I see that the referendum is now only one month away. I am amazed that the subject seems to be very much under the radar for most people. Does anybody who is neither Scottish nor living in Scotland care about the outcome? It does not seem that they do and yet it will affect the rest of the UK massively. There has been a Union for over 300 years and a shared Monarch for over 400 and yet it does not seem to excite much comment despite occasional programmes on TV. I am interested in how broadcasting will change if at all after a Yes vote. For instance weather reports currently include Scotland but of course exclude Eire - would Scotland no longer feature? What about sports results and reports - would the BBC - or whatever it was renamed - carry the results as part of their regular coverage? I guess these are not earth shattering issues but there must be hundreds of minor changes that would come about but nobody is talking about them.
I do not believe that most folks in England think that the Scots will actually vote for independence when it comes to it. It appears to me that no-one (least of all the "Yes" advocates) have thought this through thoroughly. The currency issue is still unresolved and we are just over a month away from the vote. There are so many issues (small and large) that would have to be addressed if Scotland was to become a truly independent country. Many people I have spoken to are of the opinion that "if the Scots want independence, then let them have it - but it needs to be full independence". If they do vote to go their separate way, then I personally hope that it isn't the half-cocked independence that Ireland gained after bitterly fighting for it.
If Scotland has independence will they allow Orkneyjar and Hjaltlandseyjar to have a vote to move back to Norway.
Does anyone know exactly what result they need to carry a yes vote, is a simple majority enough ? Also do they need a minimum turnout for it to be valid ?
Do not forget the Western Isles (both Outer & Inner Hebrides) which belonged to Norway also up to the 13th Century.
A majority is all that is needed according to Westminster, although it remains to be seen if they will stick to that - plenty of suspicions abound that it won't get past parliament or HoL whatever majority there is. I haven't seen or heard anything about a minimum required turnout, but the expected turnout is 80%.
I'd disagree re the currency issue - the SG's stance has been quite clear all along. If there is a Yes vote, Scotland will use the pound - their preferred option out of the four put forward by the Fiscal Commission. Regardless of what the major parties in England may be saying at the moment, Westminster made it quite clear from the outset that negotiations will only commence after a Yes vote. If there is such a vote, their current 'pre-negotiations' stance over no CU may well change - if not, SG will simply continue to use the pound as an interim measure, possibly until the creation of the Scottish pound. Far too much emphasis has been placed on the currency issue by the so-called Better Together group, who apparently fail to realise that it simply doesn't really register as an issue for many. But then, I don't think that BT have any viable options to promote anyway.
If it is something that could have repercussions for the whole of the UK, why do only Scottish get to vote?
I wonder just what all this is costing? As far as I can see from the polls the results are just about the same as they were two years ago. Slight variation one way or the other from time to time, but no real change. If the answer is no it will be the largest piece of ego stroking the country has ever seen.
I've no idea what effect a Yes vote would have on the rUK side of things for the BBC, but it would not greatly surprise me to see BBC Scotland disappear into antiquity. Their election, and all things related, coverage has been abysmally biased, so biased that they may well have shot themselves in the foot whatever the outcome of the referendum. But rest assured, Independence may well mean that we will be 'off the map' for you, but we'll still be able to keep an eye on you - without having to pay for the privilege.
Because it's only the Scots that care about it. I suggest that deep down most English people really don't care whether Scotland is part of the UK or not. We have more important things to worry about. In my experience the majority of English people have only rarely if ever visited Scotland - beautiful though it undoubtedly is (but with a wretched climate). I happen to love visiting the country but always have this niggling idea that every Scot has a chip on their shoulder about the English (bit like France in that respect). It seems to be another example of a Celtic minority tail wagging the dog. There's probably more people live in Yorkshire for goodness sake. If the Scots have such an antipathy to the English and want to make a go of it alone then off they should go - but it should be a complete separation without any favours from England or the English. We should treat an independent Scotland like we treat France - with respect but warily.
Strangely there is one small part of France that had very close ties with Scotland and still celebrates 14th July with bagpipes. The French government does not want a break up of the UK, but closer ties through the EU with it. They see a UK-France partnership as one way that Germany can be kept in check.
I haven't seen any support for an independent Scotland from anywhere else in the world - I do believe that some in Scotland think that they are more important in the world order that they actually are.
It's not just a case of a strong U.K. and France balancing Germany Frenchie. Many European countries have a potential problem with separatism. Spain with the Basque and Catalan regions, France with Brittany and Corsica, Vlaams Bok in Belgium and 2 separatist movements in the north of Italy - all of these regions would gain some impetus from Scottish independence. Most governments in Europe, whatever they say officially, are against Britain breaking up.
Once again we hear this anti English bullshit. Is it so difficult to understand that this is not about England it is about Scotland and rule from Westminster. The fact that you equate Westminster as England should tell you why Scotland would want to be Independent just like nearly all the countries in the world. Try not to be so England centric and look at the issue.
