to wonder why the SNP aren't getting the same bashing that UKIP are?

[kinkytoes]

I'm not a political expert by any means and I know there has been a lot of discussion on both topics here.

But both these parties have the same ultimate aim - independence for their countries. Why is no-one calling SNP supporters racist? Not that I think they should be - just curious about the apparent double standard.

Merry you may want to make David Cameron et al aware of the blase attitude to The Independence Referendum of 'the English'. They appear quite keen to keep the UK together. Maybe it's just Hampshire.
Are you aware that everyone with the right to vote in UK elections and resident in Scotland is eligible to vote, even those who come from Hampshire?
What is your evidence that oil reserves are on the point of running out?
Today is the 98th anniversary of the beginning of The Easter Rising (the fight for Irish independence). Ireland wasn't much of a Celtic Tiger then and the British government seemed quite keen to avoid separatism of any kind.
Not sure of your logic.

The President of the SSTA at the SSTA Annual Congress in May 2010 said "We know why secondary teachers are not fully behind CfE. It's because much of it is mince."

I am sure that people from hampshire who live in Scotland are interested in Scottish independence. For people who live in hampshire it is off the radar. People are apathetic about politics in general - there will be interest when the election happens, but most people just don't care.

I can see that english opinion on Scotland might be newsworthy in Scotland, but the truth is that down south the whole thing might as well not be happening apart from occasional opinion pieces every few weeks in the papers when there isnt much else to write about and the odd story when somebody says something stupid or a celebrity is involved.

This isn't altogether surprising given that people outside Scotland don't have a vote.

If you know about some oil near scotland that the rest of us haven't noticed great. The general consensus is that it is running out.

Oh please. You might as well compare the National Front to the National Trust.

Maybe you should widen your horizons from The Hampshire Chronicle (surprisingly not widely available up here).
PS re oil, let us know when your lights go out.

Re:Ireland regardless of what they thought in 1928, without the Irish unionists the uk would have left Ireland long ago.

There'll be no need to let us know when the oil runs out - we'll be perfectly well aware of it when the economy goes tits up (or before, if it becomes cheaper to lay a new pipeline south of the border...)

But not to worry - Alex has everything in hand, just as long as we don't bother him with pesky details.

I am sorry if you find lack of interest in Scottish independence upsetting, but the issue doesnt make the national tv or print news headlines that often.

I'm not surprised you don't find it interesting merry - it is deadly boring. Alex Knobhead refusing to give us answers and bleating about how it's all the fault of Westminster, and the other lot asking lots of questions, not getting the answers and then lieing down and refusing to take the SNP to task over it. I hate the whole 'debate' - it's been dragging on for years now.

I'll cope Merry. Cheers for the chat....(toodles off to find out what happened in Ireland in 1928).

SNP has racist elements but they are hiding the serious nutter Nats who have gone quiet because they know that is the best way of getting what they want. Curriculum for Excellence is a parochial mess. We need to have children who can look outwards and compete globally, not ones who speak dead languages and know all the plants of a tiny country or can recite 6 poems off by heart.

Farage is also a nutter surrounded by racists but he is just not as good a political operator as Salmond.

Both are bloody scary, as are their supporters.

Hear, hear Rose

Oh, I'm scary am I? How bizarre

I'm a long time SNP voter, as is my partner. He is English. I don't hate England or the English - it's just the country next door and a bit annoying that when we're trying to find out news we have to sit through stuff that has no relevance to us at all.

As for racist/xenophobic/whatever comments - I've had more than I want to remember aimed at me. A lot from English people who have moved up here and act like it's the back of beyond and things are just so quaint and our accents are so amusing... Of course these are written off as 'jokes' and there's no point in answering back 'cos then you're a dour Scot or anti-English...

Some of us just want control over our own country, but I'm sure it's much more interesting to make out we're all bigots. I thought the comment about 'separating from England' was very telling. I was under the impression there were other countries involved?

and a bit annoying that when we're trying to find out news we have to sit through stuff that has no relevance to us at all

What??? What about the rest of the world, have you no interest in that either?

You're not the same family who I sat next to a plane from Aberdeen once, who were flying to Heathrow and then straight back again, they spent the entire flight discussing how exciting and interesting it was to leave Scotland for the first, time, be on a plane flight, etc. but how they would be glad to get back home, and they weren't going outside the airport into "that damned place". From the conversation, they were clearly just flying straight back again as soon as they landed.

I think it was a mother and father with their adult daughter.

I know I'm going to be cursed for life by the Gods of No Sense of Humour for telling this tale...

That's interesting - because when I moved up from Kent there were plenty of Scots who made their feelings on the English known, despite being born to Scottish parents

We can still have control over our own country under a federal type system, but I find the idea that I'm expected to surrender my nationality (I'm British just as much as Scottish) on nothing more than vague promises and whining about Westminster bullies hugely insulting - Mr Salmond owes us far more than that. If I was to be offered a new job, for example, I would want to know the fine details, irrespective of how good an offer I was told it was going to be. Blind nationalism is not enough - that's what I find scary.

"I was under the impression there were other countries involved?"

Wales and Northern Ireland have their own independence parties and their own parliaments. I thought scotland wanted independence from Westminster not Cardiff.

Yep - the 'bullies' are at Westminster (all of them, even the Scottish ones...), not Cardiff or Belfast

MelonadeAgain - you might want to read my post again as your response makes no sense at all.

merrymouse - I think you'll find that Wales has an assembly, not a parliament. Both N. Ireland and Wales have some devolved powers and some that are controlled from Westminster. Scotland will be voting to leave the UK and become independent, not 'separate from England.'

SirChenjin - well, I don't know you, but maybe you were really patronizing or rude... we only hear one side of the story...

Anyway, I'll go and leave you to swap stories about nasty nationalists

I voted no in both the devolution referenda and will be voting no on independence. I've met some awful racists who are SNP members; apparently it's not really racist if your target is white and English.

To be honest I don't know very much about UKIP but don't like what I hear. I know a lot about the SNP and don't, although for different reasons , like what I hear.

I don't like the way the Nats go on about "the Scottish people" Not everyone who lives in Scotland is Scottish or thinks of themselves as Scottish. I don't like the way the Nats rubbish any one who considers themselves British.

To teach about The First World War from the point of view of its effect on crofting, if true, is not racist but it is breathtakingly blinkered It does a huge disservice to the greater part of Scotland, geographically and by head of population, to which the crofting system did not and does not apply. That sort of thing along with the faux Gaelicisation of place names in the non Gaelic part of the country annoys me greatly.

Tardigrade your response to Sirchenjin is pretty patronising and rude.

A friend from school who married an English man and now lives in England told me her very modest and very polite and pleasant husband used to get comments made about him which were down right racist.

Is this what it's really about then? English people who've been on the receiving end of vile behaviour from Scots in the past are assuming on that basis we're all a bunch of Braveheart-watching, kilt-wearing, English-hating bigots.

You see from where I'm standing it's about democracy and representation. Nationalism comes second - being in a position where my vote will actually count for something is so much more important than that.

Whether it is an assembly or a parliament the point remains that power has been devolved and they have their own campaigns for independence.

If there is a large amount of yes campaign information focusing on the detrimental effect of Wales on Scotland please link.

I don't have any opinion on Scottish nationalists as a group as I haven't met one in person and, as I said they have a low profile outside Scotland.

tardi I've never encountered any English people mocking my accent. My rabidly SNP bil on the other hand felt it necessary to mock my northeast accent as being too posh when he first met me.

Affan I avoid gatherings of my husband's family but one was unavoidable last week. Throughout the meal both his daughters were going on and on about campaigning for a yes vote. I eventually said I didn't want to get into an argument but just to put my cards on the table I am voting no.

I see one of them subsequently blogged "I'm always shocked when any one admits they will be voting no"

Being against independence is something she considers you "admit to" presumably it is like being a member of the the BNP. or a paedophile.

Is that caring about democracy ? Does that demonstrate an ability to accept other people are entitled to have different views?

I am looking forward to Mithersnet on September 19.

Caitlin - the fact that your niece holds strong (perhaps blinkered) views does not mean that the supporters of the yes campaign don't care about democracy. How bizarre of you to use a single example from one of your family members to 'prove' your point.

BTW - I'm not an SNP supporter, nor am in in the yes or the no camp. Still firmly undecided as I need more information.