Scottish Referendum....

[ToraToraTora]

if they vote yes then do you think they should be allowed to vote in the general election next year?

[Gromit]

If SCotland vote to be Independent on 18th September, it does not mean they are an Independent countey the next day. The process of extracting them from the Union will probably take years.

Until they are Independent, they are still in the UK and should vote in the UK elections.

However, the fixed 5 year life of the next parliament will have to be changed. When Scotland eventually did get their Independence Day (Lets say 1st April 2018) then a UK General Election should have to be re-run soon after that without the Scottish Constituencies.

[THECORBYLOON]

Irish and Commonwealth Citizens have the vote in a General Election so it may not be obvious why Scots should not have that right still.

[emmie]

no they shouldn't, once out that is it.
they can tie up the niceties, or the difficult stuff, that is there choice, i don't want the UK to break apart, but if they say yes to Independence, it should mean they play no part in our general elections.

[youngmafbog]

See your point jim but surely it also works the other way round in that the Scottish will be voting for things to happen in the UK well after they have left ?

[Baldric]

The UK will then be England, Wales and N/Ireland
(and Cornwall?)

[emmie]

Baldric indeed.

[emmie]

unless Cornwall makes a break for Freedom,

[ToraToraTora]

yes indeed and it will still be the UK!

[emmie]

no it won't,

[emmie]

a United Kingdom is one that is by definition United, we won't be.

[Gromit]

Scotland will still be in the UK until they get their Independence Day, and up to that time they should have MPs representing them in Parliament.

But it would be wrong for those Scottish UK MPs to still be sitting once Scotland has offically left.

So another General Election needs to be run in 2-3 years without Scotland taking part.

[Baldric]

Possible em, they're pretty good at digging tunnels!

[emmie]

as long as it doesn't include Scotland. then again this is all too much, i hope they give a no vote, and that Alex Salmond is kicked into the long tall grass.

[ToraToraTora]

yes gromit i'd go along with that, 59 non Tory seats gone, Happy days!

[Gromit]

A 'Yes' vote in September does not mean they are no longer in the United Kingdom. A 'Yes' vote is their notice to quit. The actual leaving and recognition as a stand alone country will take years to sort out.

[ToraToraTora]

yes gromit, I was referring to the GE that you propose when they actually do leave.

[venator]

Once Scotland is independent, then just like any other independent country, say France. It can't have a vote in the UK Parliament.

Two points -

1 There are a couple of Tory Scottish MPs, and 59 Labour who will vanish. Will this mean a Tory government forever?

2 Whatever the referendum result, why can't we have an English referendum to split from Scotland and Wales? Both of them hate the English and are a drain on the English taxpayer.

No, I'm not UKIP , BNP or anything like that. I vote for the best person, usually.

Mind you, living in Salford, my vote counts for nothing. The local wisdom is "pin a red rosette on a pig, and it will get elected"

Our MP is a famous flat flipper, locally known as the poison dwarf...

[emmie]

i got that several pages back. i did say that if they get the vote in september they still should not be allowed a say in next years GE.
if you say they will then sorry i don't agree with it.

[ImLostAgain]

A question That keeps popping up, if it's a no vote is that the end of it or do they keep trying year on year until they get what they want?
As for the point if a member leaves a club is that club dissolved, well no it isn't, the club goes on but without the former member surely. They would have absolutely no say in the running of the club,....yes?

[venator]

What's in a name, but we will still be united with Wales and Northern Ireland.

And further to my previous post, can we ditch Northern Ireland, too - another drain on the poor English taxpayer.