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?

No lots of people dont speak welsh. That's what the language lobby would like people to think.

Why do you want to keep a UK passport? Are there benefits that a Scottish passport wouldn't have?

It depends on a lot of things, the major one being EU membership. So at the moment you can live and work anywhere in the EU and as a visitor you can access some healthcare either via EU or EEA agreements.

There are also reciprocal agreements with healthcare and pension rights with various countries, usually commonwealth so if you spend your working life in New Zealand your pension contributions can be transferred to the UK if you come 'home' to live.

There are all sorts of agreements with countries about visas, have you ever noticed the number of NZ and Australian bar staff in London? Or the accents of doctors and nurses in London? Lots of people on working holiday visas for a year or two and UK passport holders can go work in Australia and NZ on similar visas.

Consular assistance. If you loose your passport or end up in a foreign jail you have access to someone from the embassy or consul to advise you. In countries that do not have a British Embassy there is usually an agreement to provide the assistance via a third company, often Canada or a Scandinavian country.

A Scottish government would need to renegotiate all of these arrangements, some of which go back decades or longer.

I am English but have lived in Scotland for a good while, married to a Scot. But my husband and children are British, as am I. My husband is determined to retain his British citizenship. (Should there be a Yes vote, which is unlikely) and was born in Africa anyway - to British / Scottish parents. My children were born here but will, come he'll or high water, retain their British passports. You can get into 100+ countries in the world (can't be bothered to search for a reference) with a British passport without a visa. You have status in the world. Scotland, as a nation, will have the same clout as Iceland or Malta (ie hardly any) and will, rapidly, have to get used to not sitting at top table any more.

We will be poorer in Salmond's socialist Utopia. He is already buying our votes with free prescriptions, tuition fees etc and he will run out of pennies soon.

Nationalism is actually a very scary idea. I am very glad that the 16-17 year olds think very differently from Salmond and his ilk.

The Curriculum for Excellence is a total fiasco. Teachers require 2 things in order to teach a course: a syllabus and the standard (ie what does a C grade look like). The syllabus for exams being sat in April / May is vague and bits keep changing. We also have no idea of what constitutes an A/B/C yet and will not be given "guidance" until January. Not a worry for the clever ones but bloody scary at the borderline. 30% of pupils used to get a standard grade 3. National 5 (note the propaganda laden name of the qualification) is a grade 1/2. National 4 is a grade 4. So for 30% of Scotland's pupils it is either work bloody hard and excel yourself or get a qualification below what you are capable of. (Or get nothing?)

Also, parents, take note. They have moved ALL the exams to earlier. Last year, Higher English was 13th May. This year it is the 1st. We have lost 2 weeks of teaching / revision which will also have an impact, even on those who are fortunate enough to get through on the old system.

It will be carnage in the summer. There are no longer appeals either so no way of ensuring pupils get what they deserve based on other results.

For this fiasco alone everyone should be voting NO.

Nationals = National Disgrace.

Salmond should be very, very sorry as he is failing our youngsters.

Curriculum for Excellence My Arse!

(Off to lie down)

Re currency, it is indeed correct the White Paper won't cover it. The SNP predictably is using the usual tactic that anyone asking for answers is doing Scotland down and being negative.

Forgetmenots

Re your earlier post about EU accession - I'm sure everything is up to debate. However, every member state would have to agree to any treaty changes determining accession obligations.

Negotiation involves give and take. While I'm sure the SNP realise this, that hasn't stopped them from pretending that everything will be arranged to Scotland's convenience.

If this thread is in any way representitive, then it looks like a no vote is highly likely!
Out of interest, what are the polls suggesting, and what is the mood of scottish people?
I have a friend from Dundee, who now lives in wales. She says that if she had a vote, she would vote no, albeit reluctantly..

Latest I saw said 27% no, and about 60% yes, the rest undecided IFAIK.

As for currency: the only option available to Scotland (assuming that it wants to be in the EU) is adopt the Euro like all other entrants.

This is of course unless it can negotiatiate a special exemption. The Yes camp claim it will, but this is pure speculation.

Polls here: ukpollingreport.co.uk/scottish-independence-referendum.

Latest poll Sep 13: No 52% Yes 32%.

I think your stats are a bit out there, SantanaLopez.

I keep doing that, it is really very embarrassing Surprisingly close on the 29/27, though!

I wish it was 60% Yes! But it will be.... [dreams]

I really have no idea how it will go.

Ridiculously excited about the White Paper, but I doubt it will be accessible enough to make a real impact.

I wish the English could also vote as to whether they want to be part of the Union too. It seems that the Scots and Scottish MP's can vote on things like this and things that only affect England but it doesn't work the other way which is weird considering how much bigger the English electorate is.

CfE is not a complete disaster. In many ways my job has hardly changed and there are lots of positive changes. Secondary and Primary experiences are very different but there's nothing new there.

According to UK Polling Report, there has only been one poll in favour of independence: it was commissioned by the SNP and asked leading questions. The majority was 1%.

Whistle

Yes, lots of people do speak Welsh. Particularly in the North and West.

I'm assuming you're not Welsh?

I don't think you can really vote to make someone stay though. If England was voting to become independent then would it be right for Scotland to have a say? Most Scots I know would be quite happy for the MPs not to vote on English only issues. That's not the way it has been set up though.

There have been a number of debates in Scottish Universities, and all have ended with a majority "yes" vote. The most recent was, I think Napier (there were 2 or 3 within days) and the "exit poll" of the audience post-debate was 80% yes, 20% no. It's all to play for, I'm quite ridiculously excited about this opportunity.

Tinlegs I agree, and don't get me started on what Mike Russell has done to the College sector - starved it of funds so Tarquin doesn't have to pay to go to St Andrews. So when your less academic child is let down by the new curriculum, there will no longer be a local college to support them.

And if you have ambitions to upskill or return to the workplace - forget it. Massive funding cuts to colleges have decimated part time & evening provision, disproportionately affecting older, female learners. Hey, but who cares about them as long as we serve the holy grail of no tuition fees for university.

I've heard both Gaelic and Welsh spoken on the street in Scotland and Wales, with about the same frequency. The Gaelic was more noticeable because the two people speaking English switched to Gaelic as soon as we entered the shop. We left without buying anything

Oldlady

Like this one?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-21539995

(62% no vote at Glasgow University)

old lady

Don't know where you're getting that about universities.

The quote below is from Wikipedia

In February 2013, a University of Glasgow poll returned 62% against independence with 2,518 votes cast[189]
In April 2013, an Edinburgh Napier University survey returned 70% against independence with 569 respondents

Alis, no, i'm not welsh, and that is relevant how? most of my welsh friends feel the same as i do. The amount of funding that welsh medium education recieves for example over english medium (which most welsh children attend) is an absoloute scandal!

Forcing children in non welsh schools to learn a language that is usless outside wales is incredibly arrogant and shortsighted. My dd and her friend, for example resent having to learn welsh because they are having it forced upon them, but have a completely different attitude to learning french and german.

There is a deliberate policy here of keeping the welsh language artificially alive. It will backfire sooner or later.