Should Scotland be an independent country?

Remember those riots in London a few years ago... Didn't happen in Scotland did it?

And anyone taking the result of a democratic referendum as a personal affront needs to HTFU

Remember those riots in London a few years ago... Didn't happen in Scotland did it?

Well, yeah, they happened in London, as you say. :)

Alex Salmond originally set out to split the UK

I'm not sure that was ever his goal, I still believe devo-max was. The outcome either way is now no-one's first option.

You are very right that it's split Scotland, but in addition it's made a lot of people in rUK now want Scotland to go or not to have preferential treatment if it doesn't.

Scotland is going to have a generation of pain no matter what now. I still hope that they vote yes, at least then the pain is for their eventual benefit and ability to self-determine their future.

That's my worry now, this referendum has polarised Scotland and increased anti Scottish sentiment in the UK in general. Either path now looks pretty hostile!

Do you not find it troubling the way the BBC has been so biased in their coverage when it should be politically neutral?

The Dimbleby interviews last night seemed to be pretty balanced. Equal time to Salmond and Gordon Brown and a fair grilling of each. Quite interesting watching.

I totally understand the Yes campaign. I'm just not convinced that the issues have been thrashed out enough for it to turn out well. If the have another referendum in a generation or two, maybe, but it all feels like it's going off a bit half cocked.

has anyone ever taken part in a poll?
Should I be worried I'm missing out on an essential part of my life?
Who's coming to my party?

Mebyon Kernow welcomes independence for Scotland. Ironic separatists sticking together.

I've not taken part in any poll in reference to the referendum, but I have participated in multiple Ipsos MORI polls over the years.

They're a pain in the arse frankly. Mine have always been postal, and it's usually a patronisingly simple and very clear multi-page form with questions that validate each other to ensure your answer is consistent and clear. It's also nearly always the case that you must respond within a day or two of receiving the poll, as the response is ignored otherwise.

I fill them out, mostly because I read the newspapers and overhear conversations on public transport and dread to think of how policy may be shaped by listening to such fools. You can't really express any individuality or deviant opinion via the poll... it's very much a "I agree this much with the statement given" type thing.

The most recent was the first targeted one I've had... with the question being whether Hounslow should fold the Hounslow Homes social housing stuff back into 100% council control (Hounslow Homes has been beset by corruption, fraud and mis-management leading to a borough wide decline in the standard and availability of social housing).

Most of the other polls I've had over the years are national topics, and some of those topics I frankly couldn't care less about. But still feel it's important to reflect that actually it's irrelevant.

mostly because I read the newspapers and overhear conversations on public transport and dread to think of how policy may be shaped by listening to such fools.

Thank God for Private Eye and headphones!

Do you mean the riots in London that were sparked by police shooting a man in London?

Anyone posted this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7UtwZD4c-A

I think one of the most interesting aspects is that the pollsters really have no idea how accurate their information is. The forecast for 80%+ turnout includes thousands who have never voted before, plus the 16-18 year olds. There is also no comparative voting event to use as a baseline to show voting history (obv).

I don't think anyone really knows how this will turn out.

I really want Scotland to do this and succeed at it. The sheer arrogance of the better together is farcical and I'd love to see Dave and Gideon addressing the nation when the outcome is yes.

#sweatyspring #letsfuckingdothis

I went to a meeting recently where Stephan Shakespeare who founded youGov was speaking. The amount and the range of data these people have is amazing, and most amazing of all is the way they can relate apparently disparate data on preferences for everything under the sun and thereby come up with a set of propensities for things that people will not answer in polls. This is how they get results on how the undecideds will vote - they can categorize them by income, education, location, etc and match that with past propensities and choices and hey presto, you are 97% likely to vote this way before you even know it yourself.

you are 97% likely to vote this way before you even know it yourself.

In a 49/51 poll, +/- 3% of preference is to say that you cannot tell the outcome.

This race is so close that it falls within everyone's margin of error.

Been reading some of the No campaign's soundbites and it's amazing how many of them sound like some guy saying he doesn't want his wife to divorce him because there won't be anyone to cook his dinner and iron his shirts.

Sure, either a yes or no vote is consistent with the polls being right. But if you randomly generate results within the margin of error, four out of five times it comes out 'no'.

I may be wrong but I think the 3% margin of error is not 3% +/- but 1.5 percentage points either way, for both of the voting intentions.

will the losing campaign get a 'best bits' montage presented by Davina?

Where the hell is @DonWalker in all this?

From this mornings "half watching the news whilst ironing", it sounds as though if Scotland vote "No" we are intending on punishing them soundly by reneging on the majority of promises made to get said vote.

That sounds like every election.

I can't recall any government delivering on their election promises.

It's probably the thought that counts.

The irony is that the Scottish government would probably have fewer spending constraints under devo max than under full independence with a currency union, because any agreement of a currency union would entail significant restrictions on fiscal policy and marginal influence over monetary policy.

Put another way, if Alex Salmond gets his 'common sense agreement on a common currency' the price of it will be a fiscal policy that compels austerity. It has dawned on me that Salmond is probably quite happy to ditch the pound after polling day; but it would be suicide to say so beforehand.

According to TSK, you've lost half your argument for not being divorced...

Come on Scotland, you can do it. I am hoping for you. I'll be glued to the TV from 10pm tomorrow until the sun comes up on Friday morning.

Another day of loads of Yes voters looking happy and relaxed, talking to people, well organised information stalls with free cake, smiling people.

Small pockets of No campaigners standing like shrews not talking to anyone but looking very disapproving with mean pursed mouths quivering like a porn star's anus.

Forecasts of violence are pretty insulting tbh-I'm sure a very small handful of people will let spirits get the better of them but if you applied what's been said (Cameron, again, was told by police to stfu and stop making baseless, inflammatory statements) to general elections then what you're really saying is that the Scots (or just the Yes voters?) are inherently violent and disorderly, which is, if not racist, just hatred for the working class disguised as concern.

The campaign's been a credit to the whole country, it's just too bad its been so badly reported.