Indyref 11. The home of good manners

[grovel]

!0,000 and counting.

According to SNP, they want to increase the number of military personnel by having a defence force of roughly 15,000 plus 5000 reservists. Stationed in Scotland are 11,100 personnel and 2,200 reservists (summer 2013 figures).

As reservists (by definition) are based close to home, then boosting those numbers will be up to them. Also, they will have to put a very attractive package on the table if they want to persuade people serving in the Forces of one county to transfer to those of another (this does happen, BTW, between friendly forces so neither impossible nor unprecedented, but usually only done for as good or better terms).

Can you link to the source of that 600 armed forces personnel in Scotland figure please?

"Although defence reforms mean that the overall number of Regular Armed Forces personnel across the UK is decreasing, by 2020 the number in Scotland is set to increase to 12,500 (8.8 per cent of the UK total). And, as a part of the UK Government’s plans to increase the size of the Reserve Forces, by 2018 there will be an estimated 4,250 trained Volunteer Reserves in Scotland (about 12 per cent of the UK total). On current UK Government plans, by 2020 Scotland will be home to one of three Royal Navy main bases, including all its submarines, one of the British Army’s seven Adaptable Force Brigades and one of three Royal Air Force fast jet main operating bases.." is what the government say in their Scotland analysis series. Which whilst it has an anti independence tone does not tend to have made up facts.

Ricky Ross is a sanctimonious prick, and he cannae sing
Eddie Reader was absolutely embarrassing on Question Time, sounded either drunk or thick, I can't stand her either
Sorry irn

Andrew Gilligan

The Iraq war was something Tony Blair survived, but never really recovered from. Scotland will survive, and in time it will recover. But independence achieved by a wafer-thin margin, on the basis of deceit, fiercely opposed by half the population, is not a recipe for a stable or happy new state

As an Englishman without a vote, I today have the same feeling of powerlessness and dread as I had the week before the Iraq war. I knew it was wrong. I knew it would be disastrous. But there was nothing I could do to stop it

I am right with him.

annie according to Elaine C Smith, the No campaign message may be correct, but she didn't like the way it was delivered
And nasty Jim Sillars is just a bit old fashioned and being 74, he obviously didn't mean "day of reckoning"

It's fine WildThong, we all have our opinions on various musicians. We're waiting on Franz Ferdinand! :)

Just thought others may be interested in light-heartedness instead of political debates for a change. Throwing something else out there :)

I'm going to bow out for a bit folks. Just had some things about me/other voters which has really got to me and upset me.

It is wise to remember that people have feelings and no one knows anything about peoples lives.

I can't find the debate? Some Antiques thing on BBC1?

Secretary of state for defence, Phillip Hammond made that statement in the house of commons on 5th March last year.

We all have to live amongst each other after Friday's result. I'm so sorry EWF that you've been upset by someone/something re referendum. This is the sad part out of all of this :( Please come back to the thread when you feel ready. We're not all bastards.

brontolo

By the lights of his party and the Scottish Parliament, he's not bad these days. (You don't get to run a party like the SNP by being good at tea dances.)

My own particular problem is that I was a long term Dewar supporter and I sometimes feel that one day I'm going to have to explain to Donald's shade not only how I vote on Thursday but what I do afterwards. I can almost hear the roars of laughter now - I don't think Donald Dewar rated Alex Salmond at all.

It's on BBC1 Scotland latte.

Don't mind a bit of FF to be fair

Watching the debate on the beeb, which makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time

EWF - where? Don't let the stupid twats get to you x

Earth, I was feeling like you do a few days ago. I hope you're ok

I hope you're OK EWF.

Backed up by the torygraph

Earth was it the eejit on the other thread? I tried to post on that but it makes my iPad freeze for some reason. Hope you're ok.

His full comments from that date are here

He says "The hon. Gentleman’s assertion about personnel numbers in Scotland is incorrect. My right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset made his statement on 18 July 2011, and I have checked the numbers against that baseline. The total number of armed forces personnel in Scotland will be just over 600 higher than the baseline. I have also made a little calculation of the proportion of our armed forces personnel who will be based in Scotland, compared with the proportion of the population of the United Kingdom in Scotland. By my calculation, 8.39% of the UK population is in Scotland and 8.65% of our armed forces will be in Scotland by the end of this programme."

I did look there Annie I swear it said 'Antiques' like the other 10 BBC channels when I looked?! Anyway, I have it now, thanks :)

That's twice the BBC presenter has butted in with a critical question for Alexander and Davidson. Anyone would think he was trying to prove he wasn't biased

Marking place, still Yes. hoping to be Yass on Friday

It was on the other thread Wild I hate assumptions being made about me.

I'm sure I'll be ok tomorrow, just that when you end up in tears over something someone you don't know has said, it's time to step back for the evening.

Thanks for the everyone

Just looking at pictures of the demo outside BBC in Glasgow today.

team maybe read the last few pages of the previous thread before crowing about that demonstration