Indyref 12 - keeping the ball rolling

[flippinada]

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

I see that now the English Tories are becoming more vocal.
They are not just going to roll over and let the three stooges promise Scotland the earth.
After Thursday it's going to be an interesting few months till the general election.

I know lovely and I said I found that intimidating at the last election. Voting without it was a very relaxing experience.

Why is it intimidating?

Yes I saw that report I think in the Guardian too lucky

You are allowed campaign reps outside polling stations. Ideally both sides will send campaigners so it's balanced.

I attended a meeting about plans for polling day and there was a huge amount of emphasis on being measured and calm in the midst of a very long day. We were told to report any aggression (or attempts to wind people up) on anyone's part to the polling station, and to walk away from any situation in which passions were overruling people's ability to stay calm. What goes on inside and immediately outside a polling station has to be democratic and calm.

If you feel that you're being intimidated as you go in, please mention it to one of the polling officers. It shouldn't be happening!

Came across this: www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d7478da4-3903-11e4-9526-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3DXHSFuYr

Of course the overall message is good for the Yeas side so I'm biased, but I feel inclined to put a lot more faith in the analysis of the FT / Forbes than other newspapers on this issue. After all they are both specialist papers and don't, as far as I know, have a horse in this race. Thoughts?

People with badges and signs asking how you voted isn't intimidation, that's part of the excitement!
Now if they were pelting you with eggs and heckling , that's different .

Because I don't like being hassled on my way to a polling station? Because I have bipolar and I find strangers approaching me frightening? I am sure it doesn't bother lots of people but I personally don't like it. And it is banned in the Netherlands for a reason as people should be allowed to vote in peace and not have had undue influence.

at the last scottish election, the headteacher of the school where I voted was walking around with SNP badges on, her husband was an SNP councillor and similarly was walking around the school with SNP badges.

I'm pretty sure that shouldn't happen no matter what party it is.

48 hrs and it will all be over.

Ed Miliband branded a serial murderer by yes supporters during walk about. Can they even hear themselves? For the record ... he wasn't even an MP when there was a vote for the Iraq war and when he was first publicly asked how he would have voted (when he was campaigning for election) he said he would have voted against. Like many Labour MPs.
I can't think what they think they are referring to

.......................................................

I thought ... and I could be wrong of course that it was reference to him being Jewish and therefore 'Zionist'? The serial murdering reference I thought related to the Palestinian issue and the shelling of Palestinians in Gaza?

That's what I assumed they were referring to, never occurred to me they were on about Iraq?

Oh fgs as if his being Jewish has anything to do with Palestine. This is getting depressing.

livingzuid

As I understand it as a voter you are allowed to wear a badge into the polling station. You could wear a 'No' badge and it may well stop Yes campaigners trying to hand you the wee cards we're supposed to be handing out on the day? It would if it were me, anyway. Not in a nasty way, just in a 'there's clearly no point' way.

Thanks nc that's good to know. I have to see then if I can get a badge from somewhere!

NC this FT report makes interesting reading too.

Can I just jump in with the people at polling station issue.

I am a polling agent, we are not allowed inside polling station with badges etc.

When standing outside polling station we are not allowed to approach people, hand out leaflets etc or ask people how they vote, we must be careful not to block people from getting in or getting past.

If people approach me, I will chat & answer questions, however I will not engage with debates as it's not the time or place.

Any problem with people outside a polling station speak immediately to the presiding officer inside.

If any if our yes campaigners do not follow our strict instructions on behaviour they will be removed from polling station.

Proper appropriate behaviour is something we take very seriously.

Hope that puts some minds at ease.

Squirrelled the US are just concerned about defence and their port in a storm. I don't think anyone will be overly bothered about what they think if they can't consider how the rest of the uk feel about it all.
It's all just about over now, phew. I need to do some work -apparently I've no excuse for my lack of interest there just now !!

I see we're being slagged off again on the other thread. I give up. Challenging your rationale and providing facts is not bullying. Feeling fear is not an unreasonable response to what is going on if you are opposed to it and think a no vote would have really negative results for the country you live in.

Which is the other thread sc?

Me? I don't have another thread Stat.

I didn't mean you FannyFifer, sorry that was just unfortunately timed posting.

FT is NOT pro-Yes. It has reported widely on the financial risks of independence. In the case of the opinion piece (nb- not news report) today, the author is a friend of and an economic advisor to - - Alex Salmond.

And for those who don't care what the US or EU think - these are the countries from which a future iScotland will be trying to continue to attract business/tourism/investment/ approval of accession to the EU

Seems a bit short-sighted to denigrate their opinion.

SC so, do tell, what's this spreadsheet going to have on it? I do love a good spreadsheet.

I dunno latte, I might have to set it up to calculate the required result from those still to come for a Yes win or something!

Because Glasgow especially is such a big area that could swing the results dramatically if it voted strongly one way or the other.

Another who just wishes it was all over.

What I keep coming back to now is how partisan and divisive the campaign has turned out to be. Of course it's both sides job to win their argument, but if it's as close as the polls predict, it seems a bit of a pyrrhic victory - as good as half the population utterly depressed and angry. Who is going to be able to persuade us all into some sort of consensus?

"Unity with maximum self-determination sends a powerful message to a world torn by identity conflicts that it is possible to respect our differences while living and working together."