If I were to do something to stop a Yes vote in Scotland

[Suff]

What would I do?

Well, personally, I'd legislate a referendum on the EU for October. UK wide but excluding Scotland if they vote YES.

Why would I do this?

Well if you've been watching the polls as I have, you would notice that when Barosso stated that Scotland would have to exit the EU if they exited the United Kingdom, the polls jumped 6% in favour of a Yes vote.

6%!

That is 6% of votes which can be bought. The Yes campaign would never recover from it. They can't overcome a 6% swing at the last minute.

Also, for these Scots, "Better Together" sounds much better as "Better Together out of the EU". They're willing to go it alone if they have to but would rather be out of the EU as part of the UK than in it as part of the UK. If the only choice for them is to exit the UK first and then deal with Salmond after when he goes after the EU, they can deal with that. All they need to do is vote UKIP in the first true "Scottish National" elections, ever.

[Workingman]

My grandfather was Scottish and I still have cousins in the Bathgate/Livingston area. I have also had many Scottish friends down the years, especially when in the RAF, so I am going to make a probably controversial statement.

All the Scots I have known, without exception, are imbued with a romanticised version of Scotland based upon Willie Wallace, Robert the Bruce, "The Flower of Scotland", Bannockburn, Kings Edward I and II of England, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Rabbie Burns and so on.

The romantic notion binds the Scots far more strongly than any political persuasion and, I believe, will play a large part in how the referendum goes.

[TheOstrich]

Yes, one of the biggest factors in all this is the Mel Gibson effect, I reckon. And Salmond's rhetoric plays it for all it is worth.

I have absolutely no ties with Scotland, no vested interests, and my stance is that, quite honestly, if they can't see the wood for the trees, it's entirely their own lookout. I have no vote in their decision, and quite right too, but I will say this - if they do declare independence, I want to see all civil service jobs (like HMRC Cumbernauld) repatriated to England, all military bases (like Faslane, Rosyth and Lossiemouth) moved south of the border as soon as possible (no protracted negotiations contrary to Philip Hammond's statement, and any future Government contracts (shipbuilding, power) to be placed entirely within rUK. I think the people of rUK will demand this ....

The Scots need to be very careful what they wish for .... I know the media says that the Scots are alienated even further every time such a message is preached, but it needs to be spelt out to them as a hard fact of life.

[cruiser2]

If Scotland goes independent, they should not receive any money from England and their MPs should not sit or vote in the English parliament.

[Suff]

Ossie, this kind of rhetoric does turn the Scots off.

Yes civil service jobs would be a blow. But more than offset by the Oil revenues of the Scottish Oil fields, which, today, are a separate economic pool and are shared out by the Barnet formula. i.e. England gets the lions share of the Oil revenues.

Short term, certainly, but whilst it's there, the Scots could use it to generate jobs and GDP.

If Scotland seceded, they would be richer than England in terms of GDP per capita. Why, I ask myself, would Scotland want one New Pence from England???

Equally, Scotland could take 10% of the national debt of the UK. As it has 10% of the GDP but 9.5% of the population.

Why would Scottish MP's have anything to do with Westminster post separation?

As to military, Scotland would have no problem funding their own. The GDP of New Zealand is only 69% of the GDP of Scotland with 90% of the population of Scotland. So tell me how New Zealand can afford a Military.... Scotland is not a 3rd world country separated from England.

So all the above statements turn the Scots off, time and time again. During this process, Scots are finally beginning to understand how strong and powerful a nation they could be, standing on their own. Something nobody in Westminster ever wanted and something the English will never understand.

Take your civil service jobs, take your military. The Scots will still have a healthier economy than the English. At least for a while....

[Suff]

But still Scotland would be better off in the Union. If only the English would realise who and what Scotland are....

[Workingman]

It makes no difference what we English think, as we are not being asked.

The Scots, alone, are to be asked "Yes" or "No".

If they vote "No" and it is a close run thing, which it could be, the Scots would have a good stack of negotiation cards to play with. The status quo will not be an option.

If they vote "Yes" then off they go..... to wherever it takes them.

[Suff]

Indeed, but I still believe an EU referendum in October would be a strong argument for the NO side.

Not that we'll see it. But it was a thought.

More interestingly and something for the English to think about. A "Yes" vote in Scotland would make an EU exit for England, in a referendum, a virtual certainty....

Food for thought.

[cromwell]

The break up of the UK aids the aims of EU federalists. The Scots think they have a nation; the EU thinks they are a region. Devolution / Independence for Wales will be next, for Wales too is an EU region.
Then expect the clamour to "empower the regions" to grow in England.

All part of the abolition of the nation state and the growth of the United States of Europe.

I have to smile wryly when the Scots talk one minute of "independence" and the next of how they want to be in the EU.

Still, it's up to them. I think the point about Mel braveheart Gibson is well made. It will be a vote of emotion rather than reason; in some ways it has to be because the Scots aren't being given any impartial data on what happens if they vote Yes.

The No campaign is very poor though; completely negative. Just threatening the Scots that their economy will crash, they'll have to sell their families into white slavery and eat bread and water for fifty years isn't likely to work, rather the reverse.

[Workingman]

A "Yes" vote in Scotland would make an EU exit for England, in a referendum, a virtual certainty....

Food for thought.

I am not so sure. The English are not stupid. We would look at how an independent Scotland, outside of the EU, was doing and then make our minds up. Exit is not a given by a long way.