to ask how you feel about Scottish Independence?

[PierreBourdieu]

Particularly looking for opinions from South of the Border, but all opinions welcome. My FB is awash with Independence fever after the rally in Edinburgh yesterday. As a Scotwoman I am always interested to hear the views of the English and get that perspective. I'll not disclose whether I'm pro or anti as I suppose it's not relevant here, also not looking for a bunfight! Care to share?

We have to send our passports to Germany to be renewed I think.

I think I need to take my baby to the Brittish embasy when he is born to get him registered (stupid rule here that the baby is not born with the nationality of the country of birth or the father but only of the mother) So if I had to take my baby to a Scottish embasy it would make the process so much harder!

Iismum - I don't think english people whip themselves up into a frenzy, I really think they don't care enough for that. It's not generally the English who start these threads in my experience. It is a total non issue for most English people.

Yes, thanks Penny, that's what I mean.

But I have to disagree with you about the influence of Scottish voters on the Westminster parliament. The fact that there are virtually no Tory MPs returned in Scotland makes it much harder for the Tories to get a majority. If Scottish voters no longer took part in Westminster elections, it would be a big boost for the Tories.

The official campaign yes, they're hardly likely to make that an official policy. But a lot of pro Independence men/women on the street have their fair share of anti English rhetoric.

So the OP starts a thread insisting that she doesn't want a bunfight and then bandied around as "fact" some ignorant rubbish about how the English are universally disliked abroad whereas the Scottish are held in high esteem?

If I were Scottish, I'd be seriously worried right now about the quality of the debate that was going to decide the future of my country.

I do not think Spain etc will make it easy for scotland to join/stay part of EU Alex salmond says of course but there is no "of course" about it

it would not affect England wales etc as they did not vote for indepenence anymore than it would affect Spain if catalonia / basque wanted independance this is why parts of EU are very -anti small break away states of largeer countries setting presedent etc

The legal stuff does have to be crystal clear as otherwise if unclear what would happen you would be voting for a maybe scotland in Eu or maybe not

regarding whether scotland is net giver/taker from UK financial depends on what income expenditure is accreditted to both stats can prove either point of view depending

quote " there are lies, damned lies and statistics"

if UK had split at end of WWII i think every government in Scotland and Wales would have been labour and everyone in england Conservative

London - I think a lot of English people don't really care, but there is also a lot of overblown rhetoric about the anti-English whining Scots. You can see it on this thread.

bandies not bandied. Bloody auto correct.

PennyDead Umm I think you'll find plenty of Scottish MPs at Westminster... And of course the fact that the majority of these MPs are Labour has an impact on the make-up of parliament. Take Scotland out of the equation and it's a perma-Tory government. Loved it when every last one of them got booted out in '97 :)

In fact, my uncle rang me at 2am from Aberdeen to sing 'Nae Tories in Scotland' (he'd been on the Talisker and given himself a black eye jumping over the coffee table when Portillo got the boot).

I'm Scottish and will definitely be voting against independence, as will all my family. Very proud to be Scottish and British.

My native land can do whatever it likes, as long as I never have to move back there

Someone at the start of the thread wrote "If Scottish people want independence that is their right. But it must be total and not pick and choose. First thing you must do is create your own currency and exchange rates, or join the euro."

I wholly agree with that view (and I speak as someone who grew up amid the independence/separatist movement of Quebec)

Goes both ways. English (more so south) arrogance and indifference and generally ignorance (as shown by londonone) of Scotland verses Scottish inferiority complex, chip on shoulder, anti English feeling as shown by pennydead (will disown kids if they vote against and harping on about 300 years of oppression).

Will we have to change the uk flag?

GoldShip, yes, the Union Flag would need to change, removing the Saltire aspects.

Ah right, thanks! I'm a bit fick

Not at all, no such thing as a stupid question.

Most of the headline SNP policies (no tuition fees, no prescription fees) are done specifically and only to piss off those South of the border, and are affordable by making cuts in other areas which are less "sexy" and headline grabbing (try having a less-than-normal ailment in Scotland).
They aren't possible due to huge over-funding, they are possible due to cuts in other areas which don't get the same media coverage. These aren't decisions made for the good of the Scottish people, they are made to push a pro-nationalist agenda. SNP pisses off those South of the border to engender anti-Scottish feeling, which then hacks off folk in Scotland....I find it staggering that there is so little acknowledgement of this.

Maybe before the Euro problems independence was viable. But it would make no sense for any country to enter the Euro as things stand now, and Scotland doesn't have the population size to support a stable separate currency. It makes no sense to have a mini-currency-zone within the UK if we're separate countries. Independence HAS to be all-or-nothing or it makes no sesne, and no-one here or anywhere else seems to be suggesting a half-measure.

I don't really mind what Scotland decide to do, as long as there isn't a negative impact financially on the rest of the UK.

Either way, I hope once they have made up their minds, they stop with the ABE bollocks. I live in England and have a lot of close family in both England and Scotland, and it makes me quite sad when my Scottish family England bash. Which a couple of them seem to do regularly on Facebook, especially as they seem to think they have had extra excuses this year with the jubilee and London 2012. Once the Scottish have had their voices heard, they will have no excuse to keep on.

I'm Scottish and will not be voting for independence.
I am however pretty shocked at some of the views on this thread. I had no idea that I was held in such contempt by so many English people. I find the comments about how Scotland should become independent to "stop the whinging" and being sick of "subsidising us" quite ignorant and offensive. I don't know anyone who is anti-English, it would be considered a horrible, xenophobic viewpoint.
I'm actually quite offended by some of the posts I have read, and the posters in question have made themselves sound quite ill-informed.

ABE?? Sorry, what is that?
I can't abide people who bother England/Wales/ France/ whatever bashing. Don't see why you can't be proud of where you come from without being rude about somewhere else.

Sadly, scottish independence would cost everyone in the UK, as there won't be the same economies of scale when it comes to military, bank of england, electricity, etc etc etc. And that's without getting drawn into the endless bloody arguments about N Sea hydrocarbons.....

Born, bred and living in Scotland. Happily Scottish. Also very happily British. And definitely in favour of the union and against independence.

I do think the SNP have done a grand job of the Scottish government except, unfortunately, I disagree firmly with their flagship policy...

Anyone But England bumperella.

Scottish, living in Scotland (aberdeen). I will be voting yes. We have a lot going for us as a country - the energy industry, whisky, meat/fish, tourism etc etc.

Why would we need to create our own currency when we already have scottish pounds?

I'm happy with how the scottish govt work just now, I genuinely don't feel like we are being fucked over, can't say the same for the uk govt.

It's been stated that we contribute more to the uk than we take out. And let's not forget that the uk is hardly doing well financially, no loss there to be leaving afaic and especially while there is a tory govt. Being independent means we would never have those selfish plums in power again! London is england's main money maker and the money comes from what is essentially gambling!

I just wish we had become independent before the oil boom and we could be in a similar position to norway.