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?

yellowraincoat..no, it was so people weren't inconvenienced by Scotland benefitting from daylight saving time

I don't know if this has been discussed - what's the situation going to be regarding expat Scots? There's such a massive diaspora, how are they deciding who gets to vote? Is it just going to be people who live in Scotland? Because I am Scottish, lived there until I was 22, but now live in London.

I WANT TO VOTE.

i would 100% support changing timezone if it meant we get more daylight. Would it? Perpetual darkness is grim.

Only people living in Scotland can vote in the referendum.

yes, i can even spell "benefiting" despite my typo and being Scottish

I also find the "uneducated" Scottish thing hilarious by the way. Hello, the Englightenment! Who started that again?

I'm not even that patriotic, but I do get wound up by the old "we SUPPORT you, you deepfriedeverythingmunching GINGERS" blah blah.

Why does it even matter England,Scotland and the rest of the West are going to have a terrible time for the foreseeable future due to imcompetant governanceand whether the nations are independent or not won't make a jot of difference. Salmond claiming that independence would be a silver bullet for Scotland and Cameron claiming that the strength of the Union will see us through are both lying through their backteeth.

Good god Lipole can you not see the irony there? -we were governed by the Tories for years against our will! GB was a bit of payback!

Presumably the situation with people moving between Scotland and England will be pretty similar to the situation with Irish people (Republic of Ireland) who move to England. They would have pretty much the same entitlements (voitng, housing etc) as a British person without having to apply for citizenship. We're not suddenly going to start treating them as if they are French.

I would also assume that people currently resident in Scotland and people with a birth certificate would all get Scottish passports. A Scottish person living in England would probably get both a Scottish and and English passport and have dual nationality.

Lip ole how can it be right that a Tory Pm rules over Scotland when they have one mp up here?

Oh yeah Jenny? Well, it's fair enough, I suppose, otherwise you'd get all the plastic Scots Sean Connery types forcing a decision on you you don't want.

Yes,the diaspora is very widespread and loyal.They will talk at length about how Scotland is the greatest country in the world.They go quiet,though when you ask why they don't go back there if it's that good.

'compared to Cameron, Clegg and Milliband - are you serious?'

Yes. And many others. Salmond is no glorious statesman.

We don't all think that lollygag

Lorelilee- Thats a party political point not a constitutional one, I don't see how we could have a Tory Scottish MP (unlikely I know) or a Liberal one either. Gordon Brown was making decisions on policy areas such as education and health despite his constituency not being affected by them. I think this fundamentally undemocratic as you could say that on these policy areas Brown was not held to account.

He did manage to not make a total plum of himself on the One show though.

lipole "Another point is that I don't see how a scottish person can be Prime Minister "

Because Gordon Brown may well be Scottish (nationality) and a Scottish MP (as in seat in Scotland) but he was the BRITISH Prime Minister, not Prime Minister of Scotland, England etc. He wasnt making decisions on policies in England based on the fact he was a Scottish MP.

Last time I looked Scotland is still part of the UK so why shouldnt he have been PM? (disclaimer - not sticking up for him in any way or form )

duckdodgers- But how can have any input which he undoubtedly does as head of the Executive into policies onto a nation which cannot hold him to account. Its an extension of the West Lothian question into the Executive branch of Government.

Please don't go, Scotland...we'll be stuck with these Tory bastards for EVER if you go!

DH (Scot) asked whether I would consider moving to Scotland if things continue to get worse here (we rely on Social care for our son). The two things that stop me are the cold weather and secondly, the prejudice of the Scots against the English. That attitude that means they will cheer anyone along in football as long as it's not England. Funny on one level, but not if you face prejudice on a daily basis just for the crime of being English.

BB, the research into it showed that prejudice against the English reduced after devolution. I think it is likely it would reduce further if Scotland became independent.

I think that lipole does have a point actually its nothing to do with party politics and its not any easy one to solve.

What ARE you talking about lipole? GB was the head of the British government. He was British. He was a British MP.

The prejudice against the English isn't obligatory,Bakelitebelle.My dp has experienced very little prejudice here,in spite of being a public school boy,which would make him even more of a target one would think.

I experienced more anti-Scottish remarks when visiting down South than he's received here. I realise that it isn't the case for everyone unfortunately,but it's certainly not inevitable.