To believe that it will be a "no" vote in the majority on the 18th?

[Tabby1963]

My reasoning is that, although there appears (from media reports) to be increased enthusiasm for voting "yes" it is not the whole story (they're just shouting the loudest). The noes are the default; and therefore they don't have to say anything or do anything, just vote on the 18th.

My experience having chatted to neighbours, colleagues, friends is that the vast majority (more than 80%) are going to be voting no.

I'm hoping for a no vote, I care hugely about this country and fear the future if "yes" wins. I am certain that if "no" is the majority then I anticipate there will be big changes coming for Scotland, and devolution will continue slowly and carefully.

I totally sympathise with the notion that Scotland does not want the Tories to rule from Westminster and that only by voting for independence will that never happen again, but surely we have to look at the bigger picture here? There is so much at stake to base the future of Scotland and its inhabitants on this single issue?

I am neither Scottish nor living in Scotland. I hope that the Scottish people vote no. Not for any personal reason nor for historical reasons. Purely because I don't think the Yes campaign can or will provide everything they have promised.
How many times have we seen governments go back on their manifesto promises as soon as the election is over? And in this case you can't vote them out in 4 or 5 years, it is forever, it isn't a trial there is no asking to move back in whe the grass is not as green as you thought it was.
You have to get it right first time, for yourselves and future generations.

Well so do the ones I know Comtesse but nevertheless it is out there. Not in your face but a definite undercurrent. I'm in Edinburgh (hope to God I don't bump into DC today).

The "fuck off to England" comment was made by a friend on FB who I think assumes everyone shares their views (very much pro independence). Not directly to me of course but you know..once you read that you can't unread it.

I wish people wish acknowledge this instead of saying oh, it's awful, but we don't agree with it and I've never come across it myself. I would have said the same myself until recently and I've lived up here for nearly 20 years.

I'm not a fan of Westminster out any of the big three. My politics are what people would probably class as "old" Labour so am probably the type of person who is being targeted by the yes campaigners.

*I wish people would

The only person I know who supports independence for Scotland has Scottish parents but now lives in Sweden and has no intention of moving back so I think the no votes will win

25 years up here myself flip. Kids feel Scottish and British.

I am not sure to be honest.
I am very patriotic and if l used my heart l would vote yes but l dont feel that the S
cottish government has made a strong enough case to go for independence-the YES voters are certainly shouting loudest.
I worry about after the 18th-there are very strong emotions both sides and its the after effects between neighbours and friends that l worry about. Even now l am looking out my window across the road to a house with YES and another with NO sign in the window-these people no longer speak!!!

I'd say I feel British first and kind of Scottish. My son would definitely day Scottish first, then British.

I'm from the NE so probably have more in common with folk in the urban central belt than (say) the far north which is (largely) remote, sparsely populated and rural.

My kids have lived here almost all their lives. My son was 4 months old and my daughter a year older when we came here. They sound Scottish but were actually born in central England. What will they vote? I don't know (but I'm my daughter's proxy so she'll need to tell me before she goes abroad on Friday to study).

I had dark thoughts last night. I was thinking about the break up (or break down) of Yugoslavia and remember hearing chilling witness accounts of the atrocities; former friends and neighbours killing each other who had previously lived together happily for years. They were normal people just like we are. Could it happen here? Jeez, I've written it down, now someone tell me it won't ever happen. Please.

comtesse and Tabby

I have lived here for 25 years, married here, my children born and bred here (IVF at a Scottish Uni Hospital - my embryologist was called Donald :)

I was told by a wealthy elderly couple in Edinburgh 25 years ago they would not sell their flat to me because I 'was English'.

I was attacked by a fellow student at Edinburgh Uni Halls. All the Police wanted to know was was the lad English or Scottish (bright red hair, called Andrew, parents Scottish but had grown up in the Midlands so he was technically English, Police said: 'a Scottish lad wouldn't do this').

More recently my dyslexic son has been told he cannot spell properly because he speaks with 'a right English accent like his parents'.
His diagnosis of ASD was dismissed as it was given by 'an English Dr' (a Fellow, and a member of the board of NICE).

I have fairly regularly been told to 'fuck off back to where you came from'.

I witnessed an elderly couple with very posh RP accents being verbally abused in a hospital waiting area earlier this week. Staff looked on. Fortunately another Scottish person stood up for them and behaved kindly.

Children in my kids Primary school are wearing badges, but only Yes ones.
Some others are too frightened to wear their No ones.

It is certainly worse at the moment.
If the vote is Yes, the 'it's not really racism against the English' attitude will be enfranchised.
If the vote is NO it could be really ugly, I fear.

I desperately hope the vote returns a resounding no. One of our household incomes will disappear through one of us being made redundant should the yes campaign win.

Like many of you I find the atmosphere rather frightening at the minute. Friends and families are divided. I feel the no voters are frightened to speak out as the yes campaign are loud, aggressive and utterly unable to see any other point of view.

I am ashamed that I live in a country where anyone is targeted for daring to be born south of the border. I am most definitely British and feel sad when I imagine that could no longer be possible.

I'm English and voting No. Dh is a Yes. I've never had anything negative said about my englishness although I'm in East Lothian where there are loads of us. I'm not comfortable broadcasting my views though.

I'm English and voting yes. I suspect the result will be a no, which I'm very sad about. The attitude of the no voters round here echoes the attitude of the yes voters that some people are posting about in this thread, so it looks like there are bad apples on both sides of the debate.

Bungmean where are you roughly?

Wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people saying they're going to vote yes, don't

I do know of a few people that say they ae voting yes, because they are in an area where they would be 'scared' tobsay otherwise, but they are actually voting no.

I've discussed this quite a lot with my DH, not because we're Scottish but because if Scotland vote yes it will be almost inevitable that Wales will follow suit very quickly with their own referendum. We live in Wales.

I'd tell him I was voting yes and vote no. He's quite passionate about both the current Scottish referendum and the hypothetical Welsh one.

I'm Welsh (and think Wales becoming independent in my lifetime is likely to be a disaster), he's English.

As I suspect many voters will demonstrate on the 18th, sometimes it is easier to just nod and smile.

I'm cynical. I think the best outcome for Scotland economically, would be to narrowly lose the yes vote. Salmond has managed to get Westminster to offer greater concessions in return for a no vote. So if the no vote prevails, Scotland gets greater independence from Westminster without the economic risk that immediate, full Independence brings. I think that Scotland will end up fully independent within 50 years in any case, it will just be a slower process. Of course many people are voting for ideological reasons so the economic arguments will be less persuasive to them.

I do think it's interesting that yes voters apparently believe Salmond when he states that Scotland will be able to continue using the pound tied to the British pound despite Cameron saying absolutely not. He's gambling on Westminster backing down, probably using the threat that the remaining UK can't afford to let Scotland "fail."

If someone turned up at my door I think I may tell them I was voting yes for fear of my windows being smashed.

I am a definite no and terrified that it will be a yes next week as I think it would be terrible for Scotland and it would be the poorest people who would suffer.

I know more no voters than yes voters, but my FB feed was full of yes propaganda. The no voters have been very quiet on the matter but with the previous poll showing yes ahead some have been galvanised into action.

Rain

I'm very cynical and think that Salmond is at the point where he has got what he wanted from Westminster (greater concessions) and will now be hoping for a no vote himself.

Ali - totally agree, Whatever happens, Salmond will come out a winner.

Whenever I see Salmond on the TV the word "mendacious" pops into my head . Bit like Blair - people fell for him in their millions as he oozed insincerity.

Be careful what you wish for Scotland.

In town at lunchtime there were yes and no campaigners. Three local jakeys walked past , all "ah man, were fucking YEEEESSSS, we're for fucking Scotland". All the while clutching their cans of special brew.

Unfortunately, certainly where I live, it is mostly people like this who are aggressively shouting about yes.

And as for slimey Salmond and his "Team Scotland " shite. I'm Scottish and British. How dare he imply that I'm any less Scots for voting no.

I'm starting to get riled about this

Nick Robinson made a point about Team Scotland to Salmond on BBC news and it did slow the patter for a moment. I was pathetically grateful to Nick.

I hate all this 'team Scotland' and 'ten Westminster' rubbish. No wonder that there are some who feel that they will be no longer welcome in Scotland if they vote no!

Finally a thread where I'm not getting called feck knows what for voting No, and other people have experienced the crap that I have personally and seen in my neighbourhood. It's the jakeys around here too who are shouting loudest about social justice ie my taxes can get raised in order that their standard of living rises again. Not that they are putting anything into the pot themselves, of course.

If anyone appeared at my door apart from the fact it's none of their damn business I'd say yes too. Feck knows what might happen if it got out that I wasn't voting Yes.

Can't wait until this is over whilst dreading it at the same time.

Tilliebob- I agree 100%. It's a very sad day when you have to keep your mouth shut out of fear because of what box you plan to tick on a voting form.

I'm also getting quite tired of pro independence people telling me why I'm wrong for voting no. I accept there's people who are voting yes. I am sadly preparing for a yes win. I wouldn't try to change their view, I don't like them trying to change mine.