To be Worried About How Bad The Atmosphere In The Uk Will Be In The Event Of A No Vote?

[CalamityClara]

The tension between the yes and no parties is awful. Campaigners from both sides are behaving in a very aggressive manner and I've even heard the odd report of people getting into physical altercations If the result of the referendum is no I fear Scotland is going to descend into chaos, things aren't just going to settle back down. How can we ever come back from this? I honestly fear there is going to be violence.

That's awful Sir Chenjin. My friends who are very vocal im just trying to ignore. They know I'm voting no and keep asking me to justify it. When I give answers it's met with scorn or really rude comments. But I've definitely seen a different side to people. I've removed a lot of them as it's just not worth it.

@HiIm All sorts of things affect the pound and our economy - remember the US bank crash? We don't expect to vote in their elections ...

I have to disagree on the riots SchroSaw. I don't think there will be any collective action because people are just too exhausted. There will probably be the largest semi-hangover ever with perhaps the odd outburst or individual expression of anger.

There will though in my view be continuing bitterness and division for generations. Many families are deeply divided and many old friends are no longer speaking to each other and the Scots can surely carry that sort of grudge for a long time.

I just dread the negotiations in the event of a YES vote.

I'm shocked at how abusive people have become. I admire those who can exercise restraint, but using political debate to descend into personal abuse, allied to a lack of tolerance for differing political views, isn't the mark of a successful nation being borne.

I can see Scotland descending into a sort of dark age, with hardly any money, a black economy, people having to take two jobs just to stay afloat, and massive negative equity on their homes. I don't like the fact that the Yes vote is highest amongst middle aged men, nor some of the lack of concern about losing financial services jobs in one of the few areas in Scotland that provide well paid careers for women outwith the professions.

I can't help recalling the INEOS petrochemical plant disaster when this sort of heavily unionised juvenile self important attitude nearly lost thousands their jobs and Scotland a whole industry.

I can't help recalling the INEOS petrochemical plant disaster when this sort of heavily unionised juvenile self important attitude nearly lost thousands their jobs and Scotland a whole industry

That has summed up my feelings precisely. Young voters - the ones who will be paying for the resultant mess in the event of a Yes vote and voters over 55 - those older and wiser voters who know the SNP of old - are voting No. It's (largely) the middle aged men who are voting Yes - that bolshy, "nae fucker tells me fit tae dae" type we all know well.

Yes, SirChenjin - totally, that type of voter. You have no doubt come across their spoutings off too many times as well. How awful if everyone else is to lose so much because of middle aged mens' vanity. I suppose there are some women taken in by them as well.

I agree, SirChenjin, that might well come to pass in the event of a Yes. I am fighting hard for a No for that, and many other reasons. I just don't like the idea of people thinking, "Well. He'll mend them. They voted for it." When many of us didn't and are having families and friendships driven apart by it.

I am not sure how many of you are in Scotland. I am in a very rural, quiet patch. The Yes posters and signs are up in massive force across the road, down the street, everywhere. It becomes very intimidating.

Ex pupils of mine are being trashed on Facebook by other teenagers. The Yes campaign is not lovely and snugly as it is being portrayed, but nationalist and nasty.

We will move south, eventually, but have a lot to disentangle ourselves from first. It is really shit and I can understand the attitude but it really pains me as the people saying, "Stuff you" are my compatriots. We are all British, but I am English.

I live near an ex steel town in England which has a majority of Scottish and Scottish descended people (the steelworks were founded by a Scottish company who brought in labour mostly from the Glasgow area). The local paper this week reported a heavy majority there in favour of No.
Salmond knew what he was doing to deny Scots living in England the vote. . Mind you it seems he slipped up over giving 16 and 17 year olds the vote, clearly expecting them to be for independence, when they are one of the groups more likely to vote No (along with pensioners).

I'm in Scotland - not much in the way of Yes/No posters etc where I live, but I work in Lanarkshire and the schemes are full of Yes posters and stickers on lamposts. I have to keep reminding myself that there are No voters around, but the Yes lot are definitely more vocal. It is intimadating - it's as if they've claimed Scotland and the Saltire for their own.

Hit post too soon. We're off South in the event of a Yes vote too - DD finishes High School in 3 years, so we'll wait until then. DS2 will only be in P6, so young enough to settle in. We've got family down there, so hopefully it will be an easy transition - although I'm from down that way originally, albeit many years ago. In the meantime, DH will be structuring our finances to minimise the amount we pay to a Scottish Govt in taxes.

Er ... What exactly would we English be voting on? It's the Scots deciding what happens to their country!

Yes, but it is also the Scots deciding what happens to the whole of the UK. By giving the referendum only to the Scots, it implies they have been an oppressed, invaded minority for years/centuries. That wasn't the case. It also depends on how you regard the United Kingdom - a collection of separate countries? Or a union of equal countries? Or the Island of Britain. Either which way, it affects us all so we should all get a say.

"I can see Scotland descending into a sort of dark age, with hardly any money, a black economy, people having to take two jobs just to stay afloat, and massive negative equity on their homes. I don't like the fact that the Yes vote is highest amongst middle aged men, nor some of the lack of concern about losing financial services jobs in one of the few areas in Scotland that provide well paid careers for women outwith the professions."

Or Yes could be good for Scotland and the doom and gloom won't come to pass. We really don't know and as I think the vote will be No - we'll never know whether it was a lost opportunity to benefit Scotland. There will always be "what if's" - but I think folk will be cautious and stick with what they know. Just hope however it goes, there is a convincing majority.

I would be incredibly angry if, having gone to all the fuss and expense of having a democratic vote, people refused to accept the result. People seem to forget that the consistent feature of democracy is that up to 49.99% of the electorate will not get the outcome they want

Not the same at all. Usually you have another chance in 5 years to change things.

Yes will keep on and on no matter if they lose. No gets one shot at it.

"Yes, but it is also the Scots deciding what happens to the whole of the UK. By giving the referendum only to the Scots, it implies they have been an oppressed, invaded minority for years/centuries. That wasn't the case. It also depends on how you regard the United Kingdom - a collection of separate countries? Or a union of equal countries? Or the Island of Britain. Either which way, it affects us all so we should all get a say."

But what say do you want, what exactly would the vote be on?

but I work in Lanarkshire and the schemes are full of Yes posters - as opposed to the naice middle-class areas where the No people live, you mean?

You can relax - I live in a reasonably affluent village in Fife, and there are very few Yes posters up. It's not exactly a hotbed of radical politics here in bungalow-land and I wish I were back in Glasgow.

I don't think it can be a simple yes/no vote for the rest of the Union which is why it hasn't happened but it irritating that Scotland could be able to plunge us back into recession and there is nothing the vast majority of the population can do about it. 91.5% of the population are in the hands of 8.5%. In fact, if the vote is yes it will be more like 95% of the population in the hands of the yes voters. I think those who think it has nothing to do with the rest of us are deluding themselves. A yes vote has implications, some of which won't even have become apparent yet.

If I were to allow the vote to be open to everybody I think the first question is to ask whether we want to break up the Union. Then after that, there would have to be another referendum to ascertain whether Wales would want to stay connected with England and what happens to N.I. All too costly, leaving the country in limbo for years but it is still unfair that we are all going to be affected by this referendum and don't get a say.

Surely there won't be another referendum in 5 years if the vote on the 18th is No?

Usually you have another chance in 5 years to change things

There are always one-off or once in a generation decisions to be made: go to war; join the EU, join the Euro; abandon the gold standard, decimalisation, etc.

How awful if everyone else is to lose so much because of middle aged mens' vanity. I suppose there are some women taken in by them as well.

Well, apparently there are, which is why we have the UK government we have. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all that changed?

I'm voting yes, I'm not worried about the 19th - if we don't get independence(which I suspect will be the outcome) I won't be pissed off, I'll be disappointed, as will another 49% or so of the population.

I haven't come across any anger or hatred, merely a lot of people who want others to make informed decisions either way.

AbbieHoffmansAfro re the democracy point.

Another one here who will point out that whoever designed this referendum on the irrevocable breaking up of a political and economic union of over 300 years standing on a 50% vote was wrong.

To make a go of this there would need to be a mass movement for change and so far I don't feel we have that in Scotland.

We do have a grassroots movement (with no one to contradict their spin) that has excited some people and last week the complacent who thought they were in a comfortable majority woke up to that! Now I think we have a nation divided.

Barda I agree with you, I think independence should require more than a bare majority.

It says a lot about Cameron's political ineptitude that this was not argued for.

Characterising this as working class schemies = yes voters and nice middle class folk = no is completely wrong imo. It's also dismissive and divisive. The absolute last thing this situation needs is more "us vs them" divisions.

I've seen a lot of yes posters in "nice" areas of Edinburgh. I do think the Yes campaign is more vocal and assertive - the better together campaign has been pitiful to date.

I'm speaking as an English person living in Scotland and am leaving towards voting no before anyone dismisses me as a mouthpiece for yes.

I am concerned about what will happen in the aftermath of a referendum and wish it was over so we knew.

I agree that it is unbelievable that this referendum should have been held under the conditions that it has. How on earth can people vote if they don't know what they are actually voting for? It has been the arguments about these matters that has caused all the bitterness.

I just can't decide if this mess was down to incompetence or whether it was done quite deliberately.