Do you think the JOCKS will vote YES ?

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

So Milliband, Clegg and Cameron all fly north tomorrow in a bid to save the Union, and their careers. I can't believe how badly the No campaign has been run.

If it's a Yes vote, Cameron will be forever remembered as the PM who took us out of the Union, would have to resign, even though long term the Tories would benefit.

If it's a Yes vote, Milliband will be remembered as the Labour leader who made the Labour Party unelectable in what is left of the UK. He has failed to get the Labour vote behind the no campaign, and would have to go too.

Still believe the Scots will vote No, in much the same way I think if it came to it we'd vote to stay in the EU. Too many unanswered questions from Salmond IMO particularly regarding Currency and Pensions.

 

[jakarta]

Not if you think political values are key - most Scottish voters want a centre left democracy, not the neo-liberal right-leaning governments New Labour and Tories keep giving them. This is the Scots' golden chance to change that - it is a clear choice to make in their own self-interests.

I'm genuinely intrigued as to how this 'centre left democracy' is going to pay its bills?

Oil revenues declining, not much else in the way of manufacturing and the likelihood of RBS and Lloyds heading back to England. No recourse to subsidies from England. Where is the money coming from?

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Why should Cameron resign? If it's a 'Yes' then he will have manufactured a situation where his party will be in power forever. What's more, there will be no evidence of his fingerprints or DNA at the scene of the crime - it will all be down to Labour making a complete mess of it.

Perfection.

 

[Bozza]

I'm genuinely intrigued as to how this 'centre left democracy' is going to pay its bills?

Oil revenues declining, not much else in the way of manufacturing and the likelihood of RBS and Lloyds heading back to England. No recourse to subsidies from England. Where is the money coming from?

There must be pretty hefty tax revenues to be had on fags, high-strength booze and fatty foodstuffs, surely?

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

There must be pretty hefty tax revenues to be had on fags, high-strength booze and fatty foodstuffs, surely?

I hope we are not about to see (if the vote is yes) Scotland become a very exclusive & expensive place to live.

We could get a huge migration in the tens of thousands south bound, of all of those that simply cannot afford to live up there any more.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

The odds on 'NO' have shortened dramatically this am from 2/5 to 1/4, all over bar the shouting

 

[Triggaaar]

The odds on 'NO' have shortened dramatically this am from 2/5 to 1/4, all over bar the shouting

What happened to change it?

 

[Pavilionaire]

You can't help thinking that had the banks and insurance companies made their statements last week, rather than this week, about relocating away from Scotland in the event of a YES vote then the Westminster leaders wouldn't have had to lose face and concede so much ground on new "Devo Max" powers that they've now rather unnecessarily committed to.

This business has been a total shambles from the start. What more can go wrong?

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

most Scottish voters want a centre left democracy,

That is to be tested isn't it ? No-one knows what a post-yes vote election result would bring.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

This business has been a total shambles from the start. What more can go wrong?

An absolute shambles. It has allowed a snake-oil salesman like Salmond centre-stage. I just hope that people have seen him and it puts them off (even though it is not about Salmond).

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

The odds on 'NO' have shortened dramatically this am from 2/5 to 1/4, all over bar the shouting

I am not sure anyone has a clear idea - the turnout is so large. I suspect the scare tactics/understandable financial uncertainty could be the decisive factor.

 

[Pavilionaire]

My wife was born in Scotland, I lived there for 4 years, I like the place and the people but this whole process has soured things somewhat unnecessarily.

I expect the economic arguments to prove decisive and NO to prevail, and I hope all people in the UK can come to terms with the outcome, be magnanimous thereafter and continue to get along. But then who knows what longer-term ills this process has unleashed?

 

[London Irish]

I'm genuinely intrigued as to how this 'centre left democracy' is going to pay its bills?

Oil revenues declining, not much else in the way of manufacturing and the likelihood of RBS and Lloyds heading back to England. No recourse to subsidies from England. Where is the money coming from?

The banks are a total red herring, they are just changing the addresses on their letterheads. No jobs are being moved and they will still be paying their corporation tax in Scotland.

The money is going to come from higher taxation - ie. exactly how the UK was run between 1945 and 1980 before the Thatcherites came along and embarked on their project to screw over public services and the NHS.

Now will there be interesting battles between the Scot Nats and Labour over taxation? There sure will because the SNP are saying stupid things about that but reality will dawn for them.

 

[Titanic]

The banks are a total red herring, they are just changing the addresses on their letterheads. No jobs are being moved and they will still be paying their corporation tax in Scotland.

The money is going to come from higher taxation - ie. exactly how the UK was run between 1945 and 1980 before the Thatcherites came along and embarked on their project to screw over public services and the NHS.

Now will there be interesting battles between the Scot Nats and Labour over taxation? There sure will because the SNP are saying stupid things about that but reality will dawn for them.

More than a red herring, they are a genuine benefit to an newly independent Scotland in the short term, as they won't need a to create a central banking mechanism to underwrite these enormously debt-ridden companies.

 

[London Irish]

What happened to change it?

One poll, which if it had been published a couple of weeks would have been interpreted as a big plus for the Yes campaign!

No one has a clue what is going to happen - the polling methodologies can't be absolutely relied upon to say who's narrowly winning, so all we really know is that it's close, so close that the British establishment have finally woken up over the past few days and are windmilling about all over the place, quite comical

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

But then who knows what longer-term ills this process has unleashed?

That is the problem when nationalist sentiment is prodded. No-one knows where it ends.

It is an international world, it seems counter intuitive to draw up smaller national boundaries.

 

[beorhthelm]

The banks are a total red herring, they are just changing the addresses on their letterheads. No jobs are being moved and they will still be paying their corporation tax in Scotland.

not a red herring at all. the address will change immediately in order to protect the share price and confidence. tax is paid where they are domiciled, where that address is, so it will go to the UK. over the following months they will relocate senior management to that London office, they have them there anyway. they will take a view on how and where ops can be carried out, unless there is change of law to specifically exclude banks, they will have to relocate alot of data to UK, and the ops jobs with them. with ops and senior management in UK, the middle management will follow.

 

[Simster]

That is the problem when nationalist sentiment is prodded. No-one knows where it ends.

It is an international world, it seems counter intuitive to draw up smaller national boundaries.

I can't help feeling this is being a little melodramatic to be honest, and that the real problem is the poor quality of democracy in this country. I don't think "first past the post" at a federal level really helps anybody - all it does is lead to tactical voting and maintaining the status quo - the same tired old political parties running the show, headed by (often shìt) career politicians.

IMO, more power should have been voluntarily devolved to Scotland, Wales, NI, Cornwall and English regions long before Salmond got a proper foothold in Scotland. The recent proposals from the NO camp are driven out of pure panic, but they make a lot of sense. And Northern Ireland has arguably the most democratic and fair process in the world, and yet that cost 3,000 lives.

So in short, if you want people not to become restless, how about giving them their power back?

 

[London Irish]

tax is paid where they are domiciled, where that address is, so it will go to the UK

Wrong, it is where the economic activity of a business takes place, otherwise every company in the UK would set up a letterhead in the Caymans.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I can't help feeling this is being a little melodramatic to be honest, and that the real problem is the poor quality of democracy in this country. I don't think "first past the post" at a federal level really helps anybody - all it does is lead to tactical voting and maintaining the status quo - the same tired old political parties running the show, headed by (often shìt) career politicians.

IMO, more power should have been voluntarily devolved to Scotland, Wales, NI, Cornwall and English regions long before Salmond got a proper foothold in Scotland. The recent proposals from the NO camp are driven out of pure panic, but they make a lot of sense. And Northern Ireland has arguably the most democratic and fair process in the world, and yet that cost 3,000 lives.

So in short, if you want people not to become restless, how about giving them their power back?

I agree with all that. I am not sure if it is melodramatic - nationalism is an ugly sentiment. If they do vote No there is going to be a lot of very dissatisfied people Friday week. And they are not going anywhere.

We are governed by political pygmies - across all the parties - and a shake-up is long overdue.