To think Scotland becoming independent wouldn't have any impact on the rest of the UK?

[lesley33]

Some in Scotland want it to become independent. I don't really understand why the coalition government is fighting against this happening. Will it really matter in the rest of the UK if scotland does become independent?

A cynic would say that Alex Salmond will bring Scotland closer to Europe and it will end up as a European state via the back door, rather than a truly independent nation.

I'm a pro independence English person living in Scotland. It isn't a minefield at all, it's a decision I made based on what's best for my family and my adopted homeland ( which on the whole has always made me feel welcome)

And ComposHat I believe that the specifics of the Referendum are still to be decided, so it's not accurate to say who will and will not be able to vote as yet.

Labour are keen for the Referendum to be run by the Electoral Commission, the SNP less so I believe.....

England should have its own parliament. I think it has been discussed a bit from time to time, but nothing has been done about it. I'd love to have English-only matters discussed and voted on by only the English MPs.

And I'd love for that English Parliament to have to listen to lobbying about prescription charges and university tuition fees - up here we have a government that has actually listened to what the people want, and prioritised their spending. Maybe down south you should look harder at why your representatives seem so un-prepared to pay attention to their constituents?

ComposHat thatks for that info.

There will be a lot of people wondering what passport they want I can't see the dual nationality thing coming into play here.

Will Scottish people living in other parts of the UK have to choose or will they even have the right to choose which nationality/passport they will have?

Can I ask what good the Labour government did for Scotland? Have you seen Scottish Labour? Useless, smug, nepotic

As I rememeber many MPS with English constituencies did vote against the large increase in tuition fees - but Scottis consitutency mps did not.

yip we drag downt he english huh karetta , anyway i am quite happy with devolution i wouldnt want independence as i wouldnt want the english paying even more for their oil as it belongs to us , we have had referendums before and nobody really wants it i dont think ,

Oh and im not sure why england hasnt got its own parliment either as said buy another poster seems a bit daft ,

FGS Scottish or English passports could be applied for like anything else...it really isn't a big deal.

Call me a cynic, but I think the Scottish parliament only listens to its people because it has something to gain at the moment. Once it's solidified its power, it will go the way of all politicians and serve itself first and foremost. I think the Scottish are just being kept sweet at the moment, in the run up to this referendum. Give it a few decades and see how you all feel when you are using the Euro and being dictated to by Europe.

I want to see the books on this one. At the end of the day it will boil down to money. I'd like to see UK revenue split by "country" and then public spending split by "country". I'm sure these figures must exist somewhere. With those figures to hand, I'd feel slightly better informed about whether or not it is a good idea.

If Scotland gains independence I will be up there banging on Hadrian's Wall, demanding to be let in.

And indeed the tuition fees example is another good reason Scotland should be independent.

ARGHHH NO NOT THE EURO eek i do think SNP want to be part of a european state .

Can I ask what good the Labour government did for Scotland? Have you seen Scottish Labour? Useless, smug, nepotic

I agree, I was a lifelong Labour voter til I moved to Scotland, the party in Scotland is a sick joke, arrogant and bloated, with a bogus sense of entitlement to power.

I will either vote 'Yes' or for the 'DevoMax' option

Tbf, I don't think the Labour party did much for England either. After Thatcher, I honestly thought things couldn't get any worse, then we had the joy that was a Blair/brown government.

Can I ask what good the Labour government did for Scotland? Have you seen Scottish Labour? Useless, smug, nepotic

Err....Minimum Wage, WFTC, delivered the Scottish Parliament......

I always assumed that the UK doesn't want to lose Scotland because they will take with them the North Sea Oil and Gas.

Of course it matters what nationality passport you have and this will make people choose either way.
Would Scottish people living in other parts of the UK who can't affect the vote be forced to take on British passports?

It's running out though, isn't it. And oil companies are multi national. I honestly don't know the answer to this but will Scotland gain much?

.....Smoking Ban, repealed Section 28/Clause 2A, the McCrone deal for teachers, the Warm Deal - free central heating and insulation for pensioners....

Yes we pay no taxes here in NI. We are all violent benefit scroungers who should be fully under English rule...oh wait...

If it's going to affect you, ie Scottish person living in England, or English person living in Scotland, then you should in all fairness be given a vote.

The Scotland Office produced an interesting paper setting out the reality about scottish oil. It states taht even if Scotland had received all the oil moneyand taxes raised in Scotland, there would only have been 9 years out of the last 27 when Scotland's finances were in surplus.

And since 1988/89 there has been an overall deficit i.e. money raised through taxes and oil is LESS than that spent in Scotland. Rather demolishes the oil argument.

docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:B9COR_NQMYgJ:www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk/scotlandoffice/files/Scotland%2520and%2520Oil%2520-%2520Background%2520paper.pdf+whata+bout+scotlands+oil+costs&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjROExvpeCCDUZN4LT_UEbbdFvn1lPyC8aCXtTQWkrMIB3Ue1taL6utXYM3KeBLEQbPMUSjTx4FdmxX4weVyy1s__PJ6kp88rzS-ulh0DAsr7ItwxSuI8Gcv9hpggkrc51E83f6&sig=AHIEtbQByUdy2AmPC1NxSRCzZA4gCWYckw