Scotland going to vote NO .....while respecting their right to choice and noting extremely high participation by the Electorate - just don't want to hear NO voters whining in a year or so.
Evening tweets.....
http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-independence-final-message-from-yes-camp-1-3545234
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/09/scotland-hours-away-from-historic-vote-20149171726570454.html
http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/scottish-referendum-no-vote-will-win-unless-salmond-focuses-on-key-appeal/
( Good piece from The Slog ! )
Your word, Mr Salmond. Now it’s your call
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/17/2014 16:32 -0400
Evening tweets.....
Scotland's #indyref totals after 4 of 32 declarations:
Yes 36,097 (42.2%)
No 49,535 (57.8%)
BBC Breaking News
Shetland votes NO in Scotland's #indyref:
Yes 5,669 (36.3%)
No 9,951 (63.7%)
Turnout 84.4%
http://bbc.in/1ufgtxE
Michael Weiss retweeted
Simon Schama
accrding to Nick Robinson SNP leader in West Lothian accepts NO will win West Lothian - that IS huge.. all over - thats Salmond's birthplace
Why haven't we had an explanation for the YES vote in a NO pile???????? @SkyNews #indyref #skyelections pic.twitter.com/En1G5pYT75
Police investigate fraud claims over 10 #indyref ballot papers in Glasgow, @rosschawkins says http://bbc.in/1pkSJnA
Michael Weiss retweeted
Business Insider
THE LATEST FROM SCOTLAND #IndyRef http://www.businessinsider.com/scotland-independence-referendum-vote-result-2014-9 …
Andy Murray on Scottish independence vote: 'Let's do this!' http://gu.com/p/4xke7/tw @GdnPolitics
Scots ´deeply fortunate´ to have opportunity to vote for independence – pro-independence campaign #indyref http://bit.ly/YUFRj0
In pictures: Indyref day around Scotland
On the day Scotland decides its future, here are some of the images capturing the mood of a nation.
A sign reading 'Border closed Friday 19th for training" has been erected on the Scottish border near Gretna.
George Mackay and his daughter Anne Mackay run a polling station from their caravan at Coulags near Lochcarron where they expect around 50 people to vote
Yes supporter Dale Goodfellow, left, and No supporter Andrew Hamilton shared a laugh at Haddington Polling Station.
Presiding officer Robert Russel welcomed his first voters at his Fenton Barns portacabin polling station in East Lothian.
No supporter Andrew Hamilton welcomes voters at Haddington Polling Station.
A giant No Thanks sign was projected onto the Armadillo in Glasgow last night by the Better Together campaign.
Presiding Officer Robert Russel prepapres his Fenton Barns Portacabin in East Lothian.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-independence-final-message-from-yes-camp-1-3545234
Scottish independence: Final message from Yes camp
The Yes and No campaigns agree that no matter what the result of today s historic vote, Scotland will never be the same again. Picture: TSPL
The Yes and No campaigns agree that no matter what the result of today s historic vote, Scotland will never be the same again. Picture: TSPL
Published on the
18 September
2014
00:05
Scotland can – beyond any doubt – be a success as an independent nation
Today is a momentous day in Scotland’s history and a defining moment for Scotland’s future. Today, as people go to the polls to cast their ballots, the future of our country is in their hands.
With a Yes vote, we can choose to retain that power over our country’s future – and use it to make Scotland a better place to live for all of us – or we can hand it back to Westminster, possibly for ever.
The politicians stopped arguing long ago over whether or not we have what it takes to be independent – even David Cameron agrees that we do. Scotland is among the top 20 wealthiest countries in the world, according to the Financial Times, and we are wealthier per head than the UK, France and even Japan.
Our many and varied strengths – from engineering to life sciences, food and drink to tourism – provide strong economic foundations for independence, while the extraordinary bonus of North Sea oil and gas pales perhaps in comparison to the overwhelming potential of our renewable energy resources.
We have the most highly educated population in Europe, according to the UK government’s ONS. We will be the wealthiest nation ever to have gained its independence. A country as well-equipped as Scotland can, beyond any doubt, succeed as an independent nation.
• Get the latest referendum news, opinion and analysis from across Scotland and beyond on our new Scottish Independence website
But we can only build a fairer and more prosperous society if we have the tools to do so – the powers that independence brings to improve our economy and society. A Yes vote opens the door to a range of new opportunities that become available with full control of Scotland’s wealth and finances.
With independence, we can choose to spend our money on what matters to us, saving £600 million from no longer paying for things like Trident, investing in childcare instead.
By making these sorts of different choices, and building on our firm financial foundations, we can protect our NHS from the damaging knock-on effects of English health privatisation, we can end austerity to invest in other public services like education and choose to pay older Scots a fair and decent pension in old age. And, with a Yes vote, we will have an economic policy designed for the first time ever to suit Scotland’s needs, with new job-creating powers to help grow businesses and deliver more and better employment opportunities.
Today is the culmination of a process that has seen us debate and consider our country’s future for over two years now. Regardless of the result, we should be immensely proud of a national conversation which has seen record levels of enthusiasm and engagement.
• Read all of our essays on Scottish independence
Many in Scotland are switched on to politics for the first time in their lives – not just tuning in to the debate, but arming themselves with the facts and figures, and considering the visions of our national future which we might work towards.
Our nation is alive with energy and excitement about the future. And the collective democratic awakening in Scotland goes further and deeper than the independence movement alone. For all of this, Scotland is richer. It is this popular energy which gives confidence for Scotland’s future. Together, we can harness the passion, drive and vision that abounds in Scotland today and use it to build a better society.
We have already shown, through the success of devolution, that making our own choices here in Scotland is best for us – and with a Yes we will see a real explosion of energy and confidence with which we can pursue yet bolder ideas for Scotland’s future.
Nobody pretends that independence will be a land of milk and honey. We will make mistakes, but they will be ours to make and we will learn from them. We will face challenges, but with the full powers of independence we will be better equipped to meet them.
Tomorrow, with a Yes vote, Scotland’s problems will not have disappeared. But unlike yesterday, we will have a newfound sense of resolve and responsibility – and the knowledge that the power to change Scotland for the better rests in our hands alone. It will be for us to seize the many opportunities that arise from independence.
Nobody knows our country better, and nobody will do a better job of making Scotland a success, than the people who live and work here.
We can no longer wait around for Scotland to be improved by distant, unrepresentative and out-of-touch Westminster governments, crossing our fingers and hoping that this time, unlike all others, they might just get it right.
We must take our country’s future into our hands with independence, and create a better Scotland for ourselves, our children and grandchildren. That is the best way forward for our future.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/scottish-independence-our-day-of-destiny-1-3545212
Scottish independence: Our day of destiny
by TOM PETERKIN
Updated on the
18 September
2014
00:08
Published 18/09/2014 00:00
THE people of Scotland will go to the polls in record numbers today when two and a half years of campaigning culminate in the most important vote in the country’s history.
The future of Scotland and that of the 307-year-old United Kingdom will be determined by an unprecedented turnout of voters from Shetland to the Borders.
With last night’s polls indicating that the result is too close to call, the fate of the nation lies in the hands of 4,285,323 people – 97 per cent of the potential electorate – who have registered to vote.
Voters can cast their ballot at 5,579 polling stations from 7am until the polls close at 10pm. The question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” requires a straight Yes or No answer.
Turnout is expected to top 80 per cent, making today the busiest day in Scottish electoral history.
• Get the latest referendum news, opinion and analysis from across Scotland and beyond on our new Scottish Independence website
Last night both sides continued to make impassioned pleas for support as the ever-tightening opinion polls suggested that the referendum battle will go right down to the wire.
A survey by Ipsos-Mori detected a big surge to Yes, putting support for independence on 49 per cent against 51 per cent for No when “undecideds” were excluded.
The poll of 1,405 people on Monday and Tuesday of this week for STV represented a seven-point rise in support for Yes and a seven-point drop in backing for No since last month.
When those who have still to decide how to vote were included, the survey indicated that the No campaign was on 49 per cent, Yes was on 47 per cent and 5 per cent did not know.
Another opinion poll released last night by Panelbase also indicated that the race is incredibly finely balanced.
It found No narrowly ahead of Yes by 52 per cent to 48 per cent when “don’t knows” were removed. When the “undecideds” were included, it found that 50 per cent were for No, versus 45 per cent for Yes with 5 per cent yet to make up their minds.
• Latest Scottish independence referendum poll
Yes Scotland said the polls were “hugely encouraging” and suggested the campaign led by Alex Salmond was within “touching distance of success”.
Last night, Mr Salmond spent the last hours before the vote – for which he has worked his entire political life – making a speech in front of 1,600 Yes activists at Perth Concert Hall.
Mr Salmond said the Yes campaign had been the “greatest in Scottish history” as he urged voters to leave their “mark in the pages of history” by voting for independence. He was speaking at the end of a full day of campaigning which saw him start out at an engineering works in Stewarton, Ayrshire, before taking to his helicopter and travelling to Perth via Edinburgh.
Yes campaigners took to the streets and doorsteps again yesterday in the belief that the huge number of registered voters gives them a chance of reaching the finishing line first when the votes are finally counted in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Mr Salmond believes that if Yes Scotland can persuade those who have felt disenfranchised until now of his case, independence is in his grasp.
That belief was felt on Buchanan Street in Glasgow, where 200 Yes supporters gathered to hear speeches from the actress Elaine C Smith and the Yes Scotland chairman Dennis Canavan.
Around the same time, Better Together held a rousing rally in Glasgow that saw former prime minister Gordon Brown deliver a passionate speech in defence of the Union. Mr Brown attacked the Yes campaign, saying: “To those that think Scotland will be somehow more progressive under the nationalists, let us tell them of our vision for the future of Scotland.
“Not the Scotland of insults, abuse, threats and recriminations. It is the Scotland of Adam Smith and John Smith, the Scotland of stability and compassion, the Scotland of comradeship and community. . . bigger and better than what we have seen.”
Mr Brown, who has been instrumental in setting out a timetable for new powers for Holyrood in the event of a No vote, also returned to the campaign’s tactic of attacking Mr Salmond’s economic policy.
• What would happen to tax after independence?
Labour strategists were last night confident that their vote was holding up, despite the narrowing polls suggesting that their traditional supporters have been moving to Yes.
Better Together’s last full day of campaigning was signed off by the UK Labour leader Ed Miliband, who made a speech to voters at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre. As the campaigning drew to a close, the theme of reconciliation was at the heart of a statement issued by the Rt Rev John Chalmers, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
That message was mirrored by a service for unity outside Holyrood. People of all denominations met at a gathering organised by Parliamentary Prayer Scotland to pray for the country to come together.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/09/scotland-hours-away-from-historic-vote-20149171726570454.html
Voting under way in Scotland referendum | ||
Excitement mounts as Scots vote in referendum on whether to break away from the UK and become independent.
Last updated: 18 Sep 2014 09:22
| ||
 | ||
| Both excitement and anxiety are mounting as Scotland starts voting in knife-edge referendum to determine whether to break away from the UK and become independent. As polls open in Scotland, most opinion polls and experts say it is a vote too tight to predict. The voting is going to continue until 21 GMT on Thursday. In its final hours, the battle for Scotland had all the trappings of a normal election campaign: "Yes Scotland'' and "No, Thanks'' posters in windows, buttons on jackets, leaflets on street corners and megaphone-topped campaign cars cruising the streets blasting out Scottish songs and "Children of the Revolution." The gravity of the imminent decision was hitting home for many voters as political leaders made passionate, final pleas for their sides. More than 4.2 million people are registered to vote in the country of 5.3 million people. including, for the first time, 16 and 17-year-olds - with neither side assured of a victory. The latest polls released by Ipsos MORI, on Wednesday, put opposition to independence at 51 percent and support at 49 percent, with five percent of voters undecided. The company had conducted a telephonic poll of 1,373 people.
Gordon Brown, former British prime minister, who is himself a Scot, told a "No" campaign rally that the quiet majority of pro-Union Scots "will be silent no more", while Alex Salmond, pro-independence leader and Scottish mirst minister, urged voters to seize a democratic opportunity 307 years in the making.
Cathy Chance, who works for Britain's National Health Service in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, said she would leave Scotland if it became independent."I don't want to live under a nation that's nationalistic,'' she said. "I don't think the world needs another political barrier.'' 'Independence within reach' On the other side, "Yes" campaigner Roisin McLaren said she was finally letting herself believe independence might be possible. "My family has campaigned for independence for a long, long time, and it's always been a pipe dream,'' the Edinburgh University student said as she knocked on doors in a last-minute effort to convert wavering electors. "Just in the last few days it's seemed possible, within reach. I can almost taste it." Politicians on both sides expressed confidence in the Scottish public, but uncertainty rippled below the surface. Brown told supporters that the patriotic choice was to remain within the UK.
Salmond said Scots would seize "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take the future of this country into our hands.'' Despite gains in support for independence in recent weeks, Salmond said his side remained the underdog. "However, as we know in life, in politics and certainly in this festival of democracy, underdogs have a habit of winning sometimes,'' he said. A "Yes" vote would trigger months of negotiations between Scotland and the British government over the messy details of independence, which Scottish authorities say will take effect on March 24, 2016, the anniversary of the date in 1707 that Scotland decided to unite with Britain. | ||
http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/scottish-referendum-no-vote-will-win-unless-salmond-focuses-on-key-appeal/
( Good piece from The Slog ! )
SCOTTISH REFERENDUM: NO VOTE WILL WIN UNLESS SALMOND FOCUSES ON KEY APPEAL
Your word, Mr Salmond. Now it’s your callMore unknown intentions than the media suggest
Weather on the day may prove decisive
All things being equal, No camp will win
If Alex Salmond makes the right appeal to family rearers in Scotland over the next two days, he can still win. But overall, the odds are stacked against him. The Slog extrapolates from the recent poll data in order to reach a verdict.
Over the last 24 hours, I’ve looked at the tables (where available) on five of the most recent Indyref polls. I did this because it seemed to me there is a dearth of knowledge about the “ten per cent” of Don’t Knows: but in the end, other significant points emerged that, I suspect, both sides have missed. The obvious health warning here is the danger of comparing apples with pears, doric columns and washing up liquid. But experience and gut has been applied to that, and I’m reasonably confident about the consistency of the evidence below.
First up, the Don’t Know 10% is something of a mythical figure. Some polls have it as high as 17%, and all the media have failed to report that a further 3% refused to answer the specific question.
The older more conservative person is more likely to refuse that question. They tend to be No voters. And No voters are less likely to change their minds.
Second, the biggest Don’t Know group is 35-54 year olds. This group tends to consist of family rearers with others to think about rather than just themselves. Scaremongering about potential economic disaster if the Yes camp wins would, in theory, be effective among this group. Also…
Third, women are far more likely to vote No, men to vote Yes. If the Yes campaign were to go hard in the last few days on the emotional importance of children growing up to be truly independent (men) and the SNP record of protecting services come what may (women) the chances are it would be highly effective amongst those family formers who probably feel they have the most to lose.
Salmond himself seems to have understood this intuitively with his accent on Scotland’s future in the manifesto. I suspect this is what has swung the vote his way in recent weeks. He needs to hammer away at this – and on more than just the fiscal arguments. Promises on jobs – and stress laid on destiny being about more than money – should be the SNP leader’s core message.
Fourth, the Yes vote is biased younger – that is, to 16-40(ish). The over 60s are, by and large, pretty solidly No: their age (and No-vote tendency to be sure) makes them an unlikely group to persuade at this late stage. The core group the Yes camp really must reassure, I would suggest, is the 40-55 male vote.
Fifth, No voters are more likely to be middle class. Much of the Yes enthusiasm comes from the ordinary Sassenach-hating Scot, rather than the professional folks from Kelvinside. Two things to note here:
i. David Cameron is I understand planning to head North again to make more pleas during the last two days. If he does so, my judgement based on the data is that he will boost the Yes vote.
ii. Downmarket voters are less likely to turn out – and far less likely to turn out in bad weather. The weather forecast for most of Scotland this coming Thursday is RAIN. This is bound to favour the No campaign.
So, if both sides ignore all this stuff, I would predict a majority for No.
However, if
(a) Cameron turns up and says something truly insensitive and/or glib
(b) Salmond focuses on the future for Scottish children and his track record on social care, and
(c) The Yes camp works very hard on the ground to provide transport for its supporters
then the Yes vote could still shade it.
The result lies, I think, far more in Alex Salmond’s hands now than those of the naysayers.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-09-17/scottish-independence-politicians-love-democracy-so-much-theyre-trying-subvert-it
Scottish Independence: Politicians Love Democracy So Much They're Trying To Subvert It
Submitted by Simon Black via Sovereign Man blog,
The polls in Scotland will close this week on one of the more important elections in recent history… perhaps one of the only elections that actually matters.
Rather than a typical vote to see who the captain of the Titanic will be, Scots are deciding whether they want to be free and independent from the UK.
Every eligible voter has a say, and a simple majority decides the outcome for everyone else.
By definition, this is the PUREST possible form of the democratic process.
What’s ironic here is that ‘democracy’ is typically held up as the hallmark of free society.
Western nations have spent years (and trillion of dollars) force-feeding representative ‘democracy’ down the throats of developing countries at gunpoint.
Opening his second Presidential term in 2005, George W. Bush famously told the world that “it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture. . .”
Given the west’s big love for democracy, you’d think this instance in Scotland– the most fundamental example of the democratic process– would be able to take place free, unfettered, and uninfluenced by government.
Government, in fact, is supposed to be the responsible steward to protect and champion democratic rights. At least, that’s the BS they’re constantly selling us.
But that’s not what’s happening.
British politicians are scared to death that Scotland will file for divorce. So they’re doing everything they can to influence the outcome of this supposedly impartial democratic process.
They’ve spent an incalculable amount of money trying to influence the outcome, effectively subverting a democratic election.
Their claim is that the government knows better than you do. They say they’re doing this for your own good. If Scotland breaks away, your children and grandchildren will suffer immeasurably as a result.
In other words, you NEED US TO TAKE CARE OF YOU. You cannot function without us being in charge of you.
The British government is spreading untold fear, paranoia, and propaganda to drive this point home, all in an effort to influence the outcome of a supposedly free and fair election.
It’s incredibly hypocritical. And the government’s desperation drives home how fragile this system really is.
They know how much weaker and impotent they’ll be if Scotland becomes independent. And they’re terrified of it.
But here’s the thing– this isn’t even the real story. The outcome of the election is irrelevant.
The real issue here is that this election is even happening at all.
Bear in mind that human nature is highly resistant to change. This is the way of the universe.
Sir Isaac Newton told us that an object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force of sufficient enough to overcome the object’s inertia.
In chemistry, activation energy is defined as the minimum energy needed to be input in order to produce a chemical reaction.
A wooden log in a fireplace doesn’t spontaneously combust. You must first add sufficient energy (heat) to the system before the wood will burn.
Until that activation energy is reached, no reaction will occur.
Humans are the same. Our natural state is to remain at rest. Overcoming our inertia is incredibly difficult. Doing so requires tremendous energy. And motivation.
The fact that millions of people in Scotland are even considering rocking the boat and radically change is very telling.
It shows there is a deep, deep dissatisfaction with the status quo. People are sick and tired of the way things are. The system has completely failed them. And they want change.
This is huge. And it’s a sign of things to come.
The dissatisfaction is growing worldwide. As I reported yesterday,the latest Gallup numbers show that only 23% of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country.
Change is coming. And not just any change. Deep, radical change– a fundamental reset in the way we do business, the way we organize ourselves as societies, and the way we view money.
There’s tremendous opportunity for people who understand this trend and stay in front of it. And frankly I think this makes it a very exciting time to be alive.
James Cook
It is polling day at last. What a journey! http://bbc.in/1qLGwi9 #indyref #scotland pic.twitter.com/OCk2fhPYQb
kazghirl1888
As we wait 4 the polling stations to open, I'd like to thank @AlexSalmond & @NicolaSturgeon for this chance.I hope we are SCOTLAND THE BRAVE
Last minute polling results expected as experts hit the phones to find out how Scotland will vote. pic.twitter.com/p5SiZYyYrm
EJ Dionne
Latest polling on #ScotlandReferendum: No -- by a whisker. http://news.stv.tv/scotland-decides/news/292479-referendum-no-campaign-has-two-point-lead-in-final-ipsos-mori-poll/ …
Margaux
"Imagine walking into a polling station tomorrow and using your democratic power to vote not to have greater democratic powers" #scotland
Martyn McLaughlin
Amid doubts over polls accuracy, director of ICM warns #indyref could be a "polling Waterloo": http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-29223389 …
Go Scottland! Nuke and economic warnings as Cameron makes final push to beat back Scottish independence http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/17/nuke-and-economic-warnings-as-cameron-makes-final-push-to-beat-back-scottish/ … via @FoxNews
Scottland's official currency Bitcoin??? http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/09/scotland-independence-referendum-currency-bitcoin … That would be a major turn of events.
p_osthegelian
Yes to women's equality - Scottish Independence: A Feminist Response #Scottland #feminism http://www.counterfire.org/articles/opinion/17420-yes-to-women-s-equality-scottish-independence-a-feminist-response …
UK Offers Scotland More Autonomy Ahead of Independence Vote http://mashable.com/2014/09/07/uk-scotland-autonomy-independence-vote/#:eyJzIjoidCIsImkiOiJfNmg3M2Q1ZHhyaGcwbXdqdDNmNmNnN2pfIn0 … >>Free Scottland
R James Breiding
Jeffrey Sachs' Excellent analysis of Scottland's vote tomorrow :https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/jeffrey-d-sachs-argues-that-the-costs-of-scotland-s-secession-from-the-uk-depend-on-whether-cool-heads-prevail …
John Oliver's take on Scottland's independence vote. http://o.canada.com/news/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-scotland-513918 … #ScotlandIndependence #ScotlandDecides
Ignore the scare tactics, SCOTTLAND!!! pic.twitter.com/olU79vEfbV
Roslyn Green
Tomorrow I am a polling YES rep let's do this Scotland. It's not nationalism it's equality! #YesScotland #yes
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