This is what I don't understand and.... my brother in law who is a Scot lives in Yorks and cant have a say in the future of his own country...
It is a hypothetical question of course but I wonder what the reaction would have been had England decided it had had enough of the Union and had this referendum been conducted in England for the English. A Yes vote would have seen England leave the UK and the Scots, Welsh and Irish left to form a Celtic nation. Nice and lefty to suit certainly the Scots and Welsh and super oil rich Scotland could have carried their compatriots and left us nasty Westminster / elitist / Tory loving English to ourselves.
And I thought the Celtic Fringe was something SEJ was going to experiment with for concerts in Cardiff, Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh.
What is so difficult to understand it is as usual. In the next UK election who will be able to vote? Yes that's right all the people who live there regardless of where they were born. I cannot vote in England despite being English because I live and vote in Scotland. Only a person who is looking down the wrong end of the telescope does not get this.
It took me 16 years but I managed it in the end. For 18 years I didn't bother but then I moved to Scotland where it became worthwhile.
Here you go again..... So nationality has nothing to do with it then?? Or I suppose you call yourself Scottish now?? I would rather the people whose families have lived there... who actually are historically Scottish decide. Otherwise it reads a bit like any of: opportunism, jumping on the bandwagon the fervour of new converts, one-upmanship, etc etc. Incidentally I have a half decent Meade telescope and I really cant find the smurf planet on it....
Not quite true Spurf, not every person living in, and paying taxes in, the UK has the right to vote there in a general election. Also, many British citizens living abroad still have a postal vote until they have been living abroad for 15 years, or longer.
I didn't say that you were an SNP voter Spurf - but many people are being drawn into the 'yes' camp by the thought that Scotland will be able to break out of the neo liberal mould. With Salmond as prime minister there is no way that this would happen. After independence you would be faced with a strong SNP with a very fragmented opposition consisting of a Scottish Labour party which would need time to reorientate itself, a Green party and something called Common Weal which is an idea and not a party as such - a real left wing alternative would take many years to develop. In the meantime Salmond can do a lot of damage.
NO but the same applies in the Scottish referendum, some Scots abroad like soldiers have had a postal vote. The essential point is that this a perfectly normal system with the one change to allow 16 year olds to vote.
Actually I cant wait until close of play on... when is it?? ... Thursday.... Perhaps the odd poster will go back to where they came from.... erm.. now where is that?? The subtext is that when people come on this board and insult people, they are better off buggering off to wherever...
Look Salmond has been in power for 7 years and not only has he not done damage he has greatly improved matters across society. From free prescriptions, free care for the elderly, free University education, frozen council tax, help for business. The SNP is a pragmatic party Left in Social matters and Right in business. The only chance I see of moving away from a neo-liberal regime is a YES vote. That is not a guarantee of anything as I have been saying throughout this debate, there are no guarantees. The hide bound UK offers little if any hope of major change unless it is forced; it's far too comfortable. As for the other parties they will have two years to sort their acts out; that ought to be long enough so that when we arrive at 2016 Scotland has a complete range of opinions to vote for.
Merely responding to your jibes and ignorance, and I use the term not as an insult but a description. I am always surprised that people will wade into a debate that they clearly do not understand when all they have to do is use google to inform themselves. This is an open forum btw unless your mods decide otherwise.
Interesting that when I ask a question you think is beneath you..... you have a go at me I think I understand it as much as anybody
