What do you think of UK Government’s Scottish Referendum YouDecide tool? NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Today, the UK Government is launching YouDecide; an online tool that helps you to see what remaining in the United Kingdom offers you and your family.

Here's what UK Government has to say:

"We have created YouDecide ahead of the Scottish independence referendum on 18 September, to help you explore what the United Kingdom provides and what this means for your home, your family and your work life. YouDecide has been designed so that you can drill down quickly and simply to get facts on the issues that matter to you.

"We all know that the independence referendum is the most important decision to face voters in Scotland in 300 years; it's a decision that affects everyone in Scotland and the rest of the UK. The information you find on the YouDecide tool is informed by the facts and figures published in HM Treasury's Scotland analysis programme and also reflects UK Government policy.

"There is a wealth of information on the referendum subject. We want you to be as fully informed as possible ahead of making such an historic and permanent decision.

"There are of course a number of things we cannot answer, because no one knows the full impact that independence would have on all areas. Splitting a 300 year-old union would be complicated and many new agreements would need to be negotiated. We can't speculate on unknowns but we can give you the facts about the existing UK policy.

"Together as England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland we have created one of the world's most successful unions. Our UK Government policy is that we want to see Scotland remain part of the UK because we believe that by staying together we have much more to share and much more to gain."

Have a look at YouDecide and let us know what you think of the tool and the issues surrounding it by posting your thoughts below. Do you feel you have the facts and information you need to make an informed choice about Scotland's future to remain in the United Kingdom or to leave and become a separate state, permanently, or not? You can also look at the UK Government's In the Know factsheets series and booklet: What Staying in the United Kingdom Means for Scotland.

Thanks,

MNHQ

[GermyElephant]

ItsAll I'm also interested in whether they paid money or some kind of pledge of support... If MNHQ have posted this out of the goodness of their hearts then I'm afraid I'd be offski pretty sharpish.

[GermyElephant]

Oh my. I was feeling a bit grumpy this evening. Then I saw that survey. Arf.

[domesticslattern]

The tone of this propaganda is dreadful- "We want you to be as fully informed as possible", er no, you want to put your one-sided case across.

This clunky Tory messaging sure ain't helping the cause. MN is a forum for debate not for being told what to think.

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

Have you seen the fabby sleb filled video that was put out the other day? Barf-inducing twaddle. It's bloody insulting some of the shite the no side are coming out with.

[GermyElephant]

is a good antidote to that video!

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

PMSL, that's brilliant!

[affafantoosh]

I'm so annoyed that MNHQ are promoting Better Together. I don't care if they get paid.

I'm sick of Naw's relentless scaremongering but this awful, desperate, patronising guff is no better. They're doing the Yes campaign's job for them.

And the "tool" is shite.

[FannyFifer]

Talking about tools......

[scottishmummy]

Mnhq thats a whole heap of better together campaigning masquerading as survey
Will you redress the balance and have yes campaign masquerading as survey

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

Anyone else getting fecking annoying orange/blue banner ads and sidebar ads, since about midnight? They really know how to piss off the electorate.

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

(The orange is particularly ill-advised, given that the Grand Orange Lodge have registered with the Electoral Commission as official No supporters...)

[shockinglybadteacher]

OldLadyKnows seen this?

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

I have indeed seen that, absolutely love LadyAlba! There's so much humour from the Yes side, all No have is doom, gloom, threats, insulting lovebombing... And Tory-donating millionaires pretending to be grassroots. Have you seen Greg Moodie's cartoons? He's brilliant!

Am I alone in suspecting that this thread isn't going quite as HM Gvt planned?

[shockinglybadteacher]

Perhaps it is not OldLadyKnows :)

I did love the "You Decide" link. "Defence Industry provides 12,600 jobs". No thought about wider political implications there. It's got the lie that Scots get far higher spend on them than everyone else - and presumably we pay no taxes, too? And we have nothing like, I dunno, lucrative industries or whatever? ;)

The Scottish Government promotes Scottish businesses abroad. They do full-time promotion of Scottish businesses, not like Westminster who do it as an afterthought. (My personal opinion isn't hugely pro-business ;) but they seriously can't claim Westminster does a better job of promoting Scottish businesses than the Scottish government does!)

Also how would trade with rUK stop if Scotland became independent? This is madness and it's scaremongering. I'm disappointed at Mumsnet for doing this.

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

Did you know that something like 85% of the staff at Faslane go home to England at weekends, and spend their wages there? So even if those jobs were lost, with getting shot of Trident, it's not much of a loss to the Scottish economy.

As for the promotion of Scottish businesses via UK embassies abroad, the whisky industry is charged £3k a pop for said promotion. So much for Better Together.

Obviously, if we say Yes in September, no-one anywhere in the world is going to want our whisky, our beef, lamb, game... They won't want to visit to see our fabulous scenery, climb our hills, use our off-road cycling, check out our festivals...

I'm not really disappointed at MN, it's paid-for advertising, and if Yes don't want to use the same ploy that's their choice. I don't think they need to resort to these cheap tricks.

[GermyElephant]

The thing is that stuff about Yes is being shared and passed on as folk want to talk about it. People who hope for equality and fairness in iScotland are enthusiastic and want others to know about the opportunities that independence creates.

The no campaign has none of that. That whole 'tool' is about telling us that what we have now is the best we can hope for; the best we deserve.

[shockinglybadteacher]

Germy also as you said, scaremongering!

"If an independent Scotland chose to operate a significantly different immigration policy, it could lead to border controls"

Yeah, no English people would be allowed into Scotland until they produced their papers while watched by armed guards and disguised their accents to sound like Weegies. Come on.

There's a border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is a small and nice country road where you aren't asked for papers, patted down or anything else. If you're a dissident Republican and have reason to fear you have an arrest warrant on one side of the border, it is best advised not to cross, because what normally happens is they wait for you to go for a pint and then arrest you (I have heard sometimes they don't even let you finish the pint). Aside from that, all normal people go to and fro.

[affafantoosh]

I read this this morning. It's a bit closer to the expected reality than the above waste of taxpayers money "tool"

bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/07/17/dinner-with-no-voters-or-what-i-wanted-to-say-before-the-pudding-hit-the-fan/

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Yes, that is a really good piece. Anyone who thinks a No vote = nothing changes is deluded.

[shockinglybadteacher]

This comment especially:

All I can say is that Magic Cloak of Britishness had better be real, or you are going to feel like the dumbest f*ers in the room.

And yes we are going to remind you of that.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

I think this is hugely problematic (and possibly even undemocratic) because the UK government are using their powers and the fact that people will expect them to provide neutral facts to produce what is essentially a part of the no campaign. It's made worse by calling it a YouDecide tool.

If the government want to campaign to persuade people to vote no, they must do so openly and explicitly. They should not pretend you're providing a straightforward public information campaign and a useful tool to help people.

[affafantoosh]

Exactly how I feel Calamitous. I pay tax too and I'm bloody annoyed that they're spending it on trying to sway Scottish voters away from Yes, even worse that it's a pile of lies. They clearly think the electorate in Scotland is of low intelligence.

I'm interested in how this fits with the campaigning budgets - I thought it was quite strictly limited. Because MN is London based does this mean it's exempt?

[AuntieStella]

Both UK and Ireland are opted out from Schengen.

If iScotland has to join EU, it might not be able to continue the opt-out from Schengen (no-one has suggested they'll get special entry terms).

So yes, if there is a land border with a Schengen country, border controls will be needed for the first time. Whether it comes to that depends mainly on the member countries of EU.

[Yama]

Anyone who is swayed to vote no because of that ridiculous Hm Government tool doesn't deserve the vote quite frankly.

[weegiemum]

I'm really disappointed with MNHQ over this. I didn't think they would have what amounts to a Party Political Broadcast, especially if they were paid to take it. Really poor show.