MUST BE OFFICIAL NOW WELL E/NEWS PITY IT TOOK A FORIEGN NEWSPAPER TO GET IT FIRST

6,7,8,9,10 Labour, Labour, MRLP,SNP, Cons

It's likely that all the pro-nationalist parties will get less than a combined 40% of the vote so it's hardly a ringing endorsement for separation by the electorate....

Doesn't seem likely that the UK will break up any time soon (ie 2010) - thank goodness for common sense.

2 mani, ????????????

The only reason that Gordon Brown could be right about Edinburgh South being the "crucial seat" is that if Labour wins it, they'll effectively have subverted the "proportional" voting system and won a bonus seat in Lothians that their share of the vote wouldn't otherwise entitle them to. What's the point of having proportional representation when there aren't enough top-up seats to make the result anything like proportional? In 2003, Labour won 50 seats - their share of the vote on the list ought to have earned them only 39.

#3 independence is the best thing that can happen for Scotland. I see no reason for it to be called separation, nor for the closing of borders.

The real reason for GB to be in Edinburgh was to supervise the burning of documents that are going to prove embarasing for lab, GB was last seen scurrying ower the border and awa dressed as a washer wumin

SPEED BONNIE BOAT WI BURD ON THE RUN

If the business situation in Scotland were different - if we had a range of profitable large companies (instead of a couple of very large Financial companies, a transport company and a brewary), if the current independence model didn't place so much financial emphasis on fast-dwindling oil reserves, if we had a more feasible public/private employment split (ie 40:60 not 50:50) and a renewed national confidence and belief I still wouldn't support separation because it would be hijacked - as it is now by the biggotted anti-english numpties, the caps-in-their-hand socialists and the Braveheart brigade.

#2. Mani: What happen to 1-5, If you really do that will your vote no be invalad!!!!

Or are you suggest that your going to spoil your papper.

Boswall, you give yourself away with your 'separation' tag.

Just like Joke's poke at the Scottish NationalIST Party, It doesn't wash with the electorate. We all worked out after 1997 that your scaremongering was from la la land.

You can continue to be a dinosaur if you like...the rest of us will work out for ourselves how to rid Scotland of illegal wars and sons of nuclear bombs on the Clyde.

NOW'S THE DAY AND NOW'S THE HOUR!

This will be an Historic day; The final nail in the coffin and the beginning of the end of this Godawful union with England, which has brought nothing but misery to Scotland...

Big Eck for First Minister!

It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.

#3. Boswall: Oh so your trying to predict the future!!!! Have you got a crystal ball.

Are you serouly suggesting that people who Vote Labour no matter what have more common sence than those of us who can see the property and positiy of that an independent Scotland would have. Aye, right.

Thouse of us who can think for our selfs will be voting against the Labour party!!!!!!

4&11

STV 1-5 for the acceptable councillors

Eve, stay off the drink.

Well said Eve!

I really hope you are right and that Scotland's people can finally throw of the 'vote for the monkey in the red rosette' tendency we've been known for for half a century.

I'm voting SNP with my constituency vote for the first time (even though my granda' will be birling in his grave). Times have indeed changed and we all need to realise that new Labour bring us nothing but war, tax, bombs and poverty.

See ya Bristow et al.....you've been a big disappointment to all of us!

As an Edinburgh South voter I voted Labour 1 and 2. Good luck everyone.

13 BIG TAM, IF IT IS THE REAL YOU ? MANY THANKS SIR FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS OVER THE YEARS, AND SPEAKING FOR MANY OTHERS WHO STRUGGLED TO HAVE OUR VOICE HEARD. I WOULD ALSO AT THIS TIME PASS ON MY SINCERE CONDOLENCE'S TO YOURSELF AND FAMILY.

Labour have blood on their hands. Its time to get them out. VOTE SNP.

Duncan in Edinburgh - I don't know how you can sleep at night with the hundreds of thousands of Iraqui lives on your conscience. I only hope the rest of the electorate don't suffer from your level of compassion for others!

You and EVERYONE like you who troop out and vote Labour deserve all you get in return.

SHAMEFUL!

#13 - Away and play with your William Wallace dolls.

If you want a bunch of morons in charge and higher taxes, then vote SNP! Independence is a very bad idea to the Scottish economy, dont get me wrong I love Scotland and i'm glad to see his Toniness leaving but having the union makes economical sense.

It's time to put your Country first and vote SNP! Enough is enough as far as Labour are concerned!

#21 It may have escaped your notice, Gill, but this is a Scottish general election, where we vote for MSPs who will form the Scottish Executive. Just because you might choose to vote against a particular party because of things done in Westminster doesn't mean that everyone else should be so illogical. I am voting on the basis of the manifestos laid out before the Scottish public.

In the 2005 general election, having marched against the Iraq war, I also voted against the Labour Party in a protest about the Iraq war. Scotland as a whole voted for the Labour party, but there you go. In this election it would be quite stupid to register a protest vote about the Iraq war, since the Scottish Exec had nothing to do with the decision to go to war.

So don't tell me I have lives on my conscience. This is SCOTTISH ELECTION.

Gill,

Dinae worry it's just AM/AM2/KY pretending to be in glasgow and in edinburgh, quite a feat when he's also in dream land!

It's TIME which is TODAY.

SAOR ALBA

# 25 'In this election it would be quite stupid to register a protest vote about the Iraq war, since the Scottish Exec had nothing to do with the decision to go to war'

Are you mad, and yes we believe your ' Duncan In Edinburgh' mmm hmmm

#26 No, it's Duncan in Edinburgh, who has been posting on the EEN site for years and writing to the letters page for a decade. And who voted against the SNP's unworkable policies today with a great feeling of satisfaction.

It's TIME for Alex Salmond to slope off back to London.

#27 No I'm not mad, and if you weren't new around here you'd know I have been posting for ages and am who I say I am.

How sad that you have been so badly brainwashed you can't even accept that some people genuinely and sincerely disagree with you.

#30 I am entirely serious, thanks. I believe that we should vote in this election based on the manifestos, the Scottish party policies, and the people we think are best placed to run Scotland. Turning this into a protest against the policies of Blair and co. is utter stupidity. We will have to live under the Executive we elect, you now.

just voted snp 1..2..3

Duncan in Edinburgh...

It would be nice if we could all live in your cosy vacuum where what goes on in the rest of the world doesn't affect us or our voting intentions.

It is usually nationalists that are accused of being insular but you take the proverbial biscuit!

I'll vote with my brain AND my conscience - unlike your good self who clearly have full possession of neither. Still, at least you are doing what Joke and Bliar told you to...

#33 It's interesting that you should choose to continue to attack me in that vein. It was indeed from the "cosy vacuum" of Scottish politics that Alex Salmond was able to declare his party's absolute opposition to the Iraq war, in the sure knowledge that he would never have to account for himself in the real world.

If all you can do is ladle out personal abuse (I have full possession of a brain and a conscience, thanks), then your vote is well cast: the SNP is built on people like you.

HI GILL!!!!!

Take it we can put you down as one of the silly silly Braveheart mob then.

"NOW'S THE DAY AND NOW'S THE HOUR!"

Classic.

Seriously, though, rather than just calling someone who disagrees with your views a dinosaur do you actually have any idea how this country would pay its way without relying on handouts from Westminster or Brussles?

Duncan in Edinburgh....

Actually mate - I voted Green with my Party vote so nae luck with your jibe!

(I voted for Angela Constance of the SNP in my Constituency vote because she has been a great Cllr for 10 years and I believe in self-determination as a right, not to mention the right to a referendum)

All that AND I can sleep at night?! No wonder I feel smug today ;-)

Boswall - wrong again!

Anyone who still believes we live in the dark old days of the Empire is a dinosaur - like it or not Scotland has moved on. You should really try to keep up...

Isn't Donald Anderson not just one of the most despised people in Edinburgh? If Brown believes he's going to save Labour then all that shows is that he's more out of touch with reality than any of us might have suspected.

Thanks for making your position clear Duncan. You're one of these guys that's always saying things like the Union gives us (Scotland) a seat at the security council, a voice that can be heard in the world. Of course that's balderdash and we see today how much you believe it yourself. Don't vote on international issues you say, they've nothing to do with the Scottish Parliament. Really and how then are we able to have our voice heard at the security council and on all these other international fora that the Union is supposed to give us access to.

What an insult to your fellow country people - too stupid anbd too small to discuss anything important. Remember your place, shut up and be grateful for what you get. Isn't that your message?

It really is time to get Labour out.

34 DUNC WHOEVER* You say Alex Salmond will never have to account for hinself in the real world. THE REAL WORLD STARTS TOMMOROW, AND ALEX WILL BE STANDING UP AND ACCOUNTING FOR HIMSELF AND THE SNP

#35

Nice tactic - insult your fellow country people. Great to hear that the unionist side has such a high opinion of Scotland and such great ambitions for it and the people who live here.

Check out the disgraceful headlines and stories of todays mainstream newspapers such as the Scottish Sun, The Scottish Daily Mail, the so called Scottish Daily Record, The Scottish Daily Mirror.

These newspapers claiming to be Scottish yet with their HQs and head offices in London is a perfect parallel to how the Union is run and controlled.
The Scottish offices of these papers print only what they are allowed to print and with a bias and spin dictated by their head offices and private owners.
In exactly the same way our country in run within the Union.
For Christ sake Scotland wake up.

Pehman - nice one! ;-)

Dunc's 10 years of letter writing to the EEN have surely been worth it with the SNP plummeting in the polls over this period as a result.

EEN eh? Intellectual rigour doesn't EXACTLY spring to mind for me...nae wonder you're still a Laybur maan!

Eve,

"Oh so your trying to predict the future"

Nope - just looking at the opinion poll results.

"Are you serouly suggesting that people who Vote Labour no matter what have more common sence than those of us "

Nope - I wish everyone would look at the issues at hand and the policies proposed by each party and vote accordingly. Who mentioned Labour?

Oh and as many others have pointed out what has the Scottish Executive this got to do with the Iraq decision making process? Hmmm?

42

Nice one Gill. lol :p

25. Duncan in Edinburgh
" since the Scottish Exec had nothing to do with the decision to go to war.'"
Exactly they had no power to say “NO” on behalf of the WILL of the Scottish people - why is that so hard to understand. Westminster speaks for Scotland. Bl**dy heck, Andorra and Malta have more sovereign powers. How many other Western nations have so little say in international relations as the Scots? OK the Welsh but who else? We also keep on asking the Unionist -- name the small Western nations who regret their independence. You people are saying Scots are less capable than Kiwis (many are just Scots - umpteen times removed), Belgians, Danes and all the others. You defend something that the majority couldn’t give a monkeys about. Let’s repeat that, most people in the UK neither give the Union a serious thought, care about it’s 300th Anniversary nor are discussing it in any great detail.
The defenders of the Union are the Scottish media, with some despicable journalist and a large section of Scots who have never been exposed to anything but ridicule to the idea of Scottish self-government.
You Scottish Unionist are clinging to a romantic idea of a Union that few in the UK share. For the English, they have always sort of considered “hey! we’re England - the UK - Britain - oh! and there’s the ‘Sweaty-socks’ up norff”. Being independent is actually easier than being in a Union, as very, very, very many countries have found. It’s 01:30 AM and was waiting going to watch BBC World Service but it’s the America’s Cup’. Do you have early exit poll predictions?

Gill 42, not quite sure how to take your second comment, me a lab man ?????????? I do admit I tried it, but only once mind, and only because there was no SNP candidate standing, shows you how long it is since I voted lab

41 - Boyce - "The Scottish offices of these papers print only what they are allowed to print..."

Correct. However, you could just as easily have said that the British offices of these papers print only what they are allowed to print. Foreign newspaper proprietors try to influence/change opinion in all countries including England, Scotland and USA.

The media likes to wield power over all, not just the SNP.

Gill,

You're not really on the same page as everyone else. Explain how "The Empire" comes into any of this - and more to the point what does any of this have to do with Star Wars??

You need to *read* what's been posted. I asked how Scotland will survive without Westminster or Brussles.

Your answer?

Scotland is now standing at the threshold of a new era.
How we vote on Thursday will decide whether we step over that threshold to be greeted warmly on the world stage of nations, or whether we opt to be lied to again for another 4 years.
The eyes of the world are upon us, the media of the world is among us, waiting, not to see if we vote labour, they are waiting to see if we take the bold step towards determining our own future.
This election will reverberate around the world, let us all give ourselves the opportunity to have the biggest party of our lives this weekend.
Regardless of personalities there is only one party in this election who have dedicated themselves to Scotland and her people, first, foremost, above all else.
This is our time, we can build a nation, each of us with only one vote,
Scotland waits, the world waits, freedom waits, for us.
Let us make history together on Thursday
S.N.P. 1 2 3

History my friends it is in our hands.

#38 Bobo and #45 Robbie: the blindingly obvious (at least to me) point is that we all have a vote in the UK elections too! And before you start banging on about the small influence of Scotland, please note that it was Scotland's votes that kept Labour in power in 2005. That's *after* the Iraq war. So Scotland has already had its say on the Iraq war, in 2005, and it's judgement was to re-elect Tony Blair. You all seem to conveniently forget this. We already had that vote. This is a Scottish election vote. Vote on the issues!

... every time this Englishman sees Gordon Brown.

It seems that nothing is going to stop yet another professional Scottish politician being Prime Minister of England, a country that does not even exist, politically speaking.

This Englishman can only hope that Scottish people will take a step today that will free both Scotland and England politically and allow the respective countries to be run, for and by, their own people.

well said #39!

No wonder Nationalists come out with some of their more colourful but abusive language when you get clowns like the Ultra-Unionists posting here slagging off Scotland. Westminster handouts? Brussels handouts? These are deeply offensive, desperate arguments to make the Scottish people feel insecure, pathetic, and in need of the gracious English to keep us in our velvet finery.

It wouldn't happen to in other country of the world

41. Boyce
This is so important - where do Scots and the rest of the World get their UK news from - London. Every day on our news channels we get news about the World and English ‘Home Counties’- then everyday (and I mean everyday) we get news of Manchester United - repeat everyday. Scotland - Wales never mentioned. The World gets a London view of Britain constantly and the World has for 300 years. AM, Media and Royster see no problem with this but surely cannot deny it’s true.

The eyes of the world are indeed trained on Scotland today.

What are the early election polls showing? Anyone know?

46 Sorry Pehman!

My 2nd comment was aimed at Duncan, not you. I am soooooo soooooo sorry to have insulted you in this manner!

How awful of me to even suggest a man of your intelligence was a Labour voter.

Can you EVER forgive me??

Vote SNP and save our poor English cousins from Broooon's rule. Its not fair the way us Scots are running things in England.

Free England
Vote SNP

Boswall, you just aren't catching on at all are you?

There are no need for Westminster handouts or handouts from anywhere for that matter. Scotland is rich in natural resources as well as having a wealth of talent in (most) of its people. (Although you are clearly going a long way to disproving this theory!)

Your putdowns of your fellow Scots no longer wash with the electorate (for evidence of this see popularity of Joke, Bliar, Brown-nose et al and the result of their election campaign that used precisely this tactic - and we can talk again tomorrow after the results are known.

Unlike you...I have some faith in the people to do the right thing!

Donald Anderson MSP, good god can you imagine the damage he'll do..If he wins the seat I am moving to another part of the country. He has been a disaster for Edinburgh, millions of pounds of taxpayers money wasted on usless referendums, failed New Labour policies and to top it all the sheer greed of taking a 20 grand pay off just before he stood for election as a MSP.

56 the law say's nothing can be revealed until the poll's close, so you'll not get anything "official" till then, sorry not much help but there are some "leak's" in the system vis the postal votes, possible scandle brewing

57 Gill mines a pint,

Just a few hours left of Socialism in our city !!!

#59

Well, said Gill. When is Boswall going to get it into his head that insulting other Scottish people is not a way to win votes?

Good to see teh SNP spammers out again. #13 I am fighting for freedom! News flash you already live in a free country. Whichever way you try to spin it this, the UK, is a free country.

Can anyone explain why there wasnt simply an SNP on my party list vote rather than the "Alex Salmond for First Minister SNP" ??

Why didnt we have the "Lib Dems, the only party with a leader with a back to front name." or the "SSCUP, we like pensioners more than you!" The old tartan tin cup mentality sneaks out again from the SNP, why cant they help themselves from being so tacky?

#63

And all those Labour apparatchiks out of a job in juts a few hours. Hundreds of them, Ministers, MSPs, cooncillors, "staff", special advisers, party officials, all in one fell swoop. The excitement is mounting..............

Thanks for the reply pehman!

50. Duncan in Edinburgh
#38 Bobo and #45 Robbie: ....” please note that it was Scotland's votes that kept Labour in power in 2005. “ Right - Duncan and this emphasises a great flaw in Scottish political decisions ‘traditional voting’. It was this traditional Labour votes ( that SNP supporters cannot understand) that did the dastardly things you mention. They cannot realise that Tory Tony with his wealthy (I’m not against wealth- we should all suffer from it) lifestyle and houses is not what they envisaged the Labour Party to be ie., representing them, the poor and downtrodden. They can remain poor and downtrodden - while Labour politicians grow richer and yet as the years pass, they still say, “We always vote Labour - my father did and his father did - that’s good enough for me.” Not saying all but many have not been encouraged either at school, home or through reading the daily newspapers but get al their political ideology from the Daily Record - nuff said?

#65

Eh....nobody forced the other parties to run crap campaigns.

47

No argument there but I am not concerned so much about how the newspapers are run I am just using them as an example as to show how this Union is also run. It is not run for our benefit in Scotland but for the benefit of those who control it outside of Scotland.

Hugh T & Gill

It must be great in your world where money apparently just appears out of nowhere....wealth generated by the power of positive thought and naivety alone.

And in the real world when you ask a relatively simple question like "where's the money coming from" all you get as a response is allegations of being unpatriotic or even better - an ultra nationalist.
Like that would be a bad thing even if I was.

We'll resume this tomorrow.

#68 Fair enough, and well done to the SNP for apparently shaking that up a bit at this election.

I still stick firm to the view that what we are about today is electing the next Scottish Executive, not "sending a message to Blair about the war" or any such thing. The government of Scotland is too important, in my view, to be put in second place by an anti-war protest vote which will not affect the warmongers.

69 BOBO, Excelent

71 - Boswall

More doom and gloom eh? Must be like living with Alf Garnet in your head.

Like u say - tomorrow, same time (ish), same place. Pehman - fancy joining us? There's a few bottles of Stella and Magners in the fridge...

Bobo - you're invited as well, as is Eve and before I get accused of being racist or exclusive...as many of you Unionist naysayers are invited as choose to be here...that really will be fun!

45. Robbie,

'they had no power to say “NO” on behalf of the WILL of the Scottish people'

---------------------------

No they didn't. But the Scottish people did have the power in 2005 and what did they do? Vote FOR the Iraq war by voting Labour.

I have to side with Duncan - we had our chance in 2005 for real change on the war issue and never took it. So vote for the issues at hand this time round.

As for blood on hands - everyone in this nation has I am afraid, but that is democracy for you.

#73

Thanks........

IT'S TIME

Independence is normality and it looks like our people are finally waking up to the fact that the Labour party are a waste of space.

Hopefully the shrieking headlines of the red tops will be seen for the garbage they are. The Record is calling for people to vote TORY to keep the SNP out!

The union doesn't work. I (stupidly) went to uni in England and am shocked that english journalists can call for bomb to be detonated in Scotland and constantly whine and moan about Scots call us racist and write REALLY derogatory comments then brag that their racist views are endorsed by most of the english readers and have the brass neck to call SNP voters racist. Everyone complains about the Scots hating the english when it's the other way about.
Boycot the Daily Express and the Daily Mail. Vote SNP and save Scotland from these idiots

74 that would be great, next time am passing through, but am a 70 shilling man

another coincidence - so's ma dad! ;-D

78 JOE M, your kidden me on--- the retard's telling Scots to vote tory,,,,,,,, really??????? THE LABOUR POLLS HAVE BEEN COUNTED THEN, AND PROBABLY THE LOST POSTAL VOTE AS WELL, Joe I'll hae yir barins man, you've made my day already

The SNP can thank two of the most unpopular men in Scotland(and the UK) for their late boost, the visits of Brown and Bliar!

Yoo Hoo! I voted too! I had to vote SNP though, cos otherwise my bf says he'll cheat on me. (Like he hasn't already!)

I have just ONE question. Where are all the good-looking men in this election?? How can I vote for the cutest when there's no-one there even as remotely cute as my own sweet self??

Maybe next year, we'll set up the The Cuties Party.

Glorfindel
(hugs and kisses xxx)

After what labour have put us through and still are, if we don't vote them out now we deserve all we get.

Side kicks of america going into war on their say so and locally plunged into debt by this stupid tram and transport chaos.

Most of my voting life has been to vote labour because they talked a good game and I hoped they would provide.
Turns out all I got was to listen to them talk a good game.

Get rid of them.

Boswall

Maybe you would like to explain to us where Labour is going to get the money from to pay for their election promises if it isnt from their favourite skimming the population scheme of large annual increases of the council tax (No wonder they want to keep it) and the introduction of brand new taxes like taxing the profits made on selling your home. Oh yes I have heard that proposal is sitting with the executive at the moment as well as with the Treasury in Westminster just waiting for them to get another large majority through the next elections.

Duncan

You can quite happily shut your eyes to the lies, deceipt, corruption, law breaking and tax theft by this Labour party because you claim to think their manifesto is better than any of the others in regards to the Governance of Scotland.
And still claim to be a typical concerned voter.
Give us a break.

JOE 78, JUST HEARD ON BBC NEWS 24, TODAY IS WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY, KINDA IRONIC INIT

To Duncan in Edinburgh
You are right we should vote on policies and Labour have completely failed.

Today is not for a vote on Independance or a War protest vote but for a change in the way Scotland is run.

The SNP may have declared a referendum in 2010 but will a majority really vote for it, who knows? i guess they will have to prove themselves first.

The SNP got my vote today for the first time. I am not convinced on Independance but I am prepared to give them the chance to prove they can make a better job of governance.

#90 Fair play to you. At least you're voting on the issues in front of you instead of on a grievance behind you.

Having recently returned from living in England I found the English hatred of all things Scottish sickening, particularly since the most outspoken tended to be those numpties who had lived abroad and only came home to their beloved England when they needed the NHS or their pensions.
Before I went to England I was a Unionist, after six months I headed north for the Border at high speed and now independence cannot come soon enough. The Engish are the destroyers of Scotland not their paymasters as they repeatedly moan. The number of English people owning second or even third homes in the Borders has meant far too many Scots cannot afford their own home and some communities are turning into ghost towns because there is no one living in the houses for most of the year. The Daily Express journalist Virginia Blackburn suggested on St Andrew's day that they should bomb the Union Canal and today her latest diatribe says the English are well rid of us. While her views may well be coloured by the fact her Scottish boyfriend chucked her it seems that political correctness and racial discrimination does not extend to Scots in England since I see no action is being taken against her for inciting racial hatred. Let Ms Blackburn and all the whinging Moaning Minnies in England see how the English manage without our soldiers to fight their wars, our oil to bolster their economy and our taxes to pay for English white elephants like the Dome, Wembley and the Olympics.

Vote to stop sub-contracting out your economy when we have the lowest standard of living in western Europe, highest incidence of child poverty, worst health record and highest incidence of violent crime in the developed world. And that's on the back of supplying the second largest consumer of oil on the planet and also at a time when we have to positively discriminate to get Scottish people into Edinburgh University. THAT's the reality of the Union I'm afraid

#13 Hear, hear
It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.

If these words dinnae stir ye, yer deid

Where's AM2 when you need him

#69 Its not about crap campaigns its about the SNP showing what they really are. A one man band

#95 good to see you thought about your vote.

vote with your head, not your heart.

93

Its not their fault. Since Devolution the English have been bombarded with propaganda mainly from the media but also from some opertunist MPs regading Scotlands reported excesive slice of the UK cake.
They are constantly informed by their press and its reinforced by a few MPs that we subsistance junkies are getting more and more every year from the UK purse and contributing less and less.
They actually believe the Barnett formula is some kind of conspiricy that allows the Scots more than they are entitled to because nobody in the press down South will explain to them it is derived and paid for by North Sea Oil revenues.
The West Lothian question is really upsetting them no end and I for can understand why.
I have always said this devolution set up is a bad joke in very bad taste and the sooner we are shot of it the better both Scotland and England will be.
But as long as the majority of the people in this country are going to allow themselves to be deceived and terrified into believing we need the Union we are going to continue in this vein with the Union being slowly torn apart by grievence instead of by a quick clean break.
The break up is inevitable its just a question of whether its going to be quick and clean or slow and painful for all.

My father had a good take on independence when he said but how could Scotland manage without oil and if we weren't in the EU and if the English decided not to pay our pensions and if the sky wasn't blue and the water wasn't clear. In other words all those who say Scotland can't stand on its own take the pessimiwstic view of what if everything goes wrong and everything is taken from us. I have news for people in England and Scotland who hold these views, Scotland cannot any longer be held to ransom as was our one and only colony that was blockaded by the English so virtually bankrupting us into a union with them. Things have moved on and are far more civilised and believe it or not you can't go taking someone elses ball from them anymore without suffering the consequences. Scotland will do fine if it ever gets independence and I'm sure the shakeout North and South of the border will do us all good, including the saddos who knock people in either country. I think it is not exactly inevitable that an independent Scotland would be richer per head than England but it is certainly very very likely to be after ten years or so.

I am English voting for the SNP, as i believe, as do the United Nations, that every country is allowed the right to self determination, why should Scotland be denied this opportunity?
Can any unioists please ansewr this querie;
We have Scots at the highest level in Westminster, Europe,UEFA, also running global companies across the world, we are the forefront of technilogical science, etc, yet we can't make a success of Scotland, a country which produces 5 times the amount of energy that we use?
Answers on a postcard please.

I am English voting for the SNP, as i believe, as do the United Nations, that every country is allowed the right to self determination, why should Scotland be denied this opportunity?
Can any unionists please answer this query;
We have Scots at the highest level in Westminster, Europe, UEFA, also running global companies across the world, we are the forefront of technological science, etc, yet we can't make a success of Scotland, a country which produces 5 times the amount of energy that we use?
Answers on a postcard please.

Sorry i posted before i done the spell check!
British National Anthem writted after a victory over the Jacobite's;
Lord Grant that Marshall Wade
Made by thy Mighty Aid
Victory Bring
May he sedition Crush
And like a Torrent Rush
Rebllious Scots To Crush
God Save The Queen
END LONDON RULE
SCOTTISH NOT BRITISH

#102 We heard you the first time.

And the short answer to your ridiculous question is that we ARE making a success of Scotland. We HAVE a Scottish government. Run by Scots. We are in the process of electing the next one. Let's hope it too can successfully run Scotland.

Sorry i posted before i done the spell check!
British National Anthem written after a victory over the Jacobite's;
Lord Grant that Marshall Wade
Made by thy Mighty Aid
Victory Bring
May he sedition Crush
And like a Torrent Rush
Rebellious Scots To Crush
God Save The Queen
END LONDON RULE
SCOTTISH NOT BRITISH

Sorry posted again without spellchecking- in a hurry!

#95 oh! oh I voted with my head alright, I want my country back in the hands of scotsman/women. To be govened by people who are as passionate as me about this great country of ours and not by the liar at westminster. A liar who discounted the opinions the majority who were against sending our young men and women to an illegal war, including my son who thankfully came home, many did not. Switch onto sky news and you will note another soldier killed today, for what? you pompous twat.

93

Yes, although I don't live in England, I too have been sickened by the racist and vile comments made daily on English newspaper response boards. It is truly disgraceful. Nationalist supporters in Scotland are accused of being racist and anti-English. In my experience the opposite is true. Yes nationalists in Scotland are proud of their own country, but in the main, save for a few numpties, they tend not to be aggressive towards the English. If you read a lot, not just some, a lot, of the posts on English newspapers you'd be appalled at the vitriol and slurs made against this country and her people.

If you swapped 'Scot' for 'Jew' in their posts, the law would be down on them like a ton of bricks.

I've actually stopped reading them now, the views expressed are so hideously arrogant, ignorant and abusive it makes for very depressing reading. Nothing excuses that sort of wanton behaviour.

#107 Without belittling the issue of Iraq, which I too am opposed to - and also without stooping to your level of insult - can I again point out that this is a Scottish election. We had the chance to vote out Blair and his warmongering cronies in the UK government in 2005, and we DIDN'T. Indeed Scotland ensured with her Labour majority that Blair was returned to power. THIS election is nothing to do with Blair. If you aren't going to vote on the issues of the election in my view you shouldn't vote at all.

With all the comments above there is one thing that seperates both ideological camps. You are either Scottish or Scottish and British. I cannot help thinking that if folk could accept this fact before posting then there might be less animosity.

I can accept that this is a turning point in SNP history and everyone is getting excited and fearing of a Labour upsurge at the end but this is and should be something we are all privelged to witness. I know many good people who simply thought that being Scottish was a natural thing. I have known those who have now passed away dreaming of the moment we are now living Heres to them and to the SNP

#108 I think the case has always existed in one way or another.

When English football was plagued by violence, headlines always quoted "British Fans" or "British Shame". However when those same fans were well behaved "English fans" would be welcomed with open arms. It all comes down to a matter of reporting.

Personally, I am not in favor of a breaking of the union. Probably a fear of the unknown, however I will say, voting strongly for Scots based ministers and a Scots based party does give an English Government cause to take notice.

Duncan in Edinburgh :
What was the ridiculous part of the question?
Are you uptight about something? you appear stressed?

104

And when the SE of England decide to vote for Cameron and the Tories where will we be then with a Lab/Lib pact in Scotland? where will all of this so called Scottish influence be?
And all of this trouble the SNP are supposed to be going to cause a possible Labour government in Westminster. Wouldnt the same trouble and problems be created with a Lab/Lib pact in Scotland and a Tory Government in Westminster?

I hope that all of you out there will have voted for independence after 2010 (once the independence reference has been won of course) and an end to London rule, as I have done.

I hope also, that you will have voted to rid the City Chambers of those New Labour Councillors who spend so much of their time wining and dining with international guests, supposedly trying to promote Edinburgh's international image as a Festival City when they can't even sort out their own back yard properly.

If you haven't done so yet, there is still plenty of time as the polling stations are open until 10 o' clock tonight.

Just make sure that you get your vote in, and that you vote for an end to London rule.

#113 The ridiculous part was your "we are being told that we can't run our country" line. We ARE running our country now.

YIPEE!! INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM FROM LONDON RULE, HERE WE COME!!!

#114 No. Because neither the Lib Dems nor Labour have made manifesto commitments that require a change to the constitutional settlement. How many times do I have to explain this to you Boyce?

116 - DUNCAN DONUT

And if someone tosses you a bone you'll feel you have been fed.

112 - GREY

A good, honest opinion. Thanks.

LA

101 - FIRST MINISTER

That's too many empirical facts for the opposition to digest, FM. And not cutting and pasting the information unnerves them.

Here's to the celebrations.

LA

#94 Gregorf:

"...we have the lowest standard of living in western Europe, highest incidence of child poverty, worst health record and highest incidence of violent crime in the developed world..."

That's Labour's Scotland.

The Chief Executive of a Labour-controlled Local Authority can get paid a six-figure salary for years. At 50 he can organise himself an early retirement package with another six figure lump sum, and a gilt-edged index-linked pension. Then, a few months before he takes his early retirement, he can commission an external consultant to discover that the job for which he's been picking up his six-figure salary for all those years is in fact completely unnecessary, and the Authority would run more efficiently without it. So now he can get a six-figure redundancy package as well as his six-figure early retirement lump sum and his gilt-edged index-linked pension. Oh boy. And it's all taxpayer funded...

That's Labour's Scotland

At the other end of the scale, people - a lot of people - live on a pittance of government-controlled benefits. If they should dare to try to get a job, they'll be taxed straight back into poverty - actual poverty. If they should dare to think of voting for some other party than Labour, they'll be bombarded with a blizzard of trash tabloid propaganda telling them that their pittance of benefits will be taken away and they'll find themselves on the streets...

That's Labour's Scotland.

I can understand the Record and Sun-reading drones voting Labour. A whole Labour-owned construct exists to breed them as drones, educate them as drones, and use them as drones.

The people that I don't get are the ones who can read a broadsheet, work a computer, and type on a keyboard, and who come on here boasting about how they voted Labour.

There are still hours to go. Get people out there voting. Get them voting for change. Get them voting SNP. Get them voting anything but Labour.