Diabetes UK

Squire Fulwood said:

That gave me a laugh. Next time England has a referendum on Scottish independence.

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JACKTHELAD said:

If they had voted yes then a further vote should have taken place across the rest of the U.K surely?
To see what the rest of us thought because it was about breaking up the U.K more importantly than Scottish independence.
The Scots want to break up the oldest strongest political union in Europe but only Scottish people get any say in it?
Can't be right.

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hale710 said:

I was all for keeping the union. No campaigner through and through.

BUT

Yes independence would have had an effect on the rest of the UK. Scotland does not feel it is being supported and looked after, hence the demand for more powers etc. Why should we stay in the UK if it means we'll be worse off just to keep the rest of you happy?

(Except in this instance I don't think we would have been better off leaving!)

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semiphonic said:

@JACKTHELAD you asked me earlier where in history was currency produced that became worthless. I didn't want to answer but now I've had a couple of pints I feel I can. Germany in the1930's. And the world went to war. People were paying thousands for a loaf of bread. I'm not suggesting for a minute that if the Scottish referendum had been yes that that would have happened, but I do think that Alex Salmond saw himself as a modern day William Wallace. My wife is Scottish, all of my in laws are Scottish, I wouldn't want to lose any of them. One thing is certain, British politics has changed forever....

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semiphonic said:

@JACKTHELAD you asked me earlier where in history was currency produced that became worthless. I didn't want to answer but now I've had a couple of pints I feel I can. Germany in the1930's. And the world went to war. People were paying thousands for a loaf of bread. I'm not suggesting for a minute that if the Scottish referendum had been yes that that would have happened, but I do think that Alex Salmond saw himself as a modern day William Wallace. My wife is Scottish, all of my in laws are Scottish, I wouldn't want to lose any of them. One thing is certain, British politics has changed forever....

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lizdeluz said:

Yes, it's interesting that turnout for General Elections is relatively pathetic. Is it because we can't connect with Westminster? It was good to see lots of 16 year olds being very motivated to vote in the referendum and odd that many of those same voters won't be able to vote in the upcoming General Election. Let's devolve powers more equally to the constituent countries in the UK and convert the House of Lords into an elected body that oversees and monitors fairness in regional decision-making. That way, maybe people will become more engaged and interested in the benefits of democracy. (Or not). Rant over.

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sanguine said:

Absolutely not - I don't want them anywhere.

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Andy12345 said:

i never wanted a yes vote but im getting so cheesed off now i kinda hope there is a yes vote, we have gone through this terrible recession, this could plunge us straight back down the toilet, but the attitude of the scots (and im half scot half welsh by blood) is very distasteful in my opinion, i say build a wall and let scotland stew in its own iron brew

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2131tom said:

I'd predict a 'No' vote by a majority of 10-15%.

Why? Well, the 'Yes' campaign is strongly emotional and very vocal, with words like, 'traitor', 'bully', 'day of reckoning', 'liars' and the like being bandied around, to the point where I think human nature causes some people to be put off openly declaring their opposition, or even debating the point, in favour of assent with the view of the herd, be it implied, muted or otherwise, when asked if they're voting 'Yes'. That's enough in my mind to skew the opinion polls which, for all their sophisticated methodology, have been spectacularly wrong in the recent past.

If I'm wrong and there is a 'Yes' vote, I'd be very sad but I'd then be pressing for Scotland to get what it's decided it wants - total independence. No pound, no shared Bank of England guarantees, no special treatment from the remainder of the UK and no going back.

As an Englishman (albeit with not-too-distant Scottish and Welsh ancestry) I'm deeply aggrieved that I didn't have a say in the possible dissolution of this union, which will affect my standard of living and that of my children and grandchildren for some years to come and for that I blame the abject weakness of the Westminster Parliament and the mind-boggling selfishness of the Scots leadership. A joint referendum could have incorporated a formula which allowed for the large disparity in population size, with a weighting being agreed (i.e. 1 Scottish vote = 1/x English, Welsh and Northern Irish ones) but no-one chose to explore it, That meant we, south of the border have been totally disenfranchised.

If the English had (say) suddenly decided to unilaterally ditch the Scots as some sort of encumbrance, in a one-sided vote designed to be hugely favourable to English aims, the Scots would have, quite rightly, howled with indignation and I would have supported their view 100%. As it is, if a majority of Scots turn out to care so little about me and mine, why should I do any differently for them?

Hopefully, come Friday the family spat will resolved in favour of unity but, even if it is a 'No' vote, I think that the wounds will not be allowed long to heal. And a small 'No' majority would, I fear, be the worst outcome of all.

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