Scottish Referendum debate - watch with Mumsnet

[KatieMumsnet]

So tonight sees the first TV debate of the Scottish Referendum with First Minister and key advocate of the pro- yes campaign, Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling, leader of the pro-UK Better Together campaign coming together for a head to head debate for the first time.

You can watch live from 8pm on STV and if you're south of the border can tune in via the STV player.

Fancy watching along with us? What are you hoping to see from tonight's debate? What are your thoughts on the campaigns so far?

If you've decided which way to vote, why? And if not, what will help you decide?

Do feel free to share these, and any more thoughts you have

Yeah, she was aiming for sarcasm I think i.e. just cos we're scottish doesn't mean we'll be any better, it's not like we're genetically programmed to do it right

But she got the tone all kinds of wrong!

Mind, Sturgeon was grim too. They were both astonished at frankly unastonishing things!

Where's johann been hiding. Not seen her on anything for a while.

I would have preferred to see Nicola debating last night.

www.adamsmith.org/news/press-release-an-independent-scotland-should-keep-the-pound-without-ruks-permission/

Interesting read. I never knew that Panama had one of the most stable economies in the world!

I saw an interesting take on Salmond's performance last night, but I can't find it again. It said that while Yessers were expecting him to demolish Darling, he wasn't aiming at us, but at the most important people watching, the undecided. Hence his performance being calmer, less attacking... And it seems it worked. I can't link to anything, but what I read was there was a poll (presumably of the audience) and of the undecideds who had made their minds up, 55% were Yes, 45% No. Of those who remained undecided, 75% felt Salmond had won the debate.

That is interesting OldLady. As a Yesser I was expecting Eck to wipe the floor with Darling. Maybe that tactic would turn the undecideds against him (knowing how we love an underdog).

Yes, that was something else that was said; not so much feeling sorry for the underdog, but Alex is Marmite, and for those who hate him watching him eviscerate Darling and being "smug" and "arrogant" would have set them against Yes. Tactics and politics, eh? :)

Caroldecker : you say that Scotland has run a deficit for 21 of the last 22 years. Can you provide the source for that? How does it compare with the UK's deficit? And is that with or without the oil receipts?

I though that the UK had been running a larger deficit that Scotland (or rather, than the theoretical amount that Scotland would have generated) - even with the oil. Didn't Dennis Healey admit that it was the oil dividend that had kept the UK afloat or something like that? (On the iPod, so difficult for me to check)

Healy admitted that successive WM gvts had lied to us about the extent and value of our oil after the 1974 McCrone Report was released under the 30 year rule. Alistair Darling admitted that oil had kept the economy afloat.

I did try looking for a link, but anything with his name in the search is just chucking up last night, and I can't be arsed atm. Sorry.

I read something earlier about the poll you mentioned OldLady but can't remember where as I was quickly zipping through various sites at lunchtime. I'm sure the total polled was around 500, and the numbers of undecided was very low. I was campaigning this evening and the people I spoke to hadn't been impressed.

Not impressed with Ponsonby or the format - could and should have been done better. Did you read the Daily Mash take on it?

You might be right, I think it was an FB post I saw, and had the impression it was a poll of actual audience members, in which case the numbers were small anyway; 350 in total, with supposedly 40% Yes, 40% No, 20% undecided (though I have heard dark rumours of shenanigans there too...) So, not statistically reliable, just interesting.

I haven't seen the Daily Mash, but agree Ponsonby could have done a better job.

I do love the Daily Mash, www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/english-viewers-miss-salmond-trying-to-bite-alistair-darling-201408068931

Although the story they did on the outfits that Salmond and Darling might wear made me feel a little queasy.

Cheers for the link, I did a little at the thought of Bernard separating two wrestling men with a starting pistol.

wingsoverscotland.com/last-night-news-happened/ On the subject of humour, have you seen datelinescotland.com? Sorry about the Wings link, but I couldn't make the proper website run on my iPad so wasn't sure I could link to the right video (there are only two, so far.) If you'd rather not give WoS a click, you can search youtube for datelinescotland and get both videos as the first two results.

Was that better presented than Scotland 2014? . Must look at it when I am less shattered and pay proper attention to the tickers. Hadn't seen it before, thanks.

Couldn't be much worse. Sarah Smith is a rare person, in that I want to slap her most times I watch, and I'm a pretty peaceful sort most of the time. She makes my teeth itch, all big eyes and ingenue-acting, at her age! (I'm older, btw.) When I heard John Smith's daughter was to front it, I had high hopes, but urgh. Just urgh.

Sleep well. :)

Night night

prettybird to be fair I can't find a source except a couple of articles, so feel free to ignore - in the end is doesn't matter because a lot of spending is UK allocated so will change under independence. this paper from Glasgow University is interesting.
As I said, Scotland could easily make it alone and using sterling as a currency without a union, but not with current Labour and SNP policies - there is not enough money and, even with all the oil revenue, there is not enough money, so no chance of a soverign wealth fund.

'I saw an interesting take on Salmond's performance last night, but I can't find it again. It said that while Yessers were expecting him to demolish Darling, he wasn't aiming at us, but at the most important people watching, the undecided. Hence his performance being calmer, less attacking... And it seems it worked. I can't link to anything, but what I read was there was a poll (presumably of the audience) and of the undecideds who had made their minds up, 55% were Yes, 45% No. Of those who remained undecided, 75% felt Salmond had won the debate.'

I've really heard it all now. Salmond's below par performance had been planned all along? Yep, sure it was.

And that poll you mention was carried out on 22 people. 22.

I don't think many people who have already decided will change their minds after the debate. And the don't knows will not have found it helped. Maybe one side has something up their sleeve to persuade people.

Oil isn't a massive issye

Just noticed that random post - sorry

All I know is that if you vote Naw you'll get Hee Haw!

All I know is that if you vote Naw you'll get Hee Haw!

I have to agree with this, short and sweet way of putting it, plus I love your username IrnBruTheNoo, although the side effect being I haven't had any Irn Bru today, and now I really want some (but have none, and am at work :( ).