indyref 14 - the one with the polling day

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Come on in, sit down, and chew your nails with us.

I still hope that there are lots of 'Shy No's' who haven't been counted - but I might be dreaming.

I don't live in Scotland, can't vote, have no family who live there - but so many people here in the Midlands are talking about how we don't want to lose the Scottish part of our 'family'.

(eg Michelle Mone saying that she will move her business means that she is exerting financial pressure on her staff to vote in a certain way. imo that is blackmail)

Why is is blackmail? If it's a no vote she's going to move her business. That's her call to make. If she wants to move her business she can. Got nothing to do with blackmail. Her company, her decision. I doubt she'll be the only one because people are going to go where the market is - and 60 million Brits in the EU buy a lot more knickers than 5 million Scots outside it. She's not 'exerting financial pressure' on her staff - she's relocating her business should the vote be a 'yes'.

She doesn't agree with independence and she doesn't want to run her business in an independent Scotland. She is as much a victim of this referendum as her staff or anyone else. I doubt she wants to go to all the upheaval of relocating.

At least her staff know where they stand, which is more than can be said for those who will be prey to the consequences of Salmond's unknowns.

Sorry, I meant of course ... if it's a 'yes vote!

Just popped out for some lunch and the Yes campaigners are out in force on South Clerk Street. When asked how I voted one cheeky wee bugger said it was a wasted vote as Yes have it in the bag!

All fairly harmless banter though, let's hope it stays that way

Feeling slightly cheered by my No voting colleagues. In my completely unscientific and unrepresentative poll this morning it seems 99% of the University are voting No

People may find it upsetting or insulting to think their view/input/opinion doesn't matter or won't count if the leave, but that is the reality of what will happen if they do. I'm no more likely to listen to my Scottish cousin who lives in London, my English cousin in Leeds or my Scottish aunt who lives in Lincoln about what should happen in the aftermath of the referendum, than I am anyone else who moves on, no matter what the reason. And I'm well aware of how upsetting that will be to those who don't want to leave but have no choice. It doesn't stop anyone having their view/opinion, it just won't have the level of significance to those who will still be here, that you may well wish for. It makes no difference if your opinion is borne of frustrations with being forced to leave, or a principled flounce because you strongly disagree with the outcome. It will still be an opinion that will not matter, either practically because you will no longer have a vote, or because you won't be affected by what happens in Scotland in the same way those living here will be affected.

If people don't like that reality, that's perfectly fine. Not liking that doesn't change the fact your opinion will join the ranks of others who have moved on but still want a say on what happens here Cummings/cox/Connery et al

Cambio you will be at home here on this thread then, because if you have any thing other than an anti-independence stance you are not allowed an opinion.

It's nice to hear some non- anti opinions and have discussions without shouting each other down but that seems a rare occurrence on this thread.

I would disregard anything said on the social media today in terms of influencing my vote unless it was a person that I knew or who had a clear track record in the debate. There is simply too much opportunity for disinformation at this point especially where you have new users. Sadly also any posts which are unhelpful to either side might be used by the other and I don't think that that's helpful to anyone right now because all the information people need to help make up their minds has been out there for a good bit.

As said often, Scotland leaving the UK affects everyone in the UK.
This is NOT just a Scotland issue Tension.
It is infuriating that the terms of the referendum means those in the rest of the UK have no say in something whose consequences have everything to do with them.
Do not think for one minute that those outside of Scotland in the rest of the UK are not feeling this with their hearts as well as their heads.

Of course it won't matter what I think if I don't live here - I'm not sure what point it is you're trying to make.

Fact is that if we move it's because I no longer want to be part of something that I believe to be inferior to what we have at the moment, or to what I can get elsewhere.

I just had the most amazing conversation in the ASDA car park of all places - all opinions, all ages, all calm and agreed that 1) change is a-coming whatever the outcome and many thought 2) wee Eck will be out of his ear fairly soon regardless of the outcome too.

but hold on Tension now you've moved the goal posts. I agree our opinion is irrelevant after we've moved out of Scotland. But now, today, it bloody well is relevant and valid.

Daughter fgs go and get your Yes friends back on this thread. No one is shouting, we are just debating, challenging and calling out anything that makes no sense.

Vote cast. Toddler DD helped by telling me to tick the Yes box, which made me certain I had correctly ticked No.

Starting to feel a bit emotional now. Results are a long way off.

Both true. Thankfully.

(eg Michelle Mone saying that she will move her business means that she is exerting financial pressure on her staff to vote in a certain way. imo that is blackmail)

It's not blackmail, it's coercion by some businesses.

If they were decent and impartial they would say nothing. But no, they want it the way it suits them. Amazing that people fall for it really.

Tension you don't get many outcomes or impacts more serious than having to move country, move away from all your family and friends when you don't want to. I find your view that my vote or opinion is less relevant because a yes vote will probably force me out of the country to be utterly offensive. The impact on me and my family of doing that would be huge. I want and am entitled to a say because it will personally effect me. I am not in the same category as someone who doesn't live in the country.

Daughter - no, as has already been said, it's not coercion, it's business. She'll move her businsess to where she can make most profit, and she'll do that in a stable economy with a larger customer base. That's the reality of an inde Scotland.

Daughter yes, businesses want it the way it suits them - ie, to carry on doing business where they are, to have stability.

Daughter there have been plenty of yes and no voters on these threads chatting away just fine. They've managed to express their opinions just fine. They might have been challenged, but this has happened by and to both sides

The businesses that have been threatening to put up prices / move HQ and cut jobs are the ones I find unpleasant. Generally you make those changes based on the company is performing, not who is in power. The only times people move companies or put up prices based on political changes is when there is a war going on. Scotland getting independence is hardly war. A lot of overreacting or, more likely, the companies having problems that they are trying to hide under the excuse of the yes/no vote. Face it, if you put up prices, your customer will just go to the competitor who hasn't overreacted. RBS threatening to move HQ is just symptomatic of the widespread problems they still have left over from 2008 (which have already been widely reported about).

Why would a business remain impartial? There's a clue in the word 'business'.

daily, RBS will have to move because EU law says they must

it's not bad nasty big business being mean to the Indys - it is a fact of the financial legislation that they could not keep their main office here.

Why do you think RBS plans to move its HQs daily?

Daily most of the headquarter moves have been banks and financial companies. They pretty much have to shift the hqs for regulatory reasons.

That's true, SapphireMoon and tilliebob.