To wonder how you're voting in the Scottish Referendum and why?

[deeedeee]

a month away from the vote thought it would be interesting to ask

( no bunfighting , derision or soundbites please. just yes or no and why. feel free to post more than once with different reasons. No links unless independent fact or opinion, nothing from the official campaigns)

I'm a YES

because Westminster's failed to protect the vunerable and the UK's me first politics have taken us down a particularly nasty path. An independent Scotland leans towards to left and can potentially choose a better route. And if a change happens in scotland then I think that that could inspire a change in the direction of politics in the rest of the UK.

I feel British too, Hester, in addition to feeling Scottish. But cultural and geographical boundaries don't need to be mirrored in political boundaries if that's not the solution that fits best (however, although I'm a definite "yes" voter, I'm not sure that I still would be if we were given the option to vote on a federal UK).

IrnBru

Phaedra-I have always loved Scotland but have been saddened many times by the attitudes you describe which have become nastier since the independence debate.

My sister lives in Scotland, married to a Scotsman and my niece and nephew were born there so I do know the country. I worked in Edinburgh for a while and most weeks would experience some sort of racist comment of the type you describe. Contrast that with attitudes towards the many Scots living south of the border, I work with several and I honestly feel that such nasty comments directed towards any of them would be unthinkable. Perhaps some Scottish Nationalist posters could explain this.

Apple I am Scottish living now in Scotland but spend 5 years after uni in England .

I was subjected to many many incidents of racism.

I think it works both ways, for you to say otherwise is very very naive.

So lets get this clear some blokes remonstrating with a auld guy,that defines scotland
Its a scenario that is replicated up and down uk
One cant draw any significance from it

There will walkways be radicals on both sides.

You only have to look at the bigotry involved in football which has extended somehow into the campaign, to see that.

People are people wherever they live.

Inane to you. Probably very frightening for the beggar, not very pleasant for me and indicative of the anti-English feeling which apparently doesn't really exist. I'm not even English; I'm simply not Scottish enough for some.

I've worked in Ireland & England and have been subjected to abuse because of my Scottish accent in both..
Many English members of the SNP including MSP's so no idea what you are insinuating.

There's even an English for Yes group, and people from a variety of nationalities are involved in my local Yes group.

Explain the actions of arseholes you've encountered? Why?

You simply cannot draw a grand conclusion from it,it happens across uk
An irascible altercation doesn't represent the referendum
Yes i have no doubt jt was unpleasant,but one cant draw a significance from it

Maybe the unionists can explain David Cameron.

Scottishmummy I'm fed up of hearing on here and from the Nats how much nicer everyone is in Scotland, how apart obviously from anyone who votes Tory, people in Scotland have such a better sense of fairness and social justice.

Beastofburden Sat 23-Aug-14 18:35:14
"Butterfly posted some very interesting stuff which sank without trace. Reading this, I think the reason that ppl who are thinking of voting no are staying quiet is not because they are thinking. It's because there is very real hostility towards no voters.
OP said at the outset that all opinions were welcome, but what I have seen is that any no opinion is immediately challenged, and any yes opinion gets a pat on the back."

I agree with this-recently someone I know has taken to calling all their Yes friends "patriots" ( with the obv insinuation that No voter friends are traitors), adding little Gaelic phrases to the end of all messages (no not a word of it does the person speak but clearly it makes them more Scottish than me) and some of the Facebook rants eg "half wits" "uneducated" and that's just the words I would repeat in polite company. I wouldn't dare put a No poster up or wear a badge, I think aspects of this campaign have become vile, some people on both sides have let themselves down and there are wounds opened up that will never be healed. I've said on other threads I believe Scotland could be an independent country but i don't think we should. I am a patriotic British Scot so I am voting no.

Clearly your fed upness affects your judgement

I don't disagree with everyone voting no. I can see that the risk is too great for some. And for many they feel unable to abandon the rest of the uk (something i struggle with too) . There's been lots of no voters on this thread I've silently nodded at. and I don't think i've patted any yes voters on the back. I think you're imagining that.

I only really disagree with people voting NO through ignorance or fear.

oh and i'm english if it matters (which it doesn't) .. 20 years in edinburgh and no xenophobia against me.. i guess there's xenophobic wankers everywhere though and someone's always gonna be at the receiving end somewhere.

We're a YES household.

It's the tone, the anger, that we've had the audacity to wish to handle our own affairs.

Actually, all the anger I've seen on this thread has come from the Yes contingent. The No voters have all put their points calmly and intelligently, and without seeming so angry and hard done by which (and I say this as a Scot myself) I've noticed Scots are very good at!

Fanny I'm not insinuating anything. I have been told by SNP members I don't deserve to live here as I'm not "proud to be Scottish"

I've had them mocking my "English" accent. Choose not to believe it if you like.

I'm not Scottish but will be voting yes.
I only know what a couple of close friends are planning to vote. It is not generally talked about. I haven't witnessed any of the vitriol/abuse some of you refer to.

Again,phaedra. some unpleasant comments dont represent or typify all scots

Yes.

I'll be voting yes and if we win I'd continue to vote SNP.

I've still to convince dh though.

No.

I'm frankly amazed by the "take a punt" attitude of the yes voters.

This isn't a holiday we can just come home from if it turns out we don't like it.

Salmond's numbers just don't add up. All the crap about ending poverty? Dwindling, erroneously computed oil isn't going to do that. Education will. SNP have done nothing to improve education in Scotland.

I'm extremely worried and an independent Scotland will no longer be my home.

I'm a no voter, so is DP. My family and friends are all yes voters and would be upset/ outraged if they knew my voting stance as they would see it as an extreme right wing act. I'm nodding and smiling a lot. They have literally no idea. So I guess I'm a classic 'hidden' no voter.

I'd like to point out that the Better Together campaign has no relevance to my life or to my decision. I've flung their leaflets straight in the bin. I'm not sure who they are or why they want to keep the union, and I don't care. My decision is my own and is not influenced by them. So all the FB posters on my thread can cease and desist with the emotional crap about no voters believing BT propaganda.

I'm voting no because the economics don't stack up, and without the economics we have nothing to build on. And as an Edinburgher, I don't want to lose the FS industry from Scotland.

Roseformeplease - so you don't care about democracy/child poverty/nuclear weapons/food banks/bank bailouts/MPs expenses/illegal wars all the things Westminster has imposed on Scotland without a mandate?

You may think you are 'economically productive' today but what if tomorrow you become disabled? Would you still think the UK was so great then?

One of my colleagues commented that he'd seen a number of yes stickers in windows but no "no"

Do you know why that is the case? It's because they'd be smashed. Better Together posters and billboards are being vandalised and torn down. The No supporters aren't doing that to Yes material.