clacher_holiday2

The pull of the EPL is hitting clubs in all countries, including England and Scotland. The closest league side to me is Plymouth Argyle and I have never once seen a kid in an Argyle shirt, its all Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal. In Scotland, traditionally it was Celtic and Rangers who would suck up all the support from the towns around the country but moving forward they will suffer from it aswell, their perceived 'big club' status doesnt hold up today with people of all ages having instant access not just to the games but to fans of other clubs via social media. Historica

An independence referendum for Glasgow and Dundee? Given that I am a member of the 55% majority who appear to be of the view that much of it ain't particularly broke etc etc and don't really share that radical socialist zeal for constant revolutionary change, my main priority would be for the Labour Party in particular to get its act in gear and provide a credible challenge to the Posh Boys who currently comprise the administration. But unfortunately, having abandoned its traditional political ground and elected a leader who both looks and sounds like Mr Bean, ther Labour Party does have

So come on Charles, any ideas on using the political process to affect change for the 65million of us? No doubt a star of you intellect has the vision to save us all, you can peer deep into the future of an independent Scotland, so what awaits us in an independent UK? So far all I've seen is you creating an anglophobic/xenophobe enemy to rally against, then bizarrely following through with attacking the SNP/YES people that only exist in your head, heres your chance to shut me up with some constructive ideas for us to unite behind to improve the entire island...

Interestingly enough Robert Peston has just filed a report about the Barnett Formula on the BBC (cue the usual suspects shouting "bias") which shows that per capita spending on railways is actually 72% higher in Scotland than in England. So, it seems, yet another unsubstantiated Nationalist assertion, made to try to provoke dissent and grievance, bites the dust. On the subject of the Barnett Formula, this referendum has of course now drawn Scotland's considerably higher level of public funding within the Union to the attention of the entire UK and many outwith Scotland will now, understandabl

I actually think it is fundamentally different. Let's not forget there were scare tactics on both sides, with the YES campaign scare stories on the NHS being described by Johann Lamont as the most shameful bit of electioneering she has ever come across. And of course one person's scare story is another person's identifying the risks of one course of action. What the SNP were doing with what I have called "bribes " was quite different. The White Paper on the independence referendum "Scotland's future" goes way beyond a paper detailing the process and certain consequences and, indeed the

If you are going to quote me, please do so accurately. I said I was in "absolutely no doubt". I do, however, find it interesting that, in common with many of your political persuasion, you regard those expressing views contrary to your own as "an irrelevance". However I feel I really must bow to the vast experience of these things which you have clearly picked up in much less than 50 years and without even having lived on this side of the border for much of the time. Just 28 years in Scotland. Are you saying if I spent more time in Inverness I might understand why you think a

I fully understand that you would wish to project Scotland as being rather more unified than it really is, but the stark truth is that central belt prejudice against the Highlands remains alive and well. And I am also in absolutely no doubt that a large chunk of the Nationalist persuasion are simply the same old Anglophobes as they ever were - it's just that, in the interests of electability, Party HQ has of late declared a ban on expressing it. If you really believe that and are "in absolutley no doubt" then you are an irrelevance in this debate, as you have learned nothing in th

I actually think it is fundamentally different. Let's not forget there were scare tactics on both sides, with the YES campaign scare stories on the NHS being described by Johann Lamont as the most shameful bit of electioneering she has ever come across. And of course one person's scare story is another person's identifying the risks of one course of action. What the SNP were doing with what I have called "bribes " was quite different. The White Paper on the independence referendum "Scotland's future" goes way beyond a paper detailing the process and certain consequences and, indeed the

I know you see yourself as a cynic and intellectual, you probably introduce yourself as a journalist, in your own eyes the voice of reason. However its snippets like the above that bring your true nature to the fore, you're short sighted and stubborn, you're as much of a cosmopolitan liberal thinker as I am a black man. This 'central belt' you speak of includes many hundreds of thousands of people more affluent than your middle class Highlander's, with many more peaceful and safe areas than Inverness, with even less need for armed police on the streets. 'Central Belt' as you have u

Has crime increased since the police were reorganised? Has there been a sudden surge in crime or a delay in the response to criminal activity that never happened before the centralisation? Has Scotland seen more people burn to death sicne the Fire Service was centralised? Do you feel more vulnerable? Do you think the 'local electorate' would vote for or against an increase in Council Tax, on the promise of more being done locally with the money? I wouldnt be against individual councils have the power to offer it to people as part of council elections. Childcare and Education

To suggest that people had to be tricked into voting for the SNP/Yes on the back of false promises of more money is no different to the proportion of No voters who had to be scared into voting to remain in the Union, without realising the dangers that lay ahead if doing so. The SNP is by a distance the most popular party in Scotland and it isn't necessarily all due to protest votes against New Labour, since 2007 Alex Salmond and the SNP have lead an incredibly efficient government at Holyrood despite the contstraints of the current devolution settlement. They've also done well at council

I'm a bit of a stats geek but it didn't quite work like that. There was a narrow squeeze but not very much when you take YouGov out of it. Now, in UK elections, YouGov has been excellent but poor in Scotland (ICM are far better). The massive narrowing was greatly exaggerated by a change in methodology when YG realised they were hugely underestimating the amount of SNP voters they were picking up. As for broken promises...I suspect many will be upset over what is eventually reached but No would still have won, just more narrowly. What if it would have been Yes? Would the currency union

All of the polls showed a consistent rise in the number of "Don't knows" in the run up to the referendum, promises of more power would certainly have swayed some but never enough to change the final outcome.

I would agree with most of the sentitment there Alex, however I would question the legitimacy of the democratic process when an entire generation of the electorate are relying on a medium with heavy self interest in one outcome, for their information.

I'm not sure why the Yes campaign tried to remain so positive, theres legitimate dangers to staying tied to a country whose national debt is 90% of GDP and has a massive trade and spending deficit, maybe a bit of fear mongering might not have been a bad move? The sad truth is our country is being funded by foreign debt and is overly reliant on financial services in London, when they make a **** of it the rest of the country has to suffer, the Westminister parties have no control themselves over money supply, nevermind Scotland having a say at all. The SNP lost their core support because t