Snp

[Bazile]

Is the SNP finished as a party, if they lose the vote ?

What would Alex Samond do - enter the after dinner speech , circuit ?

[jno]

no, they can continue campaigning, as they have done for many years; opinions change, new generations are born.

Of course if they win the vote, their work here on Earth is done.

[Wharton]

If they lose the vote it probably won't be long before anyone up here will be able to afford a dinner.

[Bazile]

you'd better stock up on the haggis then , mate

[ludwig]

Salmond's obviously not short of dinner money.

[mushroom25]

if they lose the vote, they'll probably just ask the question again. and again. and again. until they get presented with the right answer. if it's good enough for the irish, etc.....

[ludwig]

They'll keep going - why wouldn't they?

Even if they win they'll still be a party, probably with a different name. They have other policies because they're in government, unlike UKIP who I don't think have thought beyond getting out of the EU yet.

[Wharton]

Haggis tastes better than the crumbs from the Westminster table.

[New Judge]

As with so many things I doubt Mr Salmond has a "Plan B".

Secretly I believe the SNP are hoping for a "No" vote. They will be able to implement very few if any of their policies should Scotland gain its independence. WHilst still attached to the UK they can blame the Westminster government for all their ills and the dopey government currently in power there has already promised them all manner of things to which other parts of the UK are not privileged.

Far from treating them differently if they vote to stay in th UK they should be told in no uncertain terms to shape up and comply with the rules and principles that the majority of the UK's population has to abide by. Devolution should be reversed and the Scottish Assemby disbanded.

[ToraToraTora]

The worst thing for the SNP is if they win!

[jim360]

That seems a bit harsh, NJ, although in my experiences so far it does seem as if a lot of Scottish life is "cheaper" than south of the border, and I'm not sure it's sustainable either in an independent nation or otherwise. It does seem though that the SNP are planning for an Independence that looks extraordinarily like "devo-max". In which case, why not just go for that?

[Wharton]

New Judge - Why don't you advocate hanging for the YES voters while you're at it?

[ludwig]

// they should be told in no uncertain terms to shape up and comply with the rules and principles that the majority of the UK's population has to abide by. //

There's no chance of that happening though, which is why I'd like to see a yes vote. The current state of affairs where their parliament can vote for what they like knowing it'll be subsidised by the other 55 million people in the union, is clearly unfair.

e.g - free tuition fees (for everybody in Scotland and Europe, but specifically NOT anyone who's English).

[ludwig]

// New Judge - Why don't you advocate hanging for the YES voters while you're at it? //

I think the judge supports the yes campaign. He'd sooner hang the no voters.

[Wharton]

I meant the YES voters in the event of a NO victory and I don't think NJ, or anyone else here furth of Scotland, fully understands the Scottish political psyche. All opinions are still welcome of course.

[ludwig]

// I don't think NJ, or anyone else here furth of Scotland, fully understands the Scottish political psyche. //

I don't, which is why I think we're better off as separate countries. I'm on your side. Salmond once said that after independence Engand would 'lose a grumpy lodger and gain a friendly neighbour' - and I'm all for giving that a go, even though I think we'd probably just gain a grumpy neighbour.

[Obiter]

What would be interesting is an opinion poll amongst the rest of the UK as to how they would vote if they were allowed to do so.

[New Judge]

I would not advocate anything different for the Scots than for those in any other part of the UK, should they choose to remain. And that is precisely my point. At present they are afforded the privilege of a devolved assembly with powers that are not granted to any other part of the UK. Quite why this should be is completely beyond me. If they want to go it alone (and that is my preferred option) then fine. If they remain in the UK they should be subject to exactly the same rules as everybody else. If they vote to stay there should be moves made to realign them with the rest of the UK and remove the privileges the have under the ludicrous devolution arrangements. Instead of that this ridiculous apology for a government is promising them all manner of things which it would never dream of offering the rest of the UK. While they are about it they should harmonise their judicial system with that of England and Wales. The same goes for Northern Ireland and to a lesser extent Wales.

There is no justification for treating different parts of the UK so fundamentally differently. To do so only creates antagonism. We are supposed to be one nation and if the Scots vote to remain part of that one nation they should harmonise their affairs. If not the rest of the UK should have a vote on whether it wants to continue acting as a collection of fragmented bailiwicks with different rules.

[ladybirder]

Quite right NJ.

[Quizmonster]

Why would the SNP be finished if they lose the vote? Losing the vote would obviously mean that there still existed a reason to go on campaigning for independence. When any other party loses an election or referendum, they don't just scuttle away and say, "Right, that's it, what we Tories/Labourites/Liberals/Democrats/Republicans/Communists/Whatevers want is not wanted here and there is no point in continuing to try to fulfil our aims."

All this nonsense about having endless votes until one gets the 'right' answer is just that...nonsense. Did the Tories go away after the 1997 rout? Sadly, not! Back they came, looking for the 'right' answer for them.

If the SNP win, there is no reason whatsoever why they should change their name just because their primary aim has been achieved. There are all sorts of other 'national' parties around the world.

[Wharton]

Could these 'privileges' have anything to do with Scotland having an estimated £4.5 Trillion in oil and gas revenues waiting to be extracted? Once the oil and gas have gone, so will the 'privileges'. Westminster is fooling no-one (not up here anyway).