to start yet another Indyref thread?

[FannyFifer]

Round 3 folks.

We should arrange an Indyref meet up at this stage.

Why are the Conservatives selling English NHS to all their rich buddies & cronies, what about the Royal Mail?
There's corruption on an even bigger scale or does that not count as it's in London?

sconequeen

I don't feel under-represented either - arguably over-represented. I have posted on the previous thread to that effect. I am not from the central belt originally either.

Alec Salmond is on Radio Scotland at the moment.

Someone has tried to sell a posts vote on ebay!

Glad it's been stopped, although it's a silly thing to do. :/

weatherall rUK isn't London or even just the South East.

There is the wild West of Wales, the proudly Welsh speaking north, upland farming communities in Northumberland and Cumbria, the formerly industrialised cities of the North of England (with plenty of schemes), Cornwall where locals have low wages and unattainable house prices, depressed seaside towns on the South coast.

London's dominance is more problematic for some English regions than for Scotland ime under the current systems but that's just a personal view based on my knowledge and experience of the UK as a whole. We all come with different experiences.

You do realise Sweden, in the heart of socialist Scandinavia, is doing the same in the interests of efficiency?

Many thanks for your empathy FF. I can see you have the interests of many Scots close to your heart.

Marking place, still a yes

I also feel very over represented, particularly at local council level. I don't really want yet more politicians interfering with my life. I think if you reduced local councillors drastically, life in many parts of Scotland would improve and the cost savings would be immense.

You might need more jail provision though.

If corruption is good enough for Westminster it would be unpatriotic to knock it in Edinburgh!

I won't ever vote SNP (no offence to those who do), but I am a Green Yes

Same here Corey. :) The only thing I don't agree with is getting rid of nuclear energy as well as stopping using oil and gas so quickly. I don't think it can be phased out as quickly as they'd like, and nuclear power is relatively safe and efficient.
I do agree with their aim of getting rid of Trident, however (I think this is an SNP aim too). The sooner it's moved out of the country, the better.

That's not the only policy I agree with though, I'm in agreement with them bar the parts I mentioned! :)

weatherall *The phrase is 'An Englishman's home is his castle'.

You don't have a problem with the gender?

Scotland is a distinct place with very different needs

Can you identify any different needs other than for more immigration?

AS on Radio Scotland is saying that free childcare will help families bond more? According to him, it's better for family incomes and it's a good thing because the children will have more experience of other people and will be able to bond 'better' with their family! AS will apparently make any unfounded claim!

Just pointing out there is corruption everywhere you look, all corruption is bad, but here is not any worse than anywhere else.
It's not something ingrained solely on the Scottish psyche, it's unfortunately ingrained on the society of the entire world.

I do find it astonishing that elitism and Oxbridge domination is knocked by some, but they blithely ignore what is going on closer to home. Maybe they are benefitting from it, or know someone who does?

God forbid that government be populated by graduates of our bed universities, respected the world over and long a destination of top scholars from many ordinary Scottish schools! Far better to follow the Edinburgh example and depend on crooks, criminals and their cronies to make peoples' s lives a misery!

No FF, corruption counts wherever it is. We were just talking about the local stuff.

chocoluvva I admire AS's speaking ability I just wish he would speak truly on occasion! He is honestly passionate about Scottish Independence (I assume!) but then will spin any nonsense to support that end. Empty vessel.

"AS on Radio Scotland is saying that free childcare will help families bond more? According to him, it's better for family incomes and it's a good thing because the children will have more experience of other people and will be able to bond 'better' with their family! AS will apparently make any unfounded claim!"

Erm, what has he been smoking! That pretty much sounds like a borderline nonsensical answer where he has picked out as many childcare concern related buzzwords as possible and stuck them in a sentence

*best.

I do think actually going to the trouble to.pass legislation to permit corruption to thrive is taking it a little bit beyond the levels of corruption elsewhere!

Well Chelsy at my private school we were told not to apply to Cambridge because 'they don't like Scottish students'.
3 from my year went to Oxford out of 12 who applied out of 30+ who got 5/6 As. The Oxbridge route isn't as accessible for Scottish pupils as for private and grammar pupils with the right accent from the south of England.

It is probably even worse now there are English tuition fees to put Scottish students off going there.

I wouldn't say that AS is an empty vessel, although I do think Nicola Sturgeon would have been a much better spokesperson for the campaign as well as for the role of FM.

On an aside, a previously undecided friend who had no interest in the referendum whatsoever has just told me they've done some research after watching the debate, and made their decision. And they're going to vote! So at the very least, the debate does seem inspire people to find out more for themselves.

I just wish he would speak truly on occasion

Likewise - I'd respect him a lot more if he honestly said why he believed in independence but also acknowledged the risks and uncertainties rather than trying to sell an unfunded utopia. I've said before, I don't think he's stupid. I think he knows fine will that the White Paper pledges are unaffordable at the moment.

If you want fewer politicians vote no to get rid of the Scottish MPs, saving Scotland £60 million every year. Do you really think you get your £60 million worth out of them?

He is definitely sincere in his wish for Scottish independence! What his motivation for that really is......

We will have almost everything neatly tied up in two years according to him. The rUK will be easy to work with in the event of a yes vote. But not without it apparently.

We face more of a "demographic challenge" than rUK not "the same demographic challenge" AS.

weatherall, I went to a state school and was encouraged to apply for Oxbridge. Where I was accepted, despite being from a shit poor background and very definitely having the wrong accent. However most of the people with grades equivalent to mine chose not to apply because they didn't want to - a mixture of perceptions and not wanting to move that far away for uni. The majority of people I went to school with went to local unis through preference.

The childcare pledge in the white paper says it won't come in until the second Scottish parliament ie 2021-2017.

I will be too old to benefit but I want my DCs to go through their education with the security that they won't have to give up their hard worked for careers due to childcare costs.