To think that the new SNP leader just pledged to ignore the will of the majority of Scottish people?

[RudeBarbandCustard]

Forgive me if I'm being naive - I may well be.

But Nicola Sturgeon pledging to continue to fight for Scottish independence is essentially a pledge to fight against the majority of the Scottish people's democratically expressed wishes?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30011423

I mean, it couldn't be clearer. The majority of Scottish people voted No. So she's essentially saying "Hey, majority of Scotland - I'm going to ignore what you voted for in a democratic process, and fight for the opposite!".

It smacks of arrogance, and a complete disregard for what people voted for!

I may be missing something though, but it's intriguing and bugging me so I'd be interested to hear what others think.

I got as far as the Rab C Nesbitt quote before deciding that 11 minutes was too much of my life to give to UKIP....did Mr Coburn improve at any point?

Apparently, David Coburn, UKIP MEP for Scotland lives in...

LONDON.

According to this Herald article, his permanent residence in in Kensington.

I took 2 sleeping pills on the night of the referendum - slept fitfully, and woke up repeatedly despite the pills but was too afraid to switch on the TV. DH finally work me properly at some god unearthly hours and said very quietly "it's a No". I remember saying "you're joking", he said "no", and I said "thank God" before crying and switching on the TV to see the No vote right across Scotland.

The whole thing was utterly exhausting, and once I'd got past the feeling of sheer and utter relief that enough of us has said No I began to feel so angry that we'd been put through it by a party that had consistently failed to answer the really big questions that were put to them. When I hear NS posturing about "independence in my lifetime" I feel the same rage - they don't care about the people of Scotland, they care about independence at any cost. Makes me absolutely furious that my vote, and the vote of the majority of Scots, has counted for nothing in their eyes.

'I got as far as the Rab C Nesbitt '

It didn't get better than that

"You bet we are pal"

I don't rate Radical Independence analysis, but then i am not really the target audience. I would recommend you read more widely if you're interested.

You're right, I don't think much of Coburn or Farage (or indeed George Galloway). I don't know anyone who has said to me they are impressed by Farage (clearly some people are though). I don't find racist blokiness a breath of fresh air.

They are not polite or politically correct, they challenge.

You're making them sound like aggressive wee men who lack the intelligence to formulate clear and cohesive arguments.

sirchenjin your sentiments echo mine and most of my friends/family too.

It feels terribly unfair that they are allowed to start it all up again.

Any "no" voter who votes SNP from now is playing with fire. It's clear they will never give up and so we cannot allow them any more political will.

Claig - I am sure you are right that £13 million is a drop in the ocean compared to the total Scottish government budget - that still doesn't make it a sum of money that can be spent without thought.

"You're making them sound like aggressive wee men who lack the intelligence to formulate clear and cohesive arguments."

Weirdly - that's the opinion I came to when I've seen them speak.

Re sectarian voting...I've no idea in a GE because I got the opinion that the no surrender section of the no voters had registered to vote just for the referendum.

Absolutely agree Rooner. No-one should vote SNP unless they are prepared to go through another referendum within the next few years. They will not give up, because they simply don't recognise the will of the majority - which, from a party that purports to represent Scotland and the Scottish people, beggars belief.

No, SirChenjin, they prick the bubble of pomposity of politicians like Jim Murphy and expose what lies beneath it. They challenge and expose their arrogance. I stayed up on referendum night and at about 3.30 a.m Coburn came on for 3 minutes and riled Murphy out of his false whispher and made him angry and say "bye bye" in an angry whispher. It was priceless.

What party could beat the Conservatives in their Essex heartlands other than UKIP? None at all. Because none of them challenge, they are too polite. UKIP challenge them and win a landslide because of that.

Cameron laughed at UKIP, but he is not laughing now. They will damage him more than Labour. And the SNP are possibly laughing at UKIP now, but give it 5 years and I don't think they will be laughing any more, because Coburn will challenge them more than Jim Murphy ever could and he won't need the stunt of touring Scotland with an Irn Bru crate under his arm.

Makes a mockery of democracy, really.

I saw the referendum as an expensive, damaging folly. Industry and investors need certainty.

I appreciate they are called the scottish "national" party but their personal agendas will just cause more damage.

Even though I supported the independence campaigners and thought Lesley Riddoch was excellent throughout, reading these threads I felt sorry for the people who wanted to stay in the Union because they were backed by parties who couldn't challenge, who couldn't fight, who couldn't take the gloves off, who relied on "love bombing" and fear. It was desperate and Gordon Brown just saved the day.

There will be another referendum one day, but if you want to save the union, you will need politicians who can fight and Better Together were useless.

I actually think elected UKIP representatives will do far more harm in the long run to their party than anyone else can.

By elections generate lots of interest and have masses of money and resources thrown at them. I'm not sure they will replicate that in a GE. UKIP did well in the Euro elections, which I think was partly a protest vote and also a reflection that in the a Euro campaigns there tends to be very little emphasis on what people expect their representatives to do. I remember finding it really bizarre that almost all the election leaflets I was sent (nobody canvassed me for the Euros) all the content was about Scotland, nothing about what position the party would take on issues in the European Parliament. For a general election, people generally want to know what parties are planning to do on a range of issues. UKIP, as far as I've seen, tend to bang on about immigration and how awful the EU is. Obviously they are working on other policies - but I've not been impressed by anything I've seen from them.

No Claig - they don't have the intellectual ability to prick any bubbles. What they do is posture and shout loudly, but they're not backed up by substance. They're like the Sun of the political landscape - big tits.

Having said that, I can understand why people are voting for them and it's been a wake up call for the other parties, but I won't credit them with anything more than mouthy gobs.

Claig...were you watching a different david coburn on the result night? He was spouting rubbish about free haggis.

Oh and couldn't comprehend that the yes campaign included other people that weren't SNP...even though they were sat beside him.

And of that note, I'm heading off to bed where I will lie awake and plan exactly what I will say to NS if she is ever unfortunate enough to cross my path. She will rue the day, oh yes.

Night all

but if you want to save the union, you will need politicians who can fight and Better Together were useless

Except they won, didn't they? If they were useless, what does that say about the ones that lost?

'they don't have the intellectual ability to prick any bubbles'

Remember how Farage beat Clegg?

SirChenjin, are you a Conservative? I always thought you were rather than Labour.

People are desperate for change. They can't take any more of these people who govern us. They are all the same. That is why people in England are flocking to UKIP. They are different, they are attacking them, exposing them, ridiculing them, mocking them and trouncing them and that is why the UKIP insurgency is spreading like wildfire in England, because no one thought it was possible, no one thought change would ever come. And Cameron has no answer.

It is very unlikely UKIP could finish them off now, but by 2020, they will finish them in England.

'Except they won, didn't they? If they were useless, what does that say about the ones that lost?'

Yes, but they had the entire resources of the State and the Establishment with them and big business etc etc It was very close and who knows what will happen next time when the Better Together parties will probably be even more discredited across the entire country as their vote share dwindles as UKIP and the Greens and the SNP take ever larger chunks out of their vote.

'Claig...were you watching a different david coburn on the result night? He was spouting rubbish about free haggis.'

I can't remember all of it. I have looked on youtube for it but I can't find it.

'spouting rubbish about free haggis'

That is his type of humour where he riles them up and cracks their facade.

I agree they handled it very badly.

However, if, as you predict, UKIP win a majority, then THEY will be one of the 'Better Together' party, won't they?

I don't think anyone would disagree that the Better Together campaign was dire.

In reality though, the gap only closed towards the end of the campaign and, looking at the polls - there was only one where the yes campaign were ahead.

I think that galvanised a lot of previously undecided/swithering voters.

In Scotland, you have already got the SNP in Holyrood, so you may be less desperate than us. But all we have got is the old, tired parties who are all the same. We want something new.

Unless UKIP want Scotland to gain independence?