Scottish Referendum debate - watch with Mumsnet

Couldn't be much worse. Sarah Smith is a rare person, in that I want to slap her most times I watch, and I'm a pretty peaceful sort most of the time. She makes my teeth itch, all big eyes and ingenue-acting, at her age! (I'm older, btw.) When I heard John Smith's daughter was to front it, I had high hopes, but urgh. Just urgh.

Sleep well. :)

Was that better presented than Scotland 2014? . Must look at it when I am less shattered and pay proper attention to the tickers. Hadn't seen it before, thanks.

wingsoverscotland.com/last-night-news-happened/ On the subject of humour, have you seen datelinescotland.com? Sorry about the Wings link, but I couldn't make the proper website run on my iPad so wasn't sure I could link to the right video (there are only two, so far.) If you'd rather not give WoS a click, you can search youtube for datelinescotland and get both videos as the first two results.

Cheers for the link, I did a little at the thought of Bernard separating two wrestling men with a starting pistol.

I do love the Daily Mash, www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/english-viewers-miss-salmond-trying-to-bite-alistair-darling-201408068931

Although the story they did on the outfits that Salmond and Darling might wear made me feel a little queasy.

You might be right, I think it was an FB post I saw, and had the impression it was a poll of actual audience members, in which case the numbers were small anyway; 350 in total, with supposedly 40% Yes, 40% No, 20% undecided (though I have heard dark rumours of shenanigans there too...) So, not statistically reliable, just interesting.

I haven't seen the Daily Mash, but agree Ponsonby could have done a better job.

I read something earlier about the poll you mentioned OldLady but can't remember where as I was quickly zipping through various sites at lunchtime. I'm sure the total polled was around 500, and the numbers of undecided was very low. I was campaigning this evening and the people I spoke to hadn't been impressed.

Not impressed with Ponsonby or the format - could and should have been done better. Did you read the Daily Mash take on it?

Healy admitted that successive WM gvts had lied to us about the extent and value of our oil after the 1974 McCrone Report was released under the 30 year rule. Alistair Darling admitted that oil had kept the economy afloat.

I did try looking for a link, but anything with his name in the search is just chucking up last night, and I can't be arsed atm. Sorry.

Caroldecker : you say that Scotland has run a deficit for 21 of the last 22 years. Can you provide the source for that? How does it compare with the UK's deficit? And is that with or without the oil receipts?

I though that the UK had been running a larger deficit that Scotland (or rather, than the theoretical amount that Scotland would have generated) - even with the oil. Didn't Dennis Healey admit that it was the oil dividend that had kept the UK afloat or something like that? (On the iPod, so difficult for me to check)

Yes, that was something else that was said; not so much feeling sorry for the underdog, but Alex is Marmite, and for those who hate him watching him eviscerate Darling and being "smug" and "arrogant" would have set them against Yes. Tactics and politics, eh? :)

That is interesting OldLady. As a Yesser I was expecting Eck to wipe the floor with Darling. Maybe that tactic would turn the undecideds against him (knowing how we love an underdog).

I saw an interesting take on Salmond's performance last night, but I can't find it again. It said that while Yessers were expecting him to demolish Darling, he wasn't aiming at us, but at the most important people watching, the undecided. Hence his performance being calmer, less attacking... And it seems it worked. I can't link to anything, but what I read was there was a poll (presumably of the audience) and of the undecideds who had made their minds up, 55% were Yes, 45% No. Of those who remained undecided, 75% felt Salmond had won the debate.

www.adamsmith.org/news/press-release-an-independent-scotland-should-keep-the-pound-without-ruks-permission/

Interesting read. I never knew that Panama had one of the most stable economies in the world!

I would have preferred to see Nicola debating last night.

Where's johann been hiding. Not seen her on anything for a while.

Yeah, she was aiming for sarcasm I think i.e. just cos we're scottish doesn't mean we'll be any better, it's not like we're genetically programmed to do it right

But she got the tone all kinds of wrong!

Mind, Sturgeon was grim too. They were both astonished at frankly unastonishing things!

Which is why I said "Oh god not Johann!" upthread. That was just awful, the stairheid rammy.

My memory of that debate is "Scots aren't genetically programmed to make political decisions"

I think I know what Johann Lamont meant to get across but she dug a hole for herself in the inept way she said it.

I watched the Sturgeon v Lamont debate a while ago and I have to admit it made me want to claw my own eyes out so I'd rather not repeat that experience!

My abiding memory is "I'm ASTONISHED"!!!!

I was responding to the poster above who commented on who is the best person to be debating.

Sorry hadn't realised! :)

In that case, I think Cameron and Sturgeon would be interesting. There are quite a few people who would provide an interesting debate, I think.

Those who tried to watch online and couldn't, do you have sky? If you go up to channels around the 950s, I can get BBC wales, ITV London, Northern Ireland etc. I use it when some naff scottish football game clashes with the soaps and tune in then.

I know that Numanoid, maybe wasn't clear - I was responding to the poster above who commented on who is the best person to be debating.

Statistically Darling is the chair of the Better Together campaign, although technically I suppose Cameron, as the leader of the UK, would be the one 'in charge' of arguing for the Union.

Ooh brilliant! Just saw the announcement. Will definitely come on and join in, hope to see a better performance from both of them this time. Maybe Darling will actually answer some questions unlike yesterday's debate, and wee Eck can avoid being sidetracked. :) Although I think Nicola Sturgeon would have been a better bet, she'd verbally annihilate Darling.