Scottish Independence

[The Larch]

The Daily Mail doesn't shirk from asking the hard hitting questions regarding the referendum:

Did losing an English girl's love turn Salmond into a raging Nat? QUENTIN LETTS delves into the mind of the man who wants to destroy the UK

[Josquius]

A serious thought I had today: I wonder how the vote will impact on suicides.
Thinking about it, either way it strikes me there will be some very unhappy people.
If yes wins in particular....well even I would feel pretty messed up, I'd have pretty much lost the country I know, and I'm not even Scottish.

[Eddie Teach]

The country you've been avoiding the past 10 years? 

[viper37]

A serious thought I had today: I wonder how the vote will impact on suicides.
Thinking about it, either way it strikes me there will be some very unhappy people.
If yes wins in particular....well even I would feel pretty messed up, I'd have pretty much lost the country I know, and I'm not even Scottish.

I don't think it will have any effect.

[mongers]

Four days to save the Kingdom; King Arthur, where are you. 

[Josquius]

The country you've been avoiding the past 10 years? 

Yes. And it would still mess me up.
Imagining someone right in the firing line of the crappy land that will result...

[Razgovory]

The whole thing seems absurd to me.

[Jacob]

Hey Brits - how seriously should "if Scotland goes, the Orkneys might try to stay in the UK" be taken?

Elsewhere I've seen it treated as "that would be negotiating in bad faith, and the foundation of the referendum is an agreement to negotiate in good faith, so it's basically off the table."

Does that sound right to you?

[Syt]

If the Scots vote for independence on Thursday, I guess the rest of the UK will walk away Scot free.

[Admiral Yi]

[Martinus]

If the Scots vote for independence on Thursday, I guess the rest of the UK will walk away Scot free.

I guess the UK will fall prey to the No True Scottsman fallacy.

[Malthus]

If the Scots vote for independence on Thursday, I guess the rest of the UK will walk away Scot free.

I guess the UK will fall prey to the No True Scottsman fallacy.

Can one be a true Scotsman and vote "No"? 

[derspiess]

The whole thing seems absurd to me.

Yeah, but at this point my thinking is if a majority want to split away, fine.  Let them learn from their mistake.  Won't happen, though.  The "No" vote will win by a fairly healthy margin.

[Valmy]

Yeah, but at this point my thinking is if a majority want to split away, fine.  Let them learn from their mistake.

I don't know man.  I would prefer to see super majorities for a Constitutional shift of this magnitude.  I mean we require it simply to change the Constitution.  If there is indeed a justifiable reason for independence a 67% majority should be pretty easy to obtain.  If the colonies had voted 7-6 for Independence in 1776 instead of being unanimous I don't think we would have gone forward with it.  Besides this is not the sort of mistake one 'learns' from.  This is a once in a century unreversable political decision....if they vote yes anyway.

Won't happen, though.  The "No" vote will win by a fairly healthy margin.

Here is hoping.

[Barrister]

The advantage to having a 50%+1 threshold, is that 49.9% then is not good enough.

If you demand a clear majority for independence, then surely you need a clear majority for the status quo as well.