Is Scottish independence a 'good or bad' thing?

It's also interesting to note that a vast majority of the naysayers here are English. It's also interesting to note that a vast majority of English people say that Scotland drags England down. So what is it, eh?

Your comments to me suggested that the present UK government's decision making was a reason to vote yes. Where was all the independence talk under the Labour boom years, when Scotland got the party it wanted 3 terms on the spin? Of course as soon as the Tories get in and the economy goes up the rudder then suddenly the union isn't good enough. It's pathetically fickle thinking that bigots in the SNP have fully utilised to gain support for this referendum.

The very reason David Cameron won't debate with Salmond is because the first thing Salmond would say is 'here is an Englishman trying to tell Scots what's best for them'. There are many things I dislike about Cameron however at least he hasn't resorted to cheap manoeuvres like awarding 16 and 17 year olds a one off vote to suit his agenda.

I don't know anybody voting no specifically because of Alex Salmond. Maybe it's because they actually think Scotland is better off in the UK? His determination to keep sterling would suggest that indeed there are some merits to it. I won't lie though, when the no vote comes in I will relish looking at his face on the TV cameras.

What can you blame us for then? It's very good of you to go off an Anglophobic rant as it acts as evidence of what we knew all along-that the Yes campaign and this whole independence garbage has arisen from Anglophobia. Conspiracy theories about England wanting to keep Scotland 'in shackles' when in actual fact there are 2 other countries in this union who you completely omit from criticism when they are as much a part of the UK as England and Scotland.

It isn't enough for you that Scotland receives generous top ups of its public funding courtesy of the Barnett formula, or that every newspaper and public organisation (even CRUK for Christ's sake) has to have 'Scottish' slapped on it. It isn't enough that England has no devolved powers of its own and MPs from Scotland, Wales and NI all helped to raise tuition fees for our students. No, you actually think we're out to get you.

The reality is that David Cameron isn't a long lost descendent of Eddie Longshanks. Honest.

Ah, so everybody who votes No isn't a proper Scotsman. Lovely divisive words from you there.

N.B: I find it cute how you repeatedly attempt to make out as if I am simply an English hating baboon.

also because he is a poor politician who is afraid of debating with Alex Salmond.

It's all common sense to me really. If I was in an independent Scotland and I was asked if I'd want to give most of my countries powers to the UK government, would I vote yes to that? No. I just can't see why anyone across the globe would be happy with their country being ruled by another government.

Of course you get a say in it. It's our country as Scots and if you don't believe that Scots should have full control over Scotland then I'm not quite sure if you really deserve to be addressed under the umbrella term "our"...

You say that the SNP haven't guided us particularly well. As an SNP member, I'd like to ask for some evidence of Alistair Darling, Better Together or even the UK Government guiding us well.

Edit: going to bed as I have work tomorrow, but I shall reply tomorrow.

We didn't go bankrupt over the past few years. That'll do me for starters.

Got to go-buying some more shackles for the Scots like the filthy Englishman I am.


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I understand that you're mocking our nationalist friends, but be careful how you word things because they'll take it the wrong way.

Scottish people should be able to make decisions about their own country without being overruled and imposed on by West Minster, end of discussion.

I have never actually heard anyone say/claim/write anywhere that Scotland is a drag on England, most people in all honesty don't seem to fussed about the devolved regions. That is not to say they dislike them, but as my NI friend put it "you don't really care that much, let's be honest". I genuinely don't think a lot of people think Scottish, Welsh people are all that different, and hence support the union. (That is my experience, at least.)

The Scottish nationalists thrive on the idea that English people look down on them. By far the worst insult you can give them is to say you, quite pointedly, don't really think about them.

This becomes, of course, another grievance to complain about. Yet oddly enough, ask them what they know of the affairs of the Orkney, Ross-shire or Selkirkshire and you'll get a blank look. It's perfectly normal not to be all that fussed about parts of your country - whether Britain or Scotland - that you don't live in an rarely visit.

There's an element of national integrity, with GB being an island and all that, but aside from that if - say - Liverpool or the Shetland Isles wanted to secede, I can't say I'd be overly bothered either.



I wouldn't worry about it. If anything, young Scottish people today seem to have a stronger cultural affinity and attachment to the rest of the UK than, say, people born in the 1950s. They've also got to grips more with the idea of the UK as an ordinary nation-state, rather than just a post-imperial understanding of Britishness.

what do you think is the advantage of keeping the traditional model of parliament being supreme? to me it means that countries like scotland and wales can determine the social policies of england, but welsh and scottish people don't live in england so what point is there of them imposing their policies on us and what's the point of us imposing our own policies on them (although it doesn't really happen anymore)?

and the idea of parts of england getting assemblies is an all right idea, I don't know if I'd go that far with the idea - at least the countries within the union should be entitled to assemblies, because in the case of federalism, you'd be giving england much more of a say over federal policies e.g. war and international relations etc if there was to be the conventional state-laying of representation within parliament like the senates of india, switzerland, australia and america

Scottish people should be able to make decisions about their own country without being overruled and imposed on by West Minster, end of discussion.

I don't know. For me attitudes towards Anglophobia are very casual across the board and it is seen as OK to make digs at English people because it's 'banter'. It makes me feel distinctly unwelcome in Scotland and the referendum has intensified it no doubt.

The funniest thing I see travelling between England and Scotland is that going north the road signs say 'Scotland'-going the other way they say 'The South'. Can't even have England on road signs!


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They are there, but they're not endemic. I was in Worcestershire a few months ago and they were looking down on Herefordshire. Quite a bit of it is banter, but I've met quite a few SNP supporters with bile running through their veins. But lib is right. They feed in this kind if stuff. I'd be happier if you took the moral high ground.

On a different note we can see education minister mike Russel being grilled on news night.

He published a report saying one thing and then denies it and claims the opposite. True car crash tv. It makes Paxmans interview with Michael Howard seem normal.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-25347062

Sorry, it's just too difficult to let bigots go unchallenged.


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