One year ago today

[HTG]

I was devastated last year and I'm still not over the result. I struggle with any concept that somehow Scotland is in a better place glued onto and into England. I like England, I have loads of friends down there, I spend 30% of my working life down there. But I have zero interest in being part of their politics or pageantry.

[Ad Lib]

Not enough lying for your liking?

I've never said I like lying. I've simply said its not the be all and end all what should be cared about in politics.

Which is why, for example, when Alex Salmond lied about having legal advice from the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General live on TV, I still voted Yes in the referendum.

The inability to grasp such nuance in political debate is literally the core of my point about the Yes movement. Thanks for making it for me.

[Bishop Briggs]

Which is why, for example, when Alex Salmond lied about having legal advice from the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General live on TV, I still voted Yes in the referendum.

Did the Lib Dems know that you voted Yes when you stood as their candidate at the general election?

[strichener]

I've never said I like lying. I've simply said its not the be all and end all what should be cared about in politics.

Which is why, for example, when Alex Salmond lied about having legal advice from the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General live on TV, I still voted Yes in the referendum.

The inability to grasp such nuance in political debate is literally the core of my point about the Yes movement. Thanks for making it for me.

nuance isn't the issue. You lack of integrity is.

[Ad Lib]

Did the Lib Dems know that you voted Yes when you stood as their candidate at the general election?

*sigh*

Yes. I was very clear about it. I spoke in a public debate directly against Willie Rennie at the Glasgow University Union on 14th September 2014 in front of a capacity crowd in the Gallery. I freely admitted it during the campaign, addressing the issue directly in one of our social media pieces.

[Ad Lib]

So just to be clear:

Stating that local Sheriff Courts are being shut prompts the response "Sheriff courts are not shut." I then point to 10 Sheriff Courts being nominated for closure as part of the Scottish Government's reforms beginning over 2 years ago. Then Fide denies that he ever said Sheriff Courts were shut.

I'm also curious as to what part of what I said was "over-egging" rather than just "true".

[Bishop Briggs]

*sigh*

Yes. I was very clear about it. I spoke in a public debate directly against Willie Rennie at the Glasgow University Union on 14th September 2014 in front of a capacity crowd in the Gallery. I freely admitted it during the campaign, addressing the issue directly in one of our social media pieces.

Fair enough. You would not have had such freedom in the other main parties. Their candidates have to toe the official line. The Labour and Conservative candidates get Lines To Take on policy and must follow precise instructions on how to respond to pressure groups on contentious issues.

[Ad Lib]

Fair enough. You would not have had such freedom in the other main parties. Their candidates have to toe the official line. The Labour and Conservative candidates get Lines To Take on policy and must follow precise instructions on how to respond to pressure groups on contentious issues.

Fair. I get a bit tired of being asked that question because the Lib Dems have always had a more tolerant culture of internal disagreement. You'd have a revolt of candidates were told what to say and when. We get media notes and stock answers are available to certain campaign groups but we are under no obligation whatsoever to use them.

[ddfg]

I'm sure No clearly won a once in a lifetime referendum so why the constant white noise about another one, perhaps it's all bluster from the SNP to take attention away from the state the country is in. More government and less posturing please

[H_B]

Fair enough. You would not have had such freedom in the other main parties.

I realise this is asking the unthinkable, but aren't the SNP fanboy types a bit disappointed they have Stepford MPs? Is it really healthy that your entire contingent of MPs seem to serve only to issue soudbites and Twitter lines delivered to them by party HQ and remain on message throughout?

Is that really what you want for a parliamentary MP? Some party drone that parrots some spin doctor's version of what they want them to be outraged about today?

[Bishop Briggs]

I realise this is asking the unthinkable, but aren't the SNP fanboy types a bit disappointed they have Stepford MPs? Is it really healthy that your entire contingent of MPs seem to serve only to issue soudbites and Twitter lines delivered to them by party HQ and remain on message throughout?

Is that really what you want for a parliamentary MP? Some party drone that parrots some spin doctor's version of what they want them to be outraged about today?

I'm not on Tw*tter or Farcebook so I miss out on their and other politicians' soundbites.

MPs should be concentrating on their Parliamentary activities and their constituents' needs.

[invergowrie arab]

I can only comment on Pete Wishart and to a lesser extent Chris Law.

Both are excellent constituency MPs

[RedRob72]

Fair enough but as long as I live I will never understand anyone feeling that way (clearly many did though).

Too many No voters have made the huge mistake of rubbing victory in the noses of the losing side though and this is part of the reason why Yes hasn't gone away. Support is drifting away from No and independence is inevitable at this rate. It's almost as though No voters secretly want independence.

BTW as an aside, I think the only way Labour will recover in this country is by supporting independence.

They have nothing else to offer as far as I can see.

Not sure it's inevitable Oakey, but if it's five years or ten, I'll be retired by then and heading for warmer climes. A few visits back home to see the Mighty Rangers every year, but certainly long gone from the bitter squabbling that will ensue.

[Antiochas III]

I'm sure No clearly won a once in a lifetime referendum so why the constant white noise about another one, perhaps it's all bluster from the SNP to take attention away from the state the country is in. More government and less posturing please

Yeah, maybe if the three other main parties stopped bringing it up along with media then maybe the Other Parties could begin to be opposition.

Wouldn't hold me breath though

[vikingTON]

The chief reason why the Busted Flushes tolerate greater disagreement is because they're an utter political irrelevance. The party can posture by putting up as heterogeneous group of candidates as they want, because they're only there to lose deposits.

That, and the Scottish Busted Flushes (Yellow variety) struggling to have enough activists to fill a minicab. Which makes holding a credible line on any matter well beyond their capacity.

Doubt anyone will be taking lessons on politics from that useless husk tbh.

[F_T_Y]

I was very proud to vote yes, Remember waking up on the 19th heart pounding then to turn on the radio and hear the results come in.First there was anger but my overall feeling on the 19th was embarrassment . It still hurts to read the words voted to reject independence.Everybody had there reasons for voting no, Sure people would vote no even if you said you were going to slap them in the face. But it was the ones who believed the lies from the understandably biased bbc and the sham vow. Also the i'm all right, f**k everyone else types that voted no to serve there own interests. That left a bad taste.

But what's done is done. I don't think its right that another referendum should be soon. Let the no voters have ten years of tory government and they will regret their choice.Maybe.

[RedRob72]

The bitter squabbling will come from losing No voters. They are already doing this and they actually won. Imagine what they'll be like if they lose.

Can't see it being less than 5 years.

I don't think so, the No voters on here come across as quite content to me, the snipe and sneer seems to come from only one direction! If the Yes vote had come through it would have been f*ckin unbearable for the rest of us.

[Elixir]

I don't regret voting Yes but I wouldn't do it again in a referendum in the next decade. We've made a decision, it was a decisive result and we should work with what we have to give the new Scotland Bill a chance to pass and bed-in, and see how Holyrood handles its extensive new powers.

I have found the rise of identity politics in the last year in Scotland and beyond deeply worrying. Dispassionate, rational, sceptical and critical debate has been displaced at an ever rising rate of noughts by tribal, unthinking, polarised politics. It's the era of the useful idiots, SNP-bad and HopeOverFearite alike, and Scotland is suffering for it. The only difference I can see is that the Yes movement is enthusiastic to co-opt this politics as a means to an end. I think this is frankly dangerous and must be counteracted as strongly as possible. For the foreseeable future that means constructing an alternative to that movement, not supporting its end goal.

In other words: my utter joke of a party is history.

[Hillonearth]

The Kippers have launched a campaign for 18th September to be renamed Union Day - they had a mass rally in George Square today apparently which seems to have flown under a helluva lot of radars...

[ddfg]

Yeah, maybe if the three other main parties stopped bringing it up along with media then maybe the Other Parties could begin to be opposition.

So there wasn't a Yes march I'm Edinburgh today and Nicola Sturgeon wasn't on the news tonight talking about another referendum, why would No voters keep talking about something they don't want to happen? The sovereign will of the Scottish people was a no vote, time to move on and improve our health service etc

Wouldn't hold me breath though