To move to Scotland because of Brexit?

[Fucksandflowers]

DH is seriously talking about it.

We’ve always liked Scotland anyway...

DH is English, but looks foreign and gets an astounding amount of racism, at least weekly.

Genuinely fearful of the apparent growth of right wing politics in this country, DH in particular is worried if Farage gets in the racism is going to get even worse.

Anyone who lives in Scotland, what is it like?
Are people generally tolerant?
Any areas that are particularly nice and too expensive?

I am Scottish and can assure you Sturgeon is not well thought of at the moment and her views only represent a small percentage of Scotland

The election results coming through at the moment suggest otherwise...

Last time I was in Scotland whilst ordering drinks in a pub with no preamble I was told to fuck off back where you came from. I'm sure it will all be lovely for you and your family so bye.

Brexit Party looking to be in second place in Scotland.

Brexit Party looking to be in second place in Scotland

Yes, I’m watching it now.

I was born in Scotland but brought up in England. My brothers and I have experienced anti English sentiment on various times in Scotland and my partner has too.

Also if we leave the EU under a hard brexit and Scotland left the UK and then Scotland joined the EU at a later stage, then there would need to be a border between England and Scotland. This would be a problem as most of Scotland's trade is with England

Scots in general are friendly, welcoming and tolerant and the vast majority aren't anti_English, though many are anti-Westminster, as politics in Scotland generally leans more towards the left. A sizeable majority voted to Remain in the EU. Saying that Sturgeon's views represent a small percentage is plain daft.
It makes me quite sad that some Scottish Mumsnetters are dissing their own country. We should be proud that the likes of Farage and Robinson aren't welcome here. There may be racist and bigoted idiots here, but we don't condone their behaviour by voting for racists and bigots.

This would be a problem as most of Scotland's trade is with England

No it's not, Scotland bring in more than it's share of export taxes in the UK so England benefits from Scottish trade.

We should be proud that the likes of Farage and Robinson aren't welcome here. There may be racist and bigoted idiots here, but we don't condone their behaviour by voting for racists and bigots.

This. A small section of Hearts fans and Rangers fans (not all!) have said they support Robinson et al, there is otherwise not a large support for them at all and I am very proud of that!

@LassOfFyvie no it's not.

@username55675
“Nothing really to add about whether moving to Scotland would help or not. I just wanted to say I understand I you feel OP. I'm English my husband is English as in he was born here/ is English in every way except that his parents are foreign born so he doesn't look English. I know what you mean about the increasing racism and I am very scared about the rise of the far right.

We now have DD who is a beautiful mix of us both and the thought one day she might be on the receiving end makes me feel sick.”

What does that bolded statement even mean @username55675 ? Just because your husband isn’t white doesn’t mean “he doesn’t look English.” He looks English because he is English. Period. Neither he nor you should let them steal his identity.

I like Scotland, in fact I love it but don't come expecting a utopia. Its a complicated place with a load of complex problems all to itself.
Sectarianism is rife in West ( really nasty shite, too), there's problems with drugs and alcoholism, there are immigrant communtities who aren't intergrated, life expectancy is lower, there's a lot of poverty.

I can't comment on anti English sentiment, from my Scottish persective it seems like its getting better but again, thats not my comment to make.

Having lived and worked all over the UK, I'd say the NHS is in better shape in Scotland and the general shape of education is easier on the kids than in England.
Its very beautiful, the people are, in general pretty warm and friendly and its not raining all the time

Sectarianism is rife, but generally if you don't involve yourself in either side of it then it's not going to affect you. Unless you get caught up in those ridiculous marches (Orange or Hibernian).

It's awful where I live, but I'm not part of it. I hate it.

You’re perfectly welcome to come! While racism is everywhere, Glasgow is very tolerant compared to most other places I have been and the people have a reputation as some of the friendliest in the world. It is very multicultural. It’s not a very pretty city and some parts are “rough” and in certain areas poverty is high but there are also very nice leafy suburbs which are safe with good schools.

I imagine Edinburgh would be very nice to live in too if you don’t mind lots of tourists.

I would have agreed with you Heart but over the last few weekends here its seems like its difficult to keep away.

I was shouted at by a group of men for wearing the wrong coloured jacket in Sainsbury's on the morning of a game and I saw men throwing beer cans at the local Catholic Church.

I'm not looking forward to marching season.

You'll never meet anyone with a bigger chip on their shoulders than a Scot

It didn't take long for the Scots bashing to start 🙄

Sectarianism is rife

Not in all parts of Scotland.

Fraxton, that's why I said 'in the West of Scotland' and I should probably further qualify that by saying the Central and South West.

I'm English, married to a Scot, lived in the Highlands for over a decade now. There was a huge rise in anti-English sentiment where I live around the time of the independence referendum and although I only had one comment directed at me personally, it was depressing day after day to see my friends and acquaintances raging about 'the fucking English white settlers' and 'bloody Westmonster' all over Facebook. A mixed race friend of mine in Edinburgh (who was born there) also had huge problems around the Brexit vote, frequently being told she'd be sent back where she came from (in one case it was so bad that it went to court and the person who'd abused her was given a suspended sentence).

It's a lovely place to live, but I've noticed that in our area, because it's so very undiverse (is that a word?) a larger-than-normal number of the English people who move up here have very, very right-wing views whereas a lot of the Scottish people who were born here are hard left SNP, so it does tend to be two distinct camps of people.

@Harrietthen. Maybe in the 90s but not now. As a child I got a bit of stick for my English accent but I'm half and half anyway as a lot of people are. Still speak with an English accent. No negative comments.

What makes you think Scotland will be better? Us brexiteers are everywhere.

Sectarianism is rife

Not in all parts of Scotland

Not in all parts of the west coast, and not in all people. It's a loud, thuggish, very ugly minority. A profile and number no different to racists in England.

The vast majority of people in both countries are tolerant and decent people.

StoneofDestiny I know, that's why I said "where I am". Of course not everybody is sectarian, which is also why I commented that if you don't involve yourself in either side it won't affect you.

But don't let that stop you twisting a perfectly sensible post, which was essentially saying exactly what you've said to sound like it wasn't.

IntheheatofLisbon I was picking up on a combination of posters - including Fraxion's comment!
I grew up in a very sectarian area of Glasgow. Nightmare. I now visit regularly family in another part of Glasgow - untouched by it.
No different from pockets of racists in large English cities.

Something to bear in mind is that if you have children, the likelihood of them suffering bullying for being English is fairly high in my experience. My brother and I went to a good school in the “posh” part of Glasgow, and the verbal abuse was immense due to being English. Made those years of my childhood utterly miserable.

StoneofDestiny I hate it too to be fair. "What school did you go to?" can still be a loaded question and I detest those marches (of either side) and the hatred they cause.

But aye, it's not everywhere, and thankfully seems to be getting better (she says hopefully).

I love Scotland but the rise of the nationalists over the last while I find utterly depressing. I despise the SNP and their agenda of division. I feel quite alone politically at the moment - most of my friends and colleagues are pro-independence (and yet anti-Brexit! I find that a deeply disingenuous position).

So yes Scotland is nice, it is beautiful, friendly and welcoming on a superficial level. It's not ALL cheap depending on where you buy but I suppose it you're coming from the south coast it is likely to be better value.

But as a country being governed by a party with nationalism at its heart and as its aim at all costs (literally), how welcoming can it really be?

By all means move here to escape explicit Brexiteers but do not expect a political or social utopia despite the picture of 'socialism' the nats try to paint.