To want to keep my UK passport if Scotland votes YES in the 2014 referendum?

[SittingBull1]

If the majority of people actually voting votes YES in the 2014 referendum, Scotland will leave the UK. As Scots living in Scotland, will my family and I lose our UK passports? Along with a very large number of NO voters, my family and I will want to retain our UK passports, and I'm sure that a huge percentage of the non-voters will also want to keep theirs. I think that the UK government should offer to allow Scots living in Scotland to retain their UK passports. Is that unreasonable?

You were born a British citizen and I very much doubt that anyone can take that away from you.

Err, England is a nation, is it not? Therefore English is a nationality. The same as Welsh and Scottish are nationalities.

Hump day If you don't live in Scotland why should you get to vote.

I also think you will struggle to find Yes voters for the reasons you suggest.

Not inside my passport it isn't. We are British Citizens. Along with the Welsh, the Scots and the Northern Irish.

Obviously this may be about to change if Scotland decides not to be part of the UK.

England is only a nation (bizarrely, but perhaps tellingly) on a football and rugby field.

YANBU to want to, although I wouldn't. I'm sure as others have said the same situation as NI would apply. I would rather have a Scottish passport if we are talking about identity and citizenship, but I wouldn't be against those wishing dual citizenship applying for it.

I imagine you would automatically become Scottish (and keep your BC status) on whatever date Scotland were to become independent. I doubt you'd actually have to "apply" for Scottish citizenship.

I cannot believe at this stage in proceedings, there is no definitive answer as to whether an independent Scotland would automatically continue membership of the EU.

The answer is that no-one knows. I personally think it would not, as it would be a new constituent state, smaller than the whole from which it broke off, and with a new name. However, I think then Scotland would be placed in the position of hoping the EU allow them to acede. I also think Salmond is unsure whether an independent Scotland would want EU membership, scared of it being a vote loser and is simply ignoring it.

I find him cynical and I'm not taken in by him. I wouldn't look forward to living in a country set up on that basis.

I bet you'd find a good many Scots who'd vote yes just because they hate the Queen and the English. That is how they roll... a lot of them anyway.

Drank, sorry - I meant apply for UK citizenship, as with the NI Irish/British citizenship situation. Likely though that it will be as you suggest and you won't have to if you're a born British citizen.

These issues really aren't at the heart of it for me though I understand the delicate nature of national identity. I'm a republican but I've no problem with an independent Scotland keeping the queen, for example - as a symbolic gesture and a democratic one that would allow those people who feel very British to retain some of that symbolism.

Not in my experience MyMILisfromHell. Queen is very popular here and only bigots hate the English - I'm afraid every society has a small percentage of bigoted people.

I also think you will struggle to find Yes voters for the reasons you suggest.

I know plenty of them unfortunately.

I have been worrying about it. I am eligible for another EU country passport and was wondering if I should apply for that.

And what of the military, NHS, etc? I can't see this working. As romantic as it seems to the patriotic Scot, it's just not doable. England & Scotland are too intertwined.

I haven't read up much on this but on the face of it I think independence would not be a wise leap for Scotland to take.

DrankSangria None of this is actually going to happen anyway is it?

You wouldn't think a country doing as well as Germany is now would have voted for Hitler, would you?

Or that just 60 years ago, the Stasi operated in East Germany and people "disappeared"?

You wouldn't think in Edinburgh the local authority could be complicit in passing legislation permitting compulsory repair of buildings and allow fraudulent inflated costs and faulty workmanship scams to go on for years and the matter to remain strangely quiet even now instead of becoming a national scandal?

You wouldn't think that a leading Scottish political party could be accused of being involved with a union in signing up people for membership without their agreement?

Or every large public building project in its capital city being mired in controversy, allegations of fraud, gross misconduct and going tens of millions of pounds over budget?

As I say, not sure I'd want to live in an independent Scotland.

NHS already devolved MyMIL... As is education, justice etc etc.. Not much left!

Yes Humpday the current plan is to retain the Queen as head of state. Like the other commonwealth countries (interesting that Glasgow is hosting the Commonwealth Games next year). Some are ill-informed, no doubt. And yes, you'd get bigoted people voting for the wrong reasons. I'm afraid I think there are also a lot of NO voters who would be doing similar, but that's democracy.

I'm voting yes but not for any of the reasons listed on this thread and I would be appalled to hear anyone doing so.

The queen thing baffles me. If you don't want the UK, why do you want the person who is the symbol of it?

Annunziata The queen thing baffles me. If you don't want the UK, why do you want the person who is the symbol of it?

My guess is the same thing as the number of staunch pro-independence supporters who suck up to anyone remotely approaching sleb status, particularly those who are domiciled outwith Scotland...

Re the EU, it depends if scotland is decided to be a completely new state or part of an equal split.

If completely new state then lose all EU membership etc but also no obligations re eg national debt.

If equal split then Scotland takes on share if national debt and renogotiates eu membership, as rUK would also do.

MIL Scotland already has a completely separate NHS, it also has plenty of military bases and fecking trident

Not liking the monarchy/English does not make a person a bigot though. That does not fit in with the definition of a bigot. The Scots are generally quite tolerant & friendly, mix well with other cultures, etc. They just resent English dominance.

I don't agree with them, but I can see many rational reasons why Scots might vote for independence and think it is a perfectly respectable political stance.
What I don't get is how many people think Scotland could have the whole independence thing, but still keep the Queen, Sterling, EU membership, British citizenship, totally free movement of goods and people. If you have all those things are you really independent?
Administratively it is a nightmare and there are so many fundamental questions that remain unanswered.

Oh me too Humpday - in fact I think I should be queen of the independent Scotland... Hmmmm I can see myself coming round to this monarchy lark

The queen thing? Lots of people in Scotland (like the OP's DH) are very passionately British and would like to retain the monarch, she is (whether I approve or not!) as much Queen of Scotland as of anywhere else - I'd rather I lived in a republic but I don't see the argument here.

Just to correct you a wee bit MIL, most Scots (bar the bigots) don't resent English dominance, they resent Westminster dominance, a not insignificant difference.