish address and may well be able to vote. However, you could also argue that people working in Scotland temporarily should NOT get a vote. That is where things start to get unnecessarily complicated. I had someone today think he could vote YES, despite not being FROM the Uk and living in the NE, based on reading the Yes voters' comments online and thinking the whole country agreed with them ... For this reason, among others, I think people temporarily just working in Scotland shouldn't get a vote either. If the entire country can't get a vote, then it should be for Scots born to Scottish parents or born in the country.
September 10, 201410 yr I had someone today think he could vote YES, despite not being FROM the Uk and living in the NE, based on reading the Yes voters' comments online and thinking the whole country agreed with them ... For this reason, among others, I think people temporarily just working in Scotland shouldn't get a vote either. If the entire country can't get a vote, then it should be for Scots born to Scottish parents or born in the country. So someone aged 60 who was born in England but has lived in Scotland since they were a few weeks old should not get a vote?
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