indyref 14 - the one with the polling day

[StatisticallyChallenged]

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

Popping in,quick lunch break. Queues before 7am and nearly 40% turn out by midday. Exciting stuff. :)

I'm concentrating on baking very tricky Birthday Cake for my ds today to keep my mind off both the Referendum (voting on way to school) and the failure of my LA to offer help to my SEN child. Both make me want to weep.

I just have this playlist on loud to help me through the mammoth baking task:
Abba: Winner takes it all
Fleetwood Mac: Go your own way
etc etc etc

tis cheering me on.

These are 'interesting times' to live through.
I feel very sad for anyone who has had any abuse for their opinions, of whatever direction

SC your post at 12:08 says you wish celebrities, especially those who don't live here, would stop telling people how to vote. I've said I agree. And I've also said that, once the dust settles, it's those left behind whose opinion will matter most. Because it's those who will have to live through the consequences of the referendum that will continue to have an opinion that will count by way of a vote on the changes to come.

You can find that offensive if you like, but you are being hypocritical in saying you are sick of non-resident expat celebs telling people how they should vote, while then telling me I'm being hugely offensive to suggest that if you move(for whatever reason) your opinion will hold no more significance that those you are sick of listening to.

Freddie, Chenjin, Statistically (hope you don't mind the abbreviations), it could be down to the reporting (ie which newspaper headline I got it from) but it was more down to the way it was expressed. Sounded like they were coercing people to vote one way, rather than stating factually that it was a result of what the rules said they had to do. Then again, it's probably a moot point as I don't bank with RBS nor have any work accounts there .

I'm surprised you've taken it that way daily - the rules re moving HQs have been widely reported in the news.

Sorry to hear about your LA, MindReader. The cake sounds like a good idea. Make sure you have some refreshments to fortify yourself - tea, biscuits and extra bags of chocolate (if you are using chocolate in your cake!). I had to make a cake with marshmallows once which was quite fun to do as you could eat the "supplies"....lol.

Polling station busy here, great to see so many people out! Was at my mum's who is in a village with 1200 registered to vote. By 10am 200 had already been, that's a hood sign!

Feel queasy with excitement and nerves.

Tension there is a huge difference between those who live abroad and who will be unaffected by the outcome, and those who currently live in Scotland and will -whatever that impact may be. That's not a remotely hypocritical viewpoint, it's a sensible one.

If they were decent and impartial they would say nothing.

Would they? By saying nothing they are not giving people all of the information available upon which to make their decisions.

OK Tension I think maybe we've misunderstood your point.

daily probably the reporting.

Unfortunately, just because you don't bank with them doesn't mean it won't affect all of us if they go. They pay quite a lot of tax.

Yes Tension, but if there is a No vote, those who would have to leave in the event of a Yes vote won't have to leave, will they? So they'll still be there living with the consequences of the No vote.

Of course their vote matters.

I'm lucky because due to circumstances the outcome of the referendum will have only limited financial impact upon me either way so I'm viewing this as a matter of what I think as a Scot is best for my country and my people.

If it's a No vote, I take a few days off to recover physically and then go to work on reconnecting with the half of my countryfolk who feel disenfranchised. If it's a Yes vote I take a few days off to recover physically and then go to work on reconnecting with the half of my countryfolk who feel disenfranchised. The big difference to me is that in the latter case, we would all have to work against a backdrop of potentially disastrous social and financial conditions and I think that that would make any struggle nearly impossible to sustain.

I'm sure that at least some of the posters here have had quiet tussles with themselves over the last while as to whether they should go with their heart or their head. Today I voted No and I'm content now that that is actually a vote both with my heart and with my head. My family and my nation are riven currently but I believe I did the best thing for them.

Daily it's just bad reporting.many of us who are in financial services have been saying they'll go for a long time, but were told we were just scaremongering.

And before anyone says it, I am not only voting no because of my job

If they were decent and impartial they would say nothing.

Well, that's what Alex Salmond wants them to believe. However, if they support independence then he wants to have photocalls with them, even if they are homophobic.

I think they might have to change the dictionary definition of scaremongering

Scaremongering: Asking pertinent questions and/or being factual, providing information.

Freddie, Chenjin - true. OK, gotta go, time is marching on.

I'm feeling enlightened by the amount of English customers I've spoken to today who asked about my voting intentions, who have said they are hoping it's a no vote. I know they don't get a vote but it's nice all the same.

Voted and done my shift at the polling station.

Had a good laugh with the No guy. He shared his sandwiches with me.

Apart from a few angry Nos and one very rude Yes (must mention him for the sake of balance) the atmosphere was good natured. There were queues early on but then just a steady flow of people.

I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I volunteered.

You can't tell one group of business people to shut up about independence, it's a decision for the Scottish people AND tell another group, I'm so happy you don't think independence will affect your business, can you sign this press release and pose for this photo please.

If there are going to be negative consequences or risks from independence, everyone should have access to that information before they vote. It does no one any good to pretend it'll all be dandy and have people angry and disappointed when they are hit with those negative consequences down the road.

He can't have it both ways.

or a principled flounce because you strongly disagree with the outcome

Oh the exquisite irony of that statement! I do believe it was a principled flounce that bought us to today in the first place. Or certainty a flounce but not quite so principled from Alex and his band of merry men.

When I leave as a result of a Yes vote I really couldn't care less about whether any opinion had weight and have no idea why it is even being discussed. Because today my opinion does count. But as a no voter I'm not allowed to express it?

A very, very good friend just texted me to say (even though I hadn't asked and her DH is probably a Yes) that she had just voted No Thanks.

That is one for the team that we weren't expecting. I feel more positive now.

'Had a good laugh with the No guy. He shared his sandwiches with me.'

Either that's going to be your 'How We Met' love story or in a few hours you'll realise the cheese and pickle was sprinkled with slow acting strychnine.

I hope it's the love story!

Police Scotland have confirmed an arrest at a polling station this morning. SKY stuck to the very short police statement (the right call, I think, for once) but newspaper websites seem to have more information.

Spiritedwolf totally agree with you. That's what making me feel very nervous. Alex Salmond is a complete fantasist.