New Powers? (An observation)

[Bill McDicken]

Looks like Cameron and Miliband have fallen out already over the issue of the promised ( though unspecified ) new powers to be granted to Scotland if it voted "NO". It took them less than 24 hours.
Looks like too many of our fellow countrymen believed Gordon Brown when he made his promises ( even when it was obvious that he had no authority to make them ).
Looks like we've been suckered again.

[Stevie Jarron]

As a newcomer to the Island and to this chat room thread, I hope you allow me the luxury of stepping in a bit late to the debate?

With that in mind, perhaps it is time for a new one...

I feel we need to draw it all back and start again.

What we voted for and what we'll get are likely to be very different things regardless of which choice the 85% of us who bothered to vote.

One thing is sure, if things do not change, the next referendum will not be a generation away.

We must deal with the political reality that we have "won" and potentially have a new future ahead, thanks to the 45/55 closeness.

For all those who voted NO as they thought things will change under DevoMax (estimated between 10 to 15 %), the status quo will be a huge disappointment. For the rest who voted NO (40 %) for fear of change or for blind devotion to the Union (we saw a few of them celebrating in George Square, grown men ripping Saltires from young girls hands and beating up a young piper on his way home from a wedding - Better Together eh!?), it is unlikely that anything that happens, good or bad will change their minds anyway.

For all those who voted YES, the 2nd best will have to be very good indeed!

Stevie

[Bill McDicken]

the next referendum will not be a generation away.

They say a week is a long time in politics and after the week we've just had I think you are correct, we will be voting again very soon.

[jimcee]

Give it a break Bill.
We have a commission set up to get the Devo Max things which were promised, with something sorted out by early next year - -give them a chance to see what they can produce.
I agree that the sides who made the promises have started to produce caveats but if they do not come up with the goods within their timescale the resulting backlash from those who took them at their words (myself included) will mean that they will probably lose any future referendum.
The ball is in their court at the moment, if they cannot act honourably on their promises then the political establishment will sink to a new low in public perception.

[NickB]

What we voted for and what we'll get are likely to be very different things regardless of which choice the 85% of us who bothered to vote.

One thing is sure, if things do not change, the next referendum will not be a generation away.

We must deal with the political reality that we have "won" and potentially have a new future ahead, thanks to the 45/55 closeness.

For all those who voted NO as they thought things will change under DevoMax (estimated between 10 to 15 %), the status quo will be a huge disappointment. For the rest who voted NO (40 %) for fear of change or for blind devotion to the Union (we saw a few of them celebrating in George Square, grown men ripping Saltires from young girls hands and beating up a young piper on his way home from a wedding - Better Together eh!?), it is unlikely that anything that happens, good or bad will change their minds anyway.

For all those who voted YES, the 2nd best will have to be very good indeed!

Stevie

Scotland will soon have a new First Minister, and the most likely candidate has refused to rule out another referendum should the people deliver a mandate for it. And with the Unionist parties already breaking their promises (both the spirit and the letter) and setting out plans to slash Scotland’s budget and drag the UK into another brutal war in the Middle East, a rerun could happen sooner than any of us anticipated.

With the near future holding the prospect of a UK election, a Scottish election and the very real prospect of an in-out EU referendum. In 2017, it’s entirely conceivable that there could be a Scottish Government with a mandate and a majority to call a snap second independence referendum on the grounds of emergency after Scotland votes to stay in the EU but the rest of the UK votes to leave.

Westminster is going to have to make good on all its promises (whatever you believe they were) in short order or, as you say, a lot of NO voters are going to feel cheated.