Indyref 12 - keeping the ball rolling

[flippinada]

Hope everyone doesn't mind, I'm to keep the discussion going. As you were folks :)

Fontella this may be cheering?

Also twitter is behaving very differently today. The trending #indyref stuff is mostly followed by #voteno

I know nobody can really tell, but I hate to think of everyone terrified by the vocal yes campaign so am trying to give some balance. I also have seen 2 friends go from yes to no today and none the other way. Don't lose hope fontella.

I've been following the bookies, and they just aren't budging from favouring a No win.

cedric perhaps all the shy No's have been down the bookie's instead

Oh cedric let us hope and pray that is the case.

Graph of polls and info about canvas returns

What the hell do the bookies know that we don't I wonder? They don't give Salmond a cat in hell's chance?

This has to be quite the most bizarrest, weirdest, strangest, emotive, gut churning, all over the shop, roller coaster of an election I've ever observed in my lifetime.

FFS Scotland, if it's a No .. promise me you'll wait a few years until I'm in me box before putting us all through it again.

I got a 'Visit Scotland' brochure through me door this morning as well!

FFS Scotland, if it's a No .. promise me you'll wait a few years until I'm in me box before putting us all through it again.

I'll second that!!!

I attend a monthly women's group and to be honest we've been avoiding the referendum elephant for months, but at last night's meeting I actually brought it up and the relief in the room that we could talk about it was palpable. Every single one of the 17 women in attendance was a No supporter. None of them have been vocal about their support. This is a group of women who range in age from 29 to in their eighties, Scots born and bred, English, Irish, American, Dutch. Professional intelligent women from all backgrounds. I have to say, it did give me hope.

The abiding thought was how could anyone possibly vote yes given the huge amount of facts which point to an independent Scotland being an economic basket case for years. My friend from Ireland was home for a wedding last weekend where she caught up with loads of university friends - none of them live in Ireland, they all had to leave to find jobs. She said 'the same will happen to Scotland'.

Grr, I have a joiner doing some work on the house just now. Just informed he's a Yes man. But he doesn't know about the facts and figures and doesn't care. ARGH!

grandtheftmanual

Many thanks for sharing .... I just love reading anecdotal accounts of what is happening 'on the ground' from you all.

Being outside ... it feels like we are separated by a sheet of soundproof, one way glass and we are waving and shouting and trying to attract the attention of those on the other side, but they can't hear us or see us. I haven't explained that very well, but that's what it feels like.

Just went for the messages and that was interesting. It's a mixed urban area with some parts suffering from appalling deprivation. Walking through it I saw the odd Yes poster but not many and this is a part of town where come December every ruddy window will have a stencilled design on it because people like decorating their windows if there's an occasion. (I'm a lazy cow and usually can't be bothered with the hassle of taking it all off again.) Maybe they've been screwed over by so many people in the past that many are now listening to both sides and saying 'Aye, that'll be right' to each? Friday should be interesting.

The atmosphere is actually quite calm although maybe a little suspicious. We're usually a casually talkative lot here and people aren't talking to each other in quite the same way in the street. I can't put my finger on it though.

It certainly bodes better for Thursday although I understand from reliable sources that there will be a police presence at each polling station in the Central Belt anyway precise details not being released for operational reasons. Neither party can afford any hints of intimidation from extremists to tarnish the result I assume.

oh please please still Visit Scotland if it's a Yes!! I work in tourism-related job and usually by now we would have lots of bookings for next year - but atm, it's zero.

So if it all goes the wrong way on Thursday, perhaps I will start a We Still Say No and Please Come and Visit Us campaign.

OneNight I was also in our local town this morning and although the No and Yes stalls were out again it was all very quiet. I think maybe folk just getting tired and want Thursday to come.

And I'm glad if there is police at polling stations - if anyone from t'other side tried to tell me anything at that point I don't think I'd be responsible for my actions

Same problem for us, WhatWouldFreddie. We are very worried about having to lay off the woman we employ to do the cleaning one day a week. It wouldn't be catastrophic for her except for others have already indicated that their bookings are down a long way.

I see the CE of EDF Energy has now also warned of the consequences of independence. No doubt the. Yes campaign will be pouring scorn on that too.

"I like it nearly as much as 'President King Salmond the First' which some wag wrote on a post elsewhere that for some reason, tickled my funny bone big time."

Salmond tickling is a useful survival skill

I have a Scottish surname and ancestors, Irish, Welsh, and English heritage. 'My' people come from all over these British Isles and I am definitely British, not purely English.

Me too, Edam. Mainly English, but with a fair bit of Scots and some small dash of Irish. My husband is mainly Scottish, but with some English and a little Irish. We are a British family.

I haven't asked around other companies I know, but suspect everyone's holding off booking - most of our business comes from England and Wales, and I get the impression those in the south are only just getting to grips with all the issues re. currency, and are put off til we know - even though of course next summer we will still be UK.

But at least if it's a Yes, the sun will shine every day which might swing people back

oh edam and Abra don't get me started - just like you, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, French and Spanish all rolled into a classic British/European mix and very proud of each and every part, however illogical being proud of an accident of birth might be.

Fontella I know what you mean.

Off out again and will do my quiet chatting again. Might have a chance to go and do something more tomorrow.

sally it is that which has had me being rather more outspoken than normal on these threads. It's immoral to sucker people in with his delusions. It makes me so angry.

I had a thought today whilst driving through Perth and seeing the 'only goal is independence, say Yes' or whatever it is. The only goal bit struck me particularly. It reminds me of Finding Nemo at the end where they have gone to all that effort to get out of the fish tank, rolled across the road and made it to the ocean at long last. Then they were all bobbing round the water in their plastic bags wondering what on earth to do next now their goal had been achieved.

It made us laugh at the memory of the film but it's also scary because it's so true.

and of course dig only a few generations back, and most of the 'pure' Scots will be a happy mix of Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon and Celt.

God I hate nationalism

living yes, that's the goal - and then ... oh Fuck.

Freddie it is a dream of mind to visit St. Kilda. I am absolutely 'obsessed' by the place. There's actually a word for it apparently 'Kildamania'. And I've got it!

Absolutely I will come to Scotland - but if I ran into Alex Salmond while I was up there, I'd be had up on an assault charge!!

I read Samuel Johnson's journal many, many years ago and his descriptions of St Kilda just sparked something off in me that I haven't quite been able to extinguish. I next read Macaulay's 'History of St. Kilda' and after that anything and everything I could get my hands on - and of course, the internet makes access to information, pictures, videos and so on, much more available.

"We will go and pass a winter amid the blasts there. We shall have fine fish, and we will take some dried tongues with us, and some books. We will have a strong built vessel and some Orkney men to navigate her ...."