Scottish Referendum debate: Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond, Wednesday September 10th, 1.45-2.45pm

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi all,

We're delighted to announce that Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling will both be joining us on Mumsnet this Wednesday at 1.45pm, to take part in a live debate in the lead-up to the Scottish Referendum on September 18th.

The decision with which Scottish voters are faced this month constitutes a significant moment in the history - and future - of Scotland and the UK. And with polls currently predicting a result that's too close to call, this final showdown between the two leaders could potentially prove decisive.

The debate will be conducted along typical Mumsnet webchat lines, but with each guest free to question and respond to the answers of the other. We know the referendum has been a topic of serious discussion on the site (we're currently on IndyRef thread number seven - and counting ...) so in order to ensure that the leaders answer your questions, we're restricting the ability to post to Mumsnetters who'd been members of the site for more than 24 hours before the launch of this thread. Otherwise, the usual guidelines apply.

Please join us on Wednesday at 1.45pm - and if you can't make it then, as ever, do post up any comments or questions in advance.

I thought the point about shouting at someone about to walk in front of a bus not being "scaremongering"was good!

ItsAll Holyrood voted in favour of the Iraq war as well.

I know, and it is shocking. I'm sure that's part of the reason that Labour started losing so many seats to the SNP. At least in Scotland if the MSPs ignore public opinion they get the boot, and you can get a different party to speak for you.

As always Mr Salmond avoiding any difficult questions & when challenged ignoring. More effort from Mr Darling and nice short succinct answers too although even Mr D doesn't get full marks.

I fear for our country at the moment - it is being torn apart. However I remain firmly No - why would we want to throw everything away that is good about being part of UK when we have powers for the things that really count already. I am happy with what a devolved Scottish Government can do and if there are more powers, great if they are used properly and wisely by a SG to really tackle the issues. And yet we can benefit from being in the UK - from defence, from financial security, from being a bigger part in the world. At the end of the day, I am thinking of my children and their future will be a lot brighter, safer and better off by being in the UK. And that is what counts for me.

A yes vote would at least mean the West Lothian question was dealt with. That was always my objection to Devo Max.

Mr salmod

Why is it you think that the Bank of England should be your bank of last resort if things go belly up it seems you don't want to be in a union with the English but are happy for the English to bail you out if things go wrong

Curreny unions don't work if your not sure ask Greece

Mark carney has said it won't happen
All 3 leaders say it won't happen

As a voter I am saying I would never vote for any party that would have a curreny union

If you want to join the EU you need to adopt the euro

So it seems the only way a currency union will happen is in your mind

We do have a voice in WM.

Alex Salmond is really the one treating folk like idiots. There are plenty of us who will vote no as we can see through his rhetoric and lies. The way Better together has run their campaign sometimes disappoints me, however fortunately I feel intelligent enough to look at facts myself and act on them. I am rather disappointed to be made to feel less Scottish and to experience comments aimed at me about how real scots would like to get rid of the traitor no voters. But both groups have nasty folk in them, as with anything but I am fearful of outwardly showing my no status in public. That is not a good society. I am pretty disgusted at alex salmond for referring to the Yes campaign as Team Scotland and insinuating no voters are less Scottish.
Sadly whatever happens, it seems half the population are going to be unhappy, so this whole divisive affair is going to be around a long while yet.

Okay, take a family living in Morningside, bankers, double-income six-figure salary etc, two kids both privately educated throughout primary and secondary. Should they get free prescriptions? A freeze on their council tax? Free uni education?

I don't think so. But they do.

FannyFifer Wed 10-Sep-14 14:54:10
PamSco the Labour Party knighted Goodwin.

2 rights make a wrong? Not in my book. I was questioning AS' statement that the ABN Amro purchase was a great thing for Scotland. Awesome foresight!

This vote isn't about Alec Salmond, whatever he may say. It is about deciding if Scotland is independent, and that will include people i Scotland voting for the party they want in power.

Not sure it was fair of other posters to keep monopolising the discussion...... dissapointed there was no time and i didnt get my question answered

We do have a voice in WM.

A wee one. Hence why the ruling party is voted for by the English, and Scots never get the party of our choice (unless England chooses it too).

www.flickr.com/photos/potatojunkie/8087151692/sizes/o/

I'm very glad MN hosted this but blimey, did they actually answer a single question between them?

Nope This thing has gone well beyond politicians now...

prescriptions - lots of people on low incomes didn't pay these (doubtless some people who weren't exempt struggled, but I don't think the policy benefits the poorest). I can understand the argument that making them free takes away the expense of having to administer the exemptions.

council tax freeze - again, lots on low income didn't pay this. Others may have paid it but are likely to have lived in properties at the lower end of the valuation scale. The real savings are for those middle income and wealthy people (or possibly impoverished aristocracy rattling around in their unheated mansions whose property is higher in value, and therefore the council tax bills would be higher.

I'm also concerned whether enough money is being made available to councils to protect services. But I don't want this to end up as another council rant.

university tuition - yes this is good, and benefits a lot of people from a range of backgrounds. However, living costs are still a worry for lots, especially from poorer backgrounds. AND whilst money is being spent here, college places have been reducing in number. Not everyone goes to university, I'd rather see funding spent on a range of options, but university seems to be the flagship.

Santana, what, so no working class people get the grades to go to university?

I thought AD came across very well today, although I'm a No votes I haven't been massively impressed with the Better Together campaign but thought today AD came across as human.

AS on the other hand was patronizing and trotted out the same old lies...

Thanks OOAMAL

I am pretty disgusted at alex salmond for referring to the Yes campaign as Team Scotland and insinuating no voters are less Scottish.

Spot on Tealady17. That is the nationalist way. I am voting No as I want to stop the destruction of Scotland. Devolution and federalisation can move in a Scottish direction without the seismic risk taking AS thinks will just work. This doesn't make me more or less patriotic.

Nope This thing has gone well beyond politicians now...

ItsAll once again we have a moment of consensus

"We do have a voice in WM."

Not a big enough one to influence which party is in power and not a big enough one to affect the outcome of votes even when policies will be detrimental to Scotland.

femin I'm not dismissing you because I'm trying to be horrible - although I admit I was a bit glib and I'm sorry. I genuinely don't think that's going to happen though - Thatcher used not just Scotland, but Wales, and the North too to test horrifically unfair policies because they were never going to vote for her. Maybe she also punished them but I think that's because she hated poor people, as she thought poverty was a choice, not a predicament.

She was just nasty. Now I'm not saying that the current crop of Tories are not nasty, but I would argue that if we vote no, we would be doing what they want and that they are unlikely to punish us for that.

However, I do believe that they are also systematically punishing people, whatever part of the UK they happen to be born in, for being poor and we should all be fighting against that with everything we've got, not getting distracted by fairy dust about independence.

I really am sorry about being glib though - I'm scared of a lot of the independence stuff too, but I'm actually more scared of the SNP punishing us for voting no. Or blaming everything that goes wrong in the next 2 years on a no vote, and not their own governmental choices.

And I'm done!

If I was teetering on the edge of no, about to become a yes, I think one read through this web chat would make me fall back into the big strong arms of no.

Thank you to all those who asked such helpful questions.

Also comparing the vote to apartide frankly is disgraceful

1- as if some how the English are oppressing the Scottish people
2- and in my view trivialising the struggle for black to be even allowed vote