Scottish independence referendum thread

[scottish_flame]

Originally Posted by Locke

But what will this mean for Scottish Soccer? Will Celtic and Rangers unite?

What about the price of Scotch? Should I be hoarding scotch in anticipation of the upcoming Scottish apocalypse?

How will this year's Robbie Burns day be celebrated? Will the newly freed scots abandon haggis and bagpipes?

These are burning questions for which I MUST have the answers!

Braveheart repeated on every channel everyday

[CaptainCrunch]

I have this feeling that this will be a debacle of monumental proportions for the Yes side.

and then we will have civil war without end

Because what we have here is a failure to communicate.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Locke

What about the price of Scotch? Should I be hoarding scotch in anticipation of the upcoming Scottish apocalypse?

The Indians think so...

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-...1-1264894.aspx

If Scotland votes for independence from the United Kingdom in Thursday’s referendum, the price of your beloved Scotch whisky might just go up. - See more at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-....8brM5kG4.dpuf

[scottish_flame]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I have this feeling that this will be a debacle of monumental proportions for the Yes side.

and then we will have civil war without end

Because what we have here is a failure to communicate.

I hope so

[Burke Salad]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I have this feeling that this will be a debacle of monumental proportions for the Yes side.

and then we will have civil war without end

Because what we have here is a failure to communicate.

Look at the young men dyin
Look at your women cryin....

[icarus]

I visited my close mate in Glasgow last month, he has been an undecided voter for ages but seemed to be leaning toward the no side. He texted me today to say he's voting yes. Could we see the opposite of the cold feet effect in the polling station? The 'what the hell' effect, perhaps?

[Coys1882]

[Coys1882]

Good post from a Yes voter on Reddit (love the bolded bit):

First, I'm 43, and have voted in national elections since 1992. I've never seen a Westminster party that represented me. Labour or Conservative are both slaves to the Square Mile. Note that this isn't "anti-English" ~ the English are wonderful neighbours, a lovely bunch of people, and I hope this continues whatever the result of the referendum. God forbid our relationship was anything like Israel/Palestine, or Ukraine/Russia. No, it's the Old Boy Network of Eton/Oxbridge/Bullingdon Club toffs who I object to.

North Sea oil will likely run out in 2050 or thereabouts. We've been extracting it for 40 years, but have no sovereign wealth fund like most oil-producing nations. Also, despite Scotland's vast natural resources (wind, water, coastlines), we are the worst in Europe for investment in renewable energy. That's extreme short-sightedness from Westminster, who always have and always will treat the oil like a slush fund to squander. The Nationalists promise both a sovereign wealth fund, and more investment in alternative energy, which makes them the best choice for those worried about the long-term future of the country.
Related to the above, when Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979 (35 years in the past) our manufacturing industries at Linwood and Ravenscraig were in decline. Her government closed down everything, decimated communities (not just in Scotland, but around Britain), and left us to sink or swim. Being "in the Union" was a curse back in those grim days. I see no reason to assume the Westminster of 35 years in the future would be any different.
Since coming to power in the Scottish Parliamentary elections in 2007, the SNP have done a far better job of running the country than Labour ever did (from my perspective).
There are literally dozens of countries that have seceded from UK rule. Not a single one has ever decided it was a bad idea and asked to recant their independence. If everyone from Canada to Kiribati thought it was a great choice, why should we be any different?

My girlfriend is a Slovak. They went through their own "Velvet Divorce" in 1993. At the time, Slovakia's GDP was behind the Czech Republic by about a third. The financial gap between the two countries is now down to around 5%. Slovakia is about the same size as Scotland and has the same population, but has no coastline and fewer natural resources, so I think we could do at least as well as they did, relative to rUK.

I live in my own house. My parents live in a nicer, bigger house, which is worth more and in a better neighbourhood. If I lived with them, I'd be better off financially, and they'd probably do stuff like laundry and cooking for me. But I'm a grown-up. I want to live in my own place, be self-sufficient, and make my own decisions, even if I'm not as comfortable as I might otherwise be. I apply exactly the same logic to my country.

[Plett25]

One of my pet peeves is when talking heads on TV use household budget common sense when talking about macroeconomic issues. They're not the same. Well, a 43 year old talking about wanting to be a grown up and make his own decisions and using that philosophy to inform his voting intentions is making the exact same mistake.

Criteria for making personal decisions scale up poorly for population sized issues.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Because it wouldn't be the UK without the books getting involved, NO is a heavy 1/5 favourite, YES sitting at 7/2.

[burn_this_city]

The bookies are probably a good indication on how this will play out.

[Matty81]

Win win for yes at this point. They've already won big with how much they've raised the profile of scottish independence and made it a real viable political issue. 10 years ago this was a non issue, 20 ago unimaginable. With so much of the no support coming from older voters I feel that this referendum is a sign of things to come for Scotland even if No wins.

[terminator]

The biggest thing to me is that the Scott culture under the UK is bound to dissapear, fail and crumble. The Scott's must do whateve rit takes to preserve their culture, identity and history if it fails post referendum then atleast it was by their own hand.

I truly hope they get what they want and are able to remain culturaly autonomous.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Win win for yes at this point. They've already won big with how much they've raised the profile of scottish independence and made it a real viable political issue. 10 years ago this was a non issue, 20 ago unimaginable. With so much of the no support coming from older voters I feel that this referendum is a sign of things to come for Scotland even if No wins.

Cameron did promise that if people voted "no", then Scotland would at the very least would be awarded more autonomy.

I guess we'll see how quickly they forget about that.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Locke

But what will this mean for Scottish Soccer? Will Celtic and Rangers unite?

What about the price of Scotch? Should I be hoarding scotch in anticipation of the upcoming Scottish apocalypse?

How will this year's Robbie Burns day be celebrated? Will the newly freed scots abandon haggis and bagpipes?

These are burning questions for which I MUST have the answers!

Switch to Bourbon.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Win win for yes at this point. They've already won big with how much they've raised the profile of scottish independence and made it a real viable political issue. 10 years ago this was a non issue, 20 ago unimaginable. With so much of the no support coming from older voters I feel that this referendum is a sign of things to come for Scotland even if No wins.

Big time. Considering that when Cameron granted it h felt no threat to the union as with opinion polls last year all had the yes in the 30s% range.
Shame that there is no exit polls to monitor the demographics.

Spoiler!

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by nik-

Switch to Bourbon.

Boooo….

Bourbon is incredibly poor quality compared to Scotch, especially the good stuff.

[Bunk]

This guy voting yes? no? not sure.

NSFW!

[Bunk]

Scottish referendum explained to non-Brits:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...deo?CMP=twt_gu

Great video.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

Boooo….

Bourbon is incredibly poor quality compared to Scotch, especially the good stuff.

Well then ... you're dead to me