The FastDay Forum

I am English and, as others have said, wonder what would happen if we could vote too?
I am uneasy of the fact that 16 year olds are being allowed to vote (I feel they are too young and inexperienced in life to make an informed choice) Will Scotland change the future law to recognise 16 year olds as adults in all matters? (I thought that in England, things were going the other way for teens learning to drive?)

John no you are not alone although I don't know about the socialist part of your republic

I don't support independence because I hate England and the English. That's like saying that anyone who has the slightest concern about immigration on economic grounds is racist. All that does is stifle debate. I just love Scotland and think that independence will create a much less chippy attitude toward England. We can grow up and stop blaming you for all our woes. Then we can get back to the real business of Edinburgh .v. Glasgow

Anyway 3 things not to discuss in polite company, sex politics and religion.

So I guess anything goes here

By 'Socialist', I'm referring to a fairer society that is not based on greed, which is created for the benefit of the common workers rather than a handful of rich fat-cats, and where our public services can remain in public hands for the benefit of the general public, instead of being shunted over to the private sector where profits became the main motive, and where it once again the rich fat cats which benefit from that rather than the general public.

The Labour Party were originally founded as the party which was meant to look after the working class but then Tony Blair turned the Labour Party more towards the right and ever since then, they have never been all that much different from the Tories in that regard.

Anyway, I digress here because under independence, we would not have to worry about being ruled by a Government which we didn't even vote for (as was the case under Maggie Thatcher back in the 1980s). Furthermore, we also can't forget that Tony Blair led the UK into an illegal war in Iraq and if Scotland was a free and independent nation, we would then be able to decide for ourselves, not to go down that route. Having said that though, Alex Salmond wants to keep the Queen as our Head of State and even wants to keep the British Pound which for me, isn't really proper independence.

[janeg]

I'm another yes for independence for a whole raft of reasons and have been pro independence forever!
And I'm not allowed to vote as I am outside my home.
And I'm going back as soon as I can

If the people of Scotland want independence then they should have it.

What I don't appreciate is the SNP appear to want their cake and to eat it as well. Current proposals seem a bit pick and mix - they'll keep the pound and the Queen ('cos we like 'em) but ditching the stuff they don't like.

For me, independence means just that - totally independent.

If the people of Scotland want independence then they should have it.

What I don't appreciate is the SNP appear to want their cake and to eat it as well. Current proposals seem a bit pick and mix - they'll keep the pound and the Queen ('cos we like 'em) but ditching the stuff they don't like.

For me, independence means just that - totally independent.

And this is the reason I'll avoid this thread from now on - I have steam coming out of my ears. I really have absolutely no problem with cogent discussion of the independence issue but stuff like the above, presumably sourced from such bastions of intelligent debate as the Daily Express or the gutter after an evening in the pub make it bleeping difficult to remain civil.

It is parliamentary independence that is sought. Rather than be governed by Westminster in London we'd like to be governed by Holyrood in Edinburgh.

1. Union of the Crowns 1603 : James VI of Scotland became James I of England - one guy, two crowns, unified. And thus it went. So, if it can be said that the Queen 'belongs' to any country, I'm afraid that includes Scotland too! Salmond used to be a Republican - in my book, he's very wisely not muddying the independence waters with that one. We would still have 'unified crowns' post-independence, just not a unified parliament any more (parliaments unified in 1707).

2. The pound is an internationally traded currency. Anyone can use it. Any country, from Angola to Zimbabwe, could (should they be so daft to wish) use it. Plus, do you really want to leave poor rUK with the biggest bloomin hole *ever* in her balance of payments if the Scottish accounts are excluded (oil, and whisky). Sterling would sink over-night.

The daft thing is, these are issues that are being used to stir sh*t up, not to engender a proper discussion of the things that really matter. Alastair Darling (he of Better Together) is on record as saying it makes sense for a currency union. And Lizzie is still Queen of Scots, regardless of parliamentary independence - there really isn't *any* question about that, there never has been.

Anyway, I'm aff... I shouldn't have succumbed to the bait. Love & harmony, FatDog.

Edit: And when (note when, not if) we get independence, then we can become a Republic and oust the pound for the groat, if that's what the people of Scotland vote for! xxx

[Debs]

Happy St Andrew's Day one and all!!!!!

I too, was about to wish everyone a happy St. Andrew's Day. It as only recently that St. Andrew's Day became a public holiday in Scotland (albeit one which must be taken in lieu of another public holiday if it is taken as such). I was therefore wondering if anyone on this forum (especially those who live in Scotland, or who are Scottish ex-patriots living in another part of the world), who has done (or will be doing) anything special to celebrate St. Andrew's Day.

[janeg]

Usually celebrate St Andrew's day with haggis, clapshot and crannachan, and a wee dram. Get homesick more than usual. On my tod today, family all away working so will have a belated celebration.
Beannachdan la Naomh Aindrea!

Well, I certainly have no horse in this race no any opinion on the vote. But, that was an interesting educational read, anyway. Having majored in politcal science; I was fascinated. Just a couple of questions...because I always imagined Scotland, Wales, etc. as having local government structures similar to what we have here in the states. We have layers of governments here (smallest to largest) towns/cities, townships/school districts, counties, states and the national/ federal government. Each of those types have their own laws, codes, regulations, taxes, and courts/judges/law enforcement to maintain them. Is it not like that in the UK? Does taxation all go to one main government, for example and not to a local government in Scotland or the other countries?? I hope you will forgive my ignorance...even as a politcal science major we barely studied UK government structure and even if/when we did it was usually in more of a 1700s time frame.

Well, I certainly have no horse in this race nor any opinion on the vote. But, that was an interesting educational read, anyway. Having majored in politcal science; I was fascinated. Just a couple of questions...because I always imagined Scotland, Wales, etc. as having local government structures similar to what we have here in the states. We have layers of governments here (smallest to largest) towns/cities, townships/school districts, counties, states and the national/ federal government. Each of those types have their own laws, codes, regulations, taxes, and courts/judges/law enforcement to maintain them. Is it not like that in the UK? Does taxation all go to one main government, for example and not to a local government in Scotland or the other countries?? I hope you will forgive my ignorance...even as a politcal science major we barely studied UK government structure and even if/when we did it was usually in more of a 1700s time frame.

Well, I certainly have no horse in this race nor any opinion on the vote. But, that was an interesting educational read, anyway. Since one of my majors was politcal science; I was fascinated. Just a couple of questions...because I always imagined Scotland, Wales, etc. as having local government structures similar to what we have here in the states. We have layers of governments here (smallest to largest) towns/cities, townships/school districts, counties, states and the national/ federal government. Each of those types have their own laws, codes, regulations, taxes, and courts/judges/law enforcement to maintain them. Is it not like that in the UK? Does taxation all go to one main government, for example and not to a local government in Scotland or the other countries?? I hope you will forgive my ignorance...even as a politcal science major we barely studied UK government structure and even if/when we did it was usually in more of a 1700s time frame.