to start yet another Indyref thread?

[FannyFifer]

Round 3 folks.

We should arrange an Indyref meet up at this stage.

I never got to read your post Cautious! And I like to hear a quiet voice amidst the rhetoric - come back if you can.

I'm not accusing every no voter of doing so out of economic self interest or fear of change. But certainly there are many who would give this as their reasons.

But how can you possibly be confident in a regime that has absolutely no interest in tackling a growing scandal over fraud and the covering up of information in its own capital city? Surely criticisng Westminster is just buying into the myth that Scottish politics isn't just as corrupt, and therefore you are complicit in the latter.

Scottish corruption simply sounds more expensive for the taxpayer. And at least scandals are being uncovered in Westminster. Most people know about the Scottish ones (CofE Council, Nicholas Fairbairn, Robert Henderson QC, dropped criminal cases,etc and others) but ignore them.

So government corruption is somehow more acceptable if its Scottish then?

Incidents, does Wings direct you to links on the statutory notice fraud in Edinburgh?

Hey Team Scotland I don't have a problem with Robert Gordons College old boys at all - every single one has been affa nice to me!

Just repeating what those not in that club have said to me about it. Is it a fair observation do you think?

But then again economic rationality and a sceptical view of the promised Utopia don't seem at all craven or shameful to me.

On a tangent: Can anyone tell me who decided the police force should carry their guns about?

Wonder why Cautious asked to be deleted, I read it and didn't notice anything untoward at all?

I missed it, what did they say?

I don't have a vote but following the thread(s) as a yes vote would affect my DH as he is a non-resident Scot.
I am and why the threat level timing is being commented about having influence swaying the independence vote.
In a matter of days, Wales is about to host the NATO summit; was the timing of that convenient to swaying the vote? This month, a US citizen has been beheaded by a British sounding citizen; was the timing of that convenient timing to swaying the vote? British citizens are going off to fight as jihadists in Syria; is that convenient timing to sway the vote?

The combination of the above events makes sound sense for increasing the threat level, likely intelligence providing further reasons not made public.
But thinking the change in threat level has been done to influence the Scottish independence vote seems incredibly far fetched to me.

In principle I don't think there's any reason to think that government elected by a Scottish electorate would result in a fairer society. It might obviously, but there's nothing to suggest that Scottish people/politicians are fairer/ more immoral than rUK. And I think it's insulting to rUK to think we'd make a better go of it than a UK government.

I'm hopeful that the UKIP will damage the conservative party and let labour or a labour coalition into government soon.

It was the last labour government that failed to resist the pressure from US to go to war with Iraq.

I realise this sounds defeatist and negative, but I really think that it takes an exceptional person to resist the pressures put on anyone in power to make ugly compromises. In the event of a yes vote I think a lot of the Scottish electorate would become just as disillusioned with a Scottish government.

Finally,

I'm aware and troubled by the fact that social mobility seems to be getting less since I was young. (I went to uni on a full grant)
But this has happened over the course of conservative and labour governments.

I suspect that some of our frustration is the result of forgetting about the material and social advantages we didn't used to have and that any government will have to make horrible choices.

Aberdeen's elected local government is not dominated by ex Robert Gordon's boys. Before the last election there were a few but I think there's only a couple now. Same with the higher tiers of management at the council.

Many, many business owners in the city are Gordonians though.

Actually I think we should have a Mumsnet party in parliament. The quality of debate here is greatly superior to the televised debates I've seen. [smug, self-righteous face]

Only if there is wine.

Whisky anyone?

Maybe a champagne breakfast would be good.

All in the name of consensus building post referendum of course..

in the event of independence, would we see mumsnet.scot?

It would need scottishmummy to make it credible I think..

It may stop us getting so arsey on education threads when folk talk about the UK system.

Are there any Scottish parenting websites?

It seems there is a gap in the market.

Imagine, scottishmummy as Justine

My postal ballot papers have arrived… ack.

But the rest of the UK needs her input!

Well, tought!

tough even