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.

rooners economic growth isn't eternally sustainable. Globally it makes no sense - for one country to become wealthier others must become poorer. Equality in society is my marker of success. And in the 21st century I don't think it is OK to look after yourself to the detriment of others whether they live in the next street or another continent. And I am sorry that you think I am incredibly naive but I will take my facts from published sources and not from some random poster on the internet, thank you. I implore you to take a look at the Reid foundation's work before lecturing me on my stupidity.

chocoluvva it is no surprise to me that turnout is low when people have become so distanced, disillusioned and disenfranchised with government that they do not see it as relevant to them.

Yes I wish it was all over too. The next month is going to be quite emotionally charged.

affan then you are campaigning for global communism then.

Good luck with that.

If I was voting I would want to know. Because its easy to prove some short term financial disruption. If I cared mainly about the social justice side I wouldn't really care. I might care if I was told that improvements to social justice would take 50 years rather than 5. If only because rUK might get its shit together in 50 years anyway. But I literally don't know.

What is interesting is you don't know either.

I was at a business event where Alistair Darling was a speaker (not independence related). He told us all that when he got the call that the money was running out at RBS, he asked how long the bank had left. 'Two hours' was the reply.

Rooners now you are just being ridiculous, completely ridiculous.

You really believe this ludicrous, foolish way of running an economy on imaginary money and borrowing borrowed money and robbing Peter to pay Paul is the only way? Really? The same tactics that saw our entire economy fall on its knees? You have a short memory.

My Dad probably had the right idea as he's just gone abroad for the next two months

.....but he did arrange a proxy vote

Very wise

beast that's the issue - no one knows. I'm a very considered person so to me, a yes vote is no going back. Not for possibly decades or hundreds of years. I love the UK. This isn't a "let's give it a whirl" decision.

And the bald facts of Salmond's arguments are, frankly, terrifying.

affan I would never tell anyone how to vote. And debating the facts is essential. But my humble opinion is you are gravely mistaken if you think a Scottish economy will succeed the way is being suggested by Salmond.

chubbyhez can you link me to the website of the Scottish regulator for financial services company. My understanding is that the FCA is a UK wide regulator.

affan our economy did not fall on its knees. Thankfully there was the resource to bail it out. And the global recession was not caused by government borrowing.

The UK economy is now growing.

financial services companies. stupid computer.

The SNP claim that an independent Scotland would be richer, would continue to have free higher education, free childcare and goodness knows what all else without raising tax rates. But he doesn't explain how this will happen. Any savings on trident would be a drop in the ocean.

Rooners I have seen an awful lot of assertions from you - about your own credentials, about the discord you perceive between the facts and the proposals, and about the effects you believe this could have on the economy here. I haven't seen any facts from you though, although as a considered person you surely have some to hand? I am a decided yes voter for ideological and moral reasons (and I don't appreciate that you have described me as naive for caring less about the economy than you do) but I am always all ears when someone has facts to share.

affan I don't know what you want me to say.

We are all individuals with one vote. We are all intelligent women. It might surprise you that despite my job, I lean to the left. In my heart I believe we can only break poverty with education. That firstly does need a strong economic position. It also needs a government with will. The SNP has done very little on education in the time it has had already. Neither of these things inspire confidence in me.

We sure as heck don't end poverty with sound bites like 'equality'.

No one really knows anything. We all do our research. I have done mine. You have done yours.

I am passionate that we make an informed choice. There is no going back from "yes". But it seems like we are sleepwalking into it.

Having to sign off now - thanks for the debate.

There is no Scottish regulator. I didn't say there was. There's different laws governing finance, and many other things, in Scotland and when big banks operate internationally they fall under different regulators - as a lot do already.

Sorry - last post from me. was wonderful comprehensive post and basically my sentiments fully, which I didn't get round to fully stating.

chubby the Scottish banks operate under the UK financial regulator. Scottish banking laws are an irrelevance now. We have UK wide regulation at present. Scotland would have to therefore establish a new system upon independence. Existing UK financial services companies would not convert. They would leave.

And these big banks that already exist internationally, slotting in to other countries regulations. It can be done.

I understand that they'd move their HQ, (RBS already has its CEO and senior management in London) but just explain to me why you think would they need to move their workforces?

No here. And as someone has said, I'm disgusted by the behaviour of some yes voters. A pensioner displaying a no thanks sticker in his car had his car vandalised. No posters are routinely vandalised, and people are afraid to put posters or stickers up as they'll be the target of aggressive yes voters. I've found the yes side to be full of loud bullies who shout and sneer at no voters, who tend to keep quiet as a result.
I've also noticed it's only the yes voters who wax lyrical about how the referendum has been great for engaging people in debate and getting people involved in politics. Which is faintly patronising and also untrue- this is a nasty, divisive, toxic debate that has turned people against each other and caused deep divisions. If yes win half thd country is going to feel furious and not remotely on board with moving forward together. Many will leave their country of birth. I certainly will, I couldn't bear to stand by and watch our inevitable descent into decline. Hardly a hopeful or positive beginning for a new country.

deedee it's a minefield. For a kick off, you would have to show the UK regulator that your principal place if business was in England, not Scotland. You can't just do this by having your Board of Directors in England.

Or we could have all sorts of foreign regulated entities operating here!

You would have to have your "substance" in England.

So yes, you could have some support staff e.g a call centre, in Scotland - if you wanted to (big question in itself - consider tax/employment/logistics) but the heart of your business would have to go.

Sorry - I promise this is the last from me. I find the debate fascinating (but wish to god it wasn't for real).

Also consider that even if you could persuade the FCA (UK regulator) that you kept a good part of your business in Scotland, you would be an English entity for tax. So scotland would lose again - there might be some jobs but no corporation tax payable.

I wish the SNP would consider this on Monday....