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 hope he wins." but I thought this wasn't about Alex Salmond or the SNP?

I never even heard the c-word until I moved to London (sheltered life).

I'm getting quite disgusted with the scare mongering from Asda Morrisons etc that say their prices would have to go up if there was a Yes vote. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is Waitrose who don't even gave any stores in Scotland

I absolutely detest corporate dissembling. It treats they customers as idiots

Waitrose have store in Stirling (and i assume in Edi too), I'm planning to go next time I'm there because at the ripe old age of 48 I have never set foot in a Waitrose.

the BBC have just apologised because there are actually Waitrose stores in Scotland

Why on earth are they getting this information so wrong.

I thought Asda had already said that they couldn't be certain what would happen to their prices?

Waitrose definitely do have stores in Scotland.

There's a Waitrose near Aberdeen - well the boards were up last time I was there. I've been to the one in Stirling too. Isn't there one in Glasgow too? They have a Wholefoods...

Yep. The Beeb were wrong in reporting there were no Waitress in Scotland

Only heard yesterday that Mike Russell the Scottish education minister had written that some nhs facilities should be privatised !

I had been thinking for a quite a while that he gone missing from our TV screens

Funny thing, coincidences like that
Hmmmm

So really Anything could happen after the vote

Salmond using MNet to big himself up in Radio 4 pm interview

Seumas Milne in The Guardian cautioning against assuming independence and an SNP govt will give Scots a cosy Scandi social democracy here. No idea if he is right or not.

There's a Waitrose on Byres Road. I haven't seen one in Aberdeen.

I thought Morrisons had said their prices may go down a couple of weeks back.

Alex Salmond claimed on PM just now that he had won a Mumsnet poll.

What poll was that, MNHQ?

I saw the Mike Russell thing - it was in a book called "grasping the thistle"

linky to picture

Waitrose in the West End of Glasgow, one in Newton Mearns and another new one in Helensburgh

The only thing that will happen if Asda and Waitrose put up prices, which I doubt very much is other supermarkets becoming busier. I do most of my shopping in Aldi anyway.

I like this extract from the response by Morrisons about the non likelihood of increased prices.....
"....As far as we are aware the increased cost Ireland is due to a number of factors, the major one being the higher cost of distribution. Morrisons currently have in place a full distribution network within the current UK which would remain in place in the event of a Yes Vote. The only way we could envisage an increased cost for Scotland is if the Scottish Government were to push Scotland’s land mass away from the rest of the UK and into the North Sea."

Abbie I have had a bit of a moment of clarity this week as I realised the long-term SNP people I know in my community ( So not those fellow travellers in the Yes camp who want a fairer Scotland) are the ones who are least compassionate and quite anti-poor.

prettybird I like that

Listened to Alex Salmond on Radio 4 (pm) this evening telling Eddie Mair that he 'won the Mumsnet poll' over Alistair Darling yesterday. He was very complimentary about Mumsnet but did he win? Was there a poll? Did I miss something?

No there was no poll and he didn't win. He answered two more questions that AD by hanging around longer, and was a bit chippier, but alarmist AD probably garnered the No vote from floaters more effectively that AS garnered the potential Yes vote.

No there was no poll and he didn't win

There was a referendum poll carried out on Mumsnet for, I think, Sunday Times. About 1000 responses. Yes more than No, can't remember figures.

He may have been referring to this poll which had quite a bit of publicity on here (a lot of complaints about some of the questions eg about relative attractiveness and blokeishness and the inaccuracies - like Salmond is not leader of the Yes campaign ). He and the Yes vote "won" in most (all?) categories.

Iirc, there were 984 responses - but some on these threads complained that they hadn't seen it. Others had, as they commented on the original thread. I certainly also got an email asking me to fill it in I already had - and I know that others for the email too.