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?

Question to all people saying they would vote yes:

Without a proper plan already in place what the fuck are you actually voting for?

All this debate about what a currency Scotland would have, proves the point on that issue alone...

Without a plan set out, detailing whats going to happen (and indeed whats not) you effectively are blindly voting for a dream, not a policy...

I totally agree with folk saying that we need our own currency if Scotland does vote for independence. We'd either be independent or we wouldn't be, there can't be any half measures, and saying "we're an independent nation!!11!11!" whilst still using the £Sterling would be a serious halfway house.

...but anyway, this is academic. Whilst I'll concede that support for independence is growing, there's still a strong(er) majority against independence, and I suspect that's how the vote will go.

We are voting for the ability to manage our own affairs.

There is a white paper coming that will have more details in it, but it is an immensely complicated process.

To use the divorce analogy again, we are deciding if on balance we want to leave our partner. If we decide we do, then the details Get hammered out.

The answer to a lot of the questions depend on who you ask.

To a certain extent it is leap into the unknown. It is voting for a dream. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

And if it is out of the frying pan and into the fire? At least it will be a fire of our creating, rather than the frying pan of opposition ;)

I think my main feeling is that if Scotland feel they can manage on their own then good luck to them.

If they can't manage then we're probably best off without them then as this will prove that they were more of a drain on financial resources than a benefit to them.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Theres plenty wrong with it. Its a gamble, not a policy. Politics need to be thought about, not just muddled along with...

And if it is out of the frying pan and into the fire? At least it will be a fire of our creating, rather than the frying pan of opposition ;)

So when if it all goes wrong and Scotland is screwed, at least we screwed it up ourselves, is that what you're saying? Utter madness.

As for "hammering out the details afterwards", I won't put my vote to anything if I don't know what it is I'm voting for.

Honestly, YesScotland really need to do better than this.

It is a gamble of sorts.

I'm sure a lot of people are regretting the gamble that was voting the Tories in.

For me, the balance of the research seems to show independence to be the best outcome. So I will vote on this basis.

It is unrealistic to expect every answer to be available pre referendum, just as you never know exactly a the implications of voting in a particular party.

I agree there are some critical questions that need appear to be outstanding but as most of them hinge in obscure points of international law that can be interpreted in various ways...

But this is a far bigger gamble than voting in a party for a four/five year term. This is about separating one country from another, forever. Changing the laws, rules and regulations. Changing the currency. Passports. Nationalities. It's so irresponsible to advocate for the yes vote when we don't know what we'd be voting for, and the Nats seem dead against telling us, just look at Salmond's desperation to hush up the advice he's had about Scotland's EU status.

This makes me really angry, the independence referendum is such a massively important decision to make and the Yes campaign are fluttering around giving out the "INDEPENDENCE/TAKING BACK OUR NATION/CALEDONIA/PROCLAIMERS/GIVE 16 YEAR OLDS THE VOTE!" spiel and giving none of the consequences, good or bad.

If you are doing the best for your country, you present everything good or bad on the table.

If you aren't you aren't doing the best for your country.

Not on an issue of this magnitude.

Yes I agree that to a certain extent it is a vote on dreams and a gamble of sorts.

BUT if I was a Scottish voter then I'd certainly want the critical question of EU membership and currency nailing down first. Using the divorce analogy, before leaving my wife I'd certainly run everything past a solicitor first. So far everything I've read tells me that membership is not a forgone conclusion for reasons I've said earlier.

Currency is the other big one. There's a reason that UK divorces tend to favour clean break divorces. Assuming you can share the same currency until a time when it no longer suits your purpose seems about as naive as telling your husband you will leave him but would like to share a joint bank account with him until you've sorted yourself out. What are you going to do when your ex-H goes on the lash, pisses it all up the wall and blows it all on hookers, luxury holidays and a large flatscreen TV?

There are of course many many other questions but those to are pretty core to the future of any independent Scotland and I really hope voters will make an informed decision on those rather than the "Meh, we hate Westminster" mentality.

Salmond's too busy dreaming about his very own Donald Dewar-esque statue on Buchanan/Princes/Union Street to be bothered to give us any of the consequences/problems.

If I were living in Scotland, I'd be very worried. The Yes campaign is high on emotions, low on facts.

There are of course many many other questions but those to are pretty core to the future of any independent Scotland and I really hope voters will make an informed decision on those rather than the "Meh, we hate Westminster" mentality.

EXACTLY. Independence is far more important than feeling smug about ramming one up the Tories.

I'd certainly want the critical question of EU membership and currency nailing down first

Does the timescale allow for that ?

The SNP have had guidance from the EU, but when asked through a Freedom of Information Act enquiry, Alex Salmond refused to divulge what he'd been told as he says it'll "break ministerial code". There's a court case on about it now.

The SNP have had guidance from the EU

But wouldn't that info also be available to the governing bodies of the other members UK/Britain, due to the potential ramification for those countries ? (ie finding themselves outside of the EU due to Scotland choosing independence, or having to start now to create similar sorts of agreements to the one Italy and Swizerland have about their citizens having a "soft" boarder ?)

Did Cameron et al not also ask the same questions at the same time ? And if not, why not ?

Scottish and i'll be voting no to independence and I would go one further and insist that the West Lothian question be sorted out once and for all. I, and many people I know, think it is appalling that Scottish MPs vote on issues that have no impact on Scotland.

I would also like investigation into the Barnett Formula with a view of being able to dispel the subsidy junkies myth around Scotland.

Oh bloody hell, am I going to have to finally give in and take on Italian citizenship ?

If Scotland go independent and as a consequence England has to re-negotiate its own membership I'll be in "suddenly a sort of possible illegal alien maybe" limbo land. Which is not what you want to be in the country that likes to rubber-stamp and certify you to the point of distraction.

I already got hurled off the NHS register when Romania joined up cos the computer crashed and nobody felt inclined to let the booted off know they needed to redo everything. I had to put myself on it again after my doc refused to see me. Which is not what you want when fighting raging tonsillitis. My own nation being flung into EU limbo could only be worse than that in terms of having to sort stuff put again and working put what I was and wasn't entitled to.

How many millions of us settled in various bits of the EU are potentially at risk of finding the ground shift beneath our feet ?

I'm married to an Italian, (and have personally contributed a mini Italian to the dwindling birth rate) So I'll be Ok in the sense that citzenship would be a "rubber stamp and annoy me for hours with tonnes of beurocrcy" job.

But what about all the other Britons all over the EU that don't have that sort of option available to them ? What will happen to them ?

As far as I am aware SNP MP's only vote on issues that concern Scotland.

I would have more faith in Scottish MPs if the rest of them followed the SNP lead on this Fanny :)

Suocera that is tge same issue I have with the proposed independencevox Scotland, I'd have to become Swedish and I hate pickled fish! I'm happy being British.

But wouldn't that info also be available to the governing bodies of the other members UK/Britain, due to the potential ramification for those countries ?

Who knows...maybe. But since it's the electorate who is being asked to vote, you'd think it's pretty crucial information to give the Scottish voters.

Otherwise in effect what you are asking is:

"Vote for Scottish Independence. You'll just have to trust me that's it's the best thing cos I can't tell you what you really want to know. It'll be great honestly. I'm a politician. Trust me!"

Can i just volunteer for the vacany that will be created if Scotland becomes independent??

Because there is a nice pretty set of crown jewels in Edinburgh Castle that no-one is wearing... & obviously QE11 wouldn't be the Scottish Queen...

So instead of having a boring President in a suit - i could be the new Queen of Scotland! (Well i'm, er, 1/8 Scottish) so please please please choose me as you have a vacany & i'd like another job!

Obviously if i was the new Queen of Scotland i will be avoiding Queen Liz after the last Queen of Scot's unfortunate demise at the hands of QE1...

at Queen Latara the First of Scotland - but I believe the Windsors will be staying in place in the event of independence.