[Plantoid]

Just remember that an independent Scotland would increase the Tories' majority in Westminster by dozens... 

What a scary thought.

 Labour , Llib dem , Conservative or any other wannabee ..it's slowly dawing on milliband and co that there is indeed a big problem of debt and not enough in the pot to solve it for  30 yrs or more ..
 That much of what the coalition has put in place will help sort things out providing things don't go further down the tubes .

When ever a government plays at rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic it still sinks , perhaps this different coalition way of thinking might produce a different result to the same old , same old repeated failed plans & ideas

[Rosemary]

My heart says "Independence".

It's a shame Plantoid's post seems so aggressively anti-Scottish. The Scottish desire for independence is not based on anti-English feeling. I love England and, well, I'm married to and Englishman, as is my sister. I just think it's time that we in Scotland looked bravely and carefully at our options. Trying to rush a "yes', "no" referendum just seems to me to be the action of folk trying to scare us into a "no" vote.

Yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions for me - like defence, like the monarchy, like EU membership but that's why we, the Scottish electorate, need our Scottish government to negotiate these things so that we know what the implications are of a "yes" vote.

Scaremongering won't wash any more - for too long we've been told we're too small, too poor, too lacking in resources, too stupid to manage our own affairs. I'm sorry - I just don't buy it any more. It's time for a change.

[Fowgill Farm]

surely the lack of scottish mps in westminster would also have the effect of reducing scottish influence in voting on matters than dont affect them?

Scotland can do what it pleases as can Wales & NI but the above really bugs me because on an Enlish issue in the last labour parliament sh** for brains Tony Blair used the scottish & welsh MPs to push thro one of his more stupid new laws which had me raging but strangley i now can't remember what it was? must have been something to do with rual affairs or i wouldn't have noticed.

Last night on Look North they were in Berwick & Gretna border towns literally and what will will happen to them, i beleive berwick is English at the moment even though their footy team play in the scots league! and to seed them back to scotland would take an act of parliament,
This would open up a whole new can of worms, would the Queen still be their monarch or would they be looking for a descendant of the last Scotish king to take a throne?, would they want a monarch?, could the Queen still hang on to Balmoral?
Could be a constitutional crisis be in the offing. The govt must have some very very bad news to bury! to open up this pandora's box.
Mandy 

[MikeM]

Balmoral is a privately owned estate, bought by queen vict. I am assuming that while the SNP has several essentially socialist policies it has no plans to do a mugabe and forcibly evict legal propert owners just cos they don't like their nationality.
Certainly it looks like, if not a constitutional crisis, then a large problem to deal with. Presumably it would have to be followed/coincide with a national election (in what is left if the UK) as the Scotish mp's would no longer sit in westminster. Still, at least that'd give us a chance to get rid of this lot and mebbe get a decent govt in. Not sure exactly who that would be mind, as they're each worse than each other. And competing to see who get get to the bottom of the barrel the quickest.

[doganjo]

My heart says "Independence".

It's a shame Plantoid's post seems so aggressively anti-Scottish. The Scottish desire for independence is not based on anti-English feeling. I love England and, well, I'm married to and Englishman, as is my sister. I just think it's time that we in Scotland looked bravely and carefully at our options. Trying to rush a "yes', "no" referendum just seems to me to be the action of folk trying to scare us into a "no" vote.

Yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions for me - like defence, like the monarchy, like EU membership but that's why we, the Scottish electorate, need our Scottish government to negotiate these things so that we know what the implications are of a "yes" vote.

Scaremongering won't wash any more - for too long we've been told we're too small, too poor, too lacking in resources, too stupid to manage our own affairs. I'm sorry - I just don't buy it any more. It's time for a change.

This is exactly the same for me - my second husband was English (Devonian), and I love many parts of England too, but NOT what the English Government is trying to do to it's neighbours - and I include Ireland and Wales in that.  I see the number of Welsh MPS will be considerably reduced as the Government is changing the constituency boundaries!

[Rosemary]

I believe Berwick has changed nationality 13 times in history - currently English but feels Scottish. Gretna is in Scotland so no problem there - unless someone's talking about swapsies but I can't think the good people of Gretna would go along with that 

Personally, I hope that an independent Scotland would remain a monarchy and ask the Queen to be our head of state. I don't see that's any different to other Commonwealth countries like Canada.

And no, I don't think anyone will be deprived of their property because of their lack of Scottish nationality. If anything, Scotland welcomes immigration to these shores. The days of "English go home" daubed on walls are past. Anyone who wants to live here and contribute to Scottish society is welcome.

It's not about what the Westminster government is trying to do to its neighbours - lets face it, the same things are being done to England too - but Scotland is a nation with its own heritage and history and present issues. they aren't better or worse than any other country's, including England, just different so we need to be able to develop our own solutions.

[Plantoid]

My heart says "Independence".

It's a shame Plantoid's post seems so aggressively anti-Scottish. The Scottish desire for independence is not based on anti-English feeling. I love England and, well, I'm married to and Englishman, as is my sister. I just think it's time that we in Scotland looked bravely and carefully at our options. Trying to rush a "yes', "no" referendum just seems to me to be the action of folk trying to scare us into a "no" vote.

Yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions for me - like defence, like the monarchy, like EU membership but that's why we, the Scottish electorate, need our Scottish government to negotiate these things so that we know what the implications are of a "yes" vote.

Scaremongering won't wash any more - for too long we've been told we're too small, too poor, too lacking in resources, too stupid to manage our own affairs. I'm sorry - I just don't buy it any more. It's time for a change.

 No anti Scottish sentiments at all , I've just taken the emotion out of the situation & taken the light hearted way of making a few points hidden in the post..

This morning I sat and watched the Holyrood  session on TV.. Mr Salmond appears to have a lot of mouth but little brains  if his performance this morning is any thing to go by.  What is the age old saying .. " Empty vessels make the most noise " ?

 I've met so many guys like him in my life , " barrack room lawyers " readily comes to mind .. he was so rude to the other Scottish non SNP MP's it does not bode well for Scotland having this ego seeker as first minister.

[doganjo]

I have personally met Mr Salmond on three occasions, and he is a VERY polite and intelligent man(although admittedly passionate) !

[Rosemary]

Can't agree with you Plantoid. I've never met Alex Salmond, (Nicola Sturgeon used to be my solicitor, though  ) but I think he's a smart cookie and passionate about Scotland (not just Scottish independence). He's also surrounded himself with a pretty decent team. Richard Lochhead, CabSec for Rural Affairs, is very well thought of, even by farmers (who aren't easy to please).

[Gorse-Lea]

I'm happy for the people to vote.

Over here, we depend on Westminster for our budget (no option to vote Tory or Labour here) and I know we don't generate enouigh revenue to cover what they give us, so we'd be beat without them.

Our other option is the Republic, but they're not in the best financial state to take on more unemployment and other state benefits, so I think we should be happy where we're at.

If the people of Scotland really believe that independance is best, then by all means vote for it.

But it is a big step and if it goes belly up, I'm sure, going by history, that the English will welcome them back with open arms

[ser3dan]

As a suggestion, how about Scotland is independant but part of the commonwealth instead of part of the union? That way the queen stays as head of state!

[Sandy]

Funny I still have not had a straight answer to pros and cons.....I am definatley undecided on this one...nothing whatsoever about living up here or any remote family connection, just being practicle in this climate of countires going  under rapidly and would there be enough industry in Scotland to bring a better income if made independant? The wonderful NHS system up here is not so under stretched but will it be without backing of England....I really do not know if its good or bad!!

[Rosemary]

Funny I still have not had a straight answer to pros and cons.....I am definatley undecided on this one...nothing whatsoever about living up here or any remote family connection, just being practicle in this climate of countires going  under rapidly and would there be enough industry in Scotland to bring a better income if made independant? The wonderful NHS system up here is not so under stretched but will it be without backing of England....I really do not know if its good or bad!!

I don't think there is anyone on here who could give you a straight answer to the pros and cons, and until there is negotiation between the Scottish Government and Westminster, I don't think there are any straight answers. And maybe if there were, the facts will always be open to interpretation by whatever "side".

Scotland has many resources - natural and manmade - and in her people. But partly it will depend on whether the SG can secure these for Scotland. Did you know that Westminster redrew the Scottish / English sea boundary and moved it from Berwick to Carnoustie - thus moving 6000 square miles of sea from Scotland to England? I think we'd like it back, please.

As to "without the backing of England" re the NHS, Scotland has been succesfully running her own helath service for some years now. I suspect that you are operating under the myth that Scotland is subsidised by the British Treasury - not so, we are net contributers.

Scotland's issues are not the same as those in England - we need the freedom to deal with them in our own way.

[doganjo]

And when is it you are standing against Alex Salmond?    Only joking,  I feel as strongly as you, just not quite so eloquent!

[Sandy]

I am not under any illusion or know anything about the economy thats what I need to know...I for one am definatly unbiased, why would I be? however I do know about the sea boundery.