Should Scotland be an independent country?

Proclaimers thread >>>>>>>>>

hat is more, this is Scotland's best chance to maintain membership of the EU. It's not a guarantee, but having the UK leave, but it remain - and this be explicitly what happens - may be a way of appeasing potential concerns from countries with their own independence movements (i.e., Spain)

Spot on imo.

I don't think the "back of the queue" position is as cut and dry as before. Yes France and Spain will still have concerns, but it gives a political option.

to question Independence and have a "lazy, banal and reductive imagination that resorts to faux Scottishisms, quips about Braveheart" must mean that I aint nae Scot aye?

You love giving it out but clearly have skin thinner than Tesco value 1 ply bog roll.

Should it be a Scottish person who sees 'racism' [from fellow anglo-saxons?!] or a Scottish person who doesn't?

I was No before but definite Yes now

The SNP very clearly stated in their 2015 manifesto that a second referendum would be considered if there was a significant change to the current situation. The Brexit vote is clearly significant, so it was inevitable that Sturgeon would push for this.

regardless of whatever shitstorm occurs, it will beat the shitstorm of being part of #brexshit #broken #Britain

Yeah, I completely understand the reasoning for it.
Just a note in general about referendums really - part of me feels like we should have another EU one first after the 'deal' is put on the table - i.e., yes, leave EU and leave scotland, this is the deal, or stay in the EU with scotland under a different deal.
Part of me thinks we should just elect MPs and let them do it, or at least accept some longer-term responsibility.

What am I giving out? Am I making lazy jibes about Morris dancing and pasties?

Is it just me, or does Nicola Sturgeon's bloke look a lot like Gregor Fisher?

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Are Scots entirely anglo saxon now? As a distinct National group with its own history and traditions I'm not sure separating it along ethnic lines matters today but Scotland's composed of a distinct mix of Celts, Picts and Anglo Saxon roots.

I'd argue that a lot of the comments in this thread wouldn't be tolerated if made about Arabs, Germans or any other nationality but when it comes the the Scots, Irish and Welsh there's a surprising acceptance if not enthusiam for some quite insulting language and stereotypes from an English majority. Go figure.

There is a similar, if not greater trend towards anti-English behaviour in Scotland.

bedlam.cc would have to move offices ..

It'll be interesting how they balance the books at these oil prices?

Isn't that genetic mix likely to be quite similar across the UK, given how small the island is?
It's about as racist as people from North London teasing those in South London.

For me, the genetic argument doesn't really come into it.

What bothers me is the fairly regular sneering from certain segments in a northward direction any time independence is mentioned.

Common themes include:

violence
heroin
poor health
poor diet
weak economy
haggis
freeloading/benefit junkies
braveheart
'One-state'/'SNP'/'dear leader'

any many more.

Nevermind that many of these things (insofar as they actually exist) can be fairly easily traced back to interference/governance (delete as appropriate) from Westminster...

To the people who suggest that Scotland is rife with anti-English sentiment, I don't deny it exists to some extent. Every society has its idiots. However, there is a very imporant distinction between 'anti-English', and 'anti-westminster' - the latter of which is far more prevalent and politically motivational.

Surprisingly enough, regional groups that correlate to post-Roman immigration are still extant.

This is based upon genetic analysis.

Perhaps more surprising, is that the same results are achieved with the analysis of surnames: eg a Lancashire Wilson will have a common heritage with most other Lancashire Wilsons.

It's only since the industrial revolution that any more than a small minority have been mobile to any appreciable degree. And, in relative terms, that is very recent.

And even then, much of the migration preserved the original groups: people largely migrated to their regional centre, rather than to centres in other regions.

Looking forward to the empirical evidence you have to back this statement up...

.is already looking at Denmark, Holland, France and Hungary in the short term

I have visited Kent and Norfolk.

I do not find any of that surprising.

I was No before but Yes now

Racist.

That's interesting, thanks.

There is a similar, if not greater trend towards anti-English behaviour in Scotland.

Only in the big cities. Where my family are from, Thurso and the north Highlands, people are very welcoming. The worst of it is around sport. don't go into the wrong pub in Glasgow if there's an England game on. They care far more about England getting beaten than about their own team winning. Atmosphere can get quite nasty. I've never experienced a similar anti scotland sentiment down here, infact I normally see support for the other home nations. Like someone said though, every country has it's thugs. Happily there's no-one on this thread making any assumptions based on nationality whatsoever. Nope, nothing.