Discuss your views of the Scottish Referendum with the UK government NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

With fewer than 200 days to go until the Scottish referendum, UK Government has produced the latest edition, in a series of information packs, focussing on money and the economy in the context of the independence debate.

Read more: Scottish independence referendum: Money and the economy.

UK Government wants to find out what Mumsnetters' views are of the Scottish referendum coming up in September. When it comes to the prospect of Scotland going it alone and possible impacts on the economy, like changes in currency and taxes, what are your views? Whether you're Scottish or not we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury says, "As part of the UK the Scottish economy is growing, inflation is down and more people are in work. By remaining part of the UK, Scottish industry and jobs will be protected by the generous freeze on duties on spirits and the £3bn tax break for oil and gas industries we announced at the Budget, as well as the big cuts in income tax helping 2 million Scottish workers.

This new pack sets out some key facts people in Scotland need to know before the referendum in September. I urge everyone to read up on the facts and understand the true benefits being part of the United Kingdom brings to Scotland."

Mumsnet will be hosting various content and activity in the run up to the referendum from all sides of the debate, so do keep a look out for these in the coming months.

Thanks,

MNHQ

ItAllGoingToBeFine I find your attitude worryingly blinkered and close minded - you really cannot conceive of an intelligent, well informed adult reaching a different conclusion to you? Anyone who doesn't agree with you would have to be mad? Wow. That is blind devotion to a cause at its worst.

Intelligent people can draw different conclusions, there is no 'right' or 'wrong' here. There is the settled will of the people, which we must all respect and live with in a democracy.

McFox - love the inference that 'no' voters must read the Daily Mail. Nice try.

Intelligent people can draw different conclusions, there is no 'right' or 'wrong' here

Intelligent people should draw the same conclusions when presented with the same facts surely?

I totally understand that other people strongly believe a no vote is the best thing for them/their family/Scotland. However, I also believe that for them to have reached this conclusion they have not digested all of the available information.

McFox - love the inference that 'no' voters must read the Daily Mail. Nice try

The problem is it is not just the DM. Pretty much the entirety of the mainstream media is heavily biased against independence. Therefore if you do not look any further than the MSM you are not in possession of all of the facts. And a lot of people won't consider the need to independently verify what they are being presented by the media.

I was using the Daily Mail as an example, but it could have been any publication. Would it have been more acceptable to you if I'd used the Guardian or The Independent? You entirely missed the point there.

Love how the Scottish referendum is the April fools "joke" in so many English/ London based papers today.

Would be kinda funny if some of the jokes they have made hadn't already been in the papers as scare stories from the No crowd.

wingsoverscotland.com/art-imitates-life/

Make no apologies for Wings link in this case.

McFox - I did not miss the point - because you did not use the Guardian or Independent. You used the Daily Mail, which has specific connotations, so spare me the innocent 'it was just a newspaper chosen at random' line. I am not actually stupid, despite having a different opinion to you.

It appears that you and EverythingIsGoingTobeFine cannot accept anyone having a different opinion to you and also being intelligent and well informed. There is not much point attempting to debate with such closed minds.

ithaka I am very happy to debate with you :)

How about you put forward a positive (or negative if you can't find a positive) reason for Scotland to remain part of the UK, and I'll try and dismantle your argument?...

I have already put forward my positive reasons, as requested further up the thread. You don't agree, fine. But please do not assume that people that have a different view are ill informed. Having a different opinion to you does not equal ignorant and wrong.

I will vote 'no', I want to be part of the UK. If the decision is 'yes', I will accept the majority view and sincerely hope the decision will be to the benefit of everyone in the UK in the long run. It depresses me that the 'yes' camp are already saying that if the decision is 'no', they will try again.

We have to accept and respect each others views, or I see no way forward as an independent country or part of the UK.

Ithaka, fine by me. I actually chose the DM because I'd just finished reading it, but you choose to take out of my comments what you will.

Neither did I call anyone stupid. I simply pointed out that if someone is unwilling to engage with a range of views and analysis then they are less informed than someone who does. It seems to me that you are the one being myopic here by simply pulling out what suits you and using it to tell me that I'm wrong.

I intend to vote no and I have done a lot of research, well beyond what the media present.

I personally believe that Scotland is already a nation, and that nationhood is enshrined as part of the union with England, Wales and NI. Scots law cannot be replaced by the common law of England any more than the Church of Scotland can be overrun by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Our formal Union has always been founded upon a recognition that UK is a joining of nations together and not the forced assimilation of two peoples into one.

Devolution extended the ways in which Scottish nationhood is institutionalised. Now, in addition, to the Court of Session and the Kirk, we have our own Parliament, our own Government, and our own First Minister. Devolution happened through unionist thought, as has much of progressive Scots autonomy. The majority of SNP opposed devolution in the first instance, with the exception of Sir Neil MacCormick who supported it and, at points in his career believed that devolution - if it worked - would be enough!

Interestingly, MacCormick also pointed out that the devil is in the detail and that - particularly with reference to EU membership - we must consider the constitutional detail. Entry into the EU is not a matter of politics, but of legal and constitutional frameworks. Salmond cannot simply state that we will be 'welcomed back with open arms'.

I don't agree with the principles of wanting to be part of every union going except this one (EU, NATO, etc).

I don't think the argument about 'our money' flowing south stacks up - why would people in Aberdeen be any more willing to share with Argyll? I believe that SNP (and it WILL be SNP!) are a government set on centralisation of power whereas I believe in devolving power to local communities.

I believe that the union is still evolving and that their will be opportunity to improve democracy across the UK. I personally feel that the problem is a lack of a devolved parliament in England, resulting the WM being de facto for England.

Finally, for me personally - a yes vote will (most likely) impact my sector negatively plus I don't want to live out the rest of my working life, or the early years of my childrens' working lives, in a country 'settling in' - where austerity measures are likely to far outstrip what we ahve already seen from WM. Yes campaigners would tell you that this is a 'nettle we must grasp' but I'd rather not, thanks.

These are my reasons. I do not expect everyone to agree with them, and they may evolve over time, but that's (just some!!) of my thinking at the moment.

Shouldn't mumsnet also be suggesting we share our views with the Scottish government? Like, to be balanced and all?

I should've said 'these are some of my reasons'...I could go on

I believe it is the UK Government seeking our views rather than Mumsnet, seeing as it is a sponsored discussion.

MN chose to make it sponsored, though.

There shouldn't be any type of partisan politics officially sponsored on here. Though I know that most of mn is English based, this is the biggest political decision facing those of us who do live in Scotland in a generation.

No matter how you plan to vote, it's just right that large news-type organisations should offer a neutral pov. I'm fed up with the mainstream media sidelining this and siding with Westminster. The April Fool jokes alone show that the London-centric media treat it as a bit of a joke.

It's self-determination for over 5 million people! That's not a joke.

Before devolution, we were on the same level of 'self-determination' as England, Wales and NI. After devolution, we have established greater self-determination through WM, our own elected parliament and at EU level. What YES campaign is proposing is not 'complete' self-determination but independence in Europe.

The UN right to self-determination which is oft trotted out states self-determination by independence or autonomy.

Also, I don't think that replacing WM with Holyrood in Edinburgh makes much odds to me. I would have grave concerns about a 1-tier parliament which already has previous for pushing policies through responding to my needs any closer than someone double the distance away from me.

When is the UK government coming on to discuss, as stated in title of thread?

And whilst the internet consumes itself in outrage at the fun poked by april fool's jokes, it might be wise to keep in mind that the Greens posted their own April Fool regarding independence and outer space...seems it was a joking matter for them (although the page has been pulled which makes me cynical about how YES mean to spin the April Fool thing...)

cached version webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:w-GQoORix8EJ:www.scottishgreens.org.uk/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a

When is the UK government coming on to discuss, as stated in title of thread?

I don't think they are. I think WM has just paid MN to start a thread on this subject (don't know why they couldn't just read all the other threads)

I presume WM will then cherry pick comments from this thread to back them self up/inform the Better Together campaign.

This of course will also tick engaging with voters using a variety of media boxes...

The outer space thing is funny as it's impossible & clearly a joke, a lot of the other stuff, for example on the link I posted has previously been used as a scare story so not funny.

Presume Greens took if off as April fool jokes only meant to last till 12 o clock.

But it says discuss out views WITH them, how can we discuss it with them if they won't discuss it on thread?

Maybe Mumsnet can clarify?

They don't really want to discuss it though.

The Westminster government wants us to listen to their views and capitulate, saying "oh yes, you were right all along, no idea why we were bothering our pretty little heads with thoughts of self-determination. Silly us, of course we'll do whatever you say".

Or something like that, anyway!

bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/03/31/the-better-together-campaign-crisis/

This is a really good article that sets out why the Better Together campaign is going so badly wrong. Its worth a reasd whatever camp you are in...

bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/03/31/the-better-together-campaign-crisis/

I shall be voting yes.

Those suggesting there are not many high earning jobs in Scotland obviously haven't been to Aberdeen. I heard a statistic once about Aberdeen having the highest density of Bentleys outside central London. And it has the three fastest selling postcodes in the UK. There are pockets of extreme wealth in Scotland.

A vote for no is a vote for more of the same. A vote for yes is the possibility of a better future for our children. Scotland needs to be in charge of immigration, needs to be rid of Trident and needs to make its own decisions about Europe.

That's all in addition to the obvious welfare and defence issues that Westminster and the Scots have fairly opposing views on. I haven't even mentioned the economy, knowing that UKOK campaigners will suggest that currency union means we will have no Scottish say over economic policy.

Here's the most recent SNP party political broadcast.

I cannot believe that it has been suggested up thread that a "No" vote is a sign of being ill-informed.

And I thought this would be a grown-up debate but "Hello" to all the cybernats.