English Hating Scots - Do You Still Believe Salmond

Why do English people still want to retain Scotland?

It's about love and family And divorceMost of us in England have at least one relative from one of the other home nations. Other than during the Rugby, the English never saw any reason to dislike the Scottish - like in any family, what was ours was theirs, we boasted of their successes like our own etc. I have been to Scotland more often than the north of England and saw no reason why a boy from Scotland who won his first final on Wimbledon courts playing in an Olympic GB vest is any less ��mine’ than if he were from Northumbria (either way, it's not like I played a shot).…and most Scots we meet are lovely. There is a large Scottish contingent in London and they do not go round saying they dislike the English (other than during the Rugby). Or no more than the Northerners tease us Southerners anyway ;)It was therefore a huge surprise to many English people how much many Scottish people disliked us. During the referendum, much of the prejudice against the English came to the surface and the referendum spotlight landed on it and it was reflected back to us further south. Us Southerners had been so busy teasing the Welsh, the Australians and anyone else we play Rugby against that we hadn’t realised that many Scots really meant what they said.'The referendum felt like a partner suing for a divorce. A lot of things were said that can’t be unsaid, and the relationship on the English side started to sour as a result of the referendum. We had not cared about the Scots getting a larger portion of our communal pie before (many live in rural areas and we understood that rural services can cost more to deliver) but when we saw a minority throw this back in our faces, a fair number of people quietly in their heads noted ‘ah, so thst’s how it is, is it? Okay’. This doesn't mean that there will be active agression against the Scots in any way, more of a ‘bugger them then’ kind of attitude - if they don’t want us, why should we pay them extra. Let them go their own way and stew in their own juices…

Are the English starting to be fed up with the Scots, given their seemingly fair weather approach to being British?

I'm Scottish, a nationalist, and a member of the SNP.I have never understood why the English/British establishment, and English people generally, seem so keen to prevent Scotland from leaving the Union.After all, they constantly tell us that Scotland is “too wee, too poor, too stupid” to survive as an independent nation. They tell us that England subsidises Scotland, that Scotland is dependent on England’s hand-outs.So, if we're such a burden, why on earth don't they want us to leave? Think of all the money they'd save!(The truth is, of course, that these arguments are based on a false premise. England doesn't subsidise Scotland).I should point out that I hold no racist views about English people (or any other people, for that matter).But I am genuinely puzzled by the lengths to which the British establishment has gone to keep Scotland within the Union. Some people will say they want to keep control of Scotland’s oil, or they need somewhere to park their Trident nuclear missiles. But surely that can't be the whole story?Maybe we're just seeing the last vestiges of the British Empire, determined to keep hold of its most important colony.

Who has Alex Salmond upset, more throwing dirt. What is to be gained?

As the matter is now sub judice, the law and criminal justice system will have to run its course. At this juncture Mr. Salmond is entitled to the presumption of innocence although the Crown in the person of the Procurator Fiscal, must believe it has sufficient evidence of criminal behaviour with which to charge him. Given the gravity of the charges, I expect in due course this will go to the High Court of Justiciary and be prosecuted by the Lord Advocate or one of his Advocates Depute acting for the Crown, rather than the Sheriff Court where the PF is the prosecuting agent. The complainants also have a right to have their version of events investigated by the police and acted upon under the due processes allowed for in criminal proceedings for such alleged offences according to the Law of Scotland.

What do Scots think of Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP?

Scotland is blessed at the moment with two very good political leaders in Edinburgh. Nicola Sturgeon for the nationalists and Ruth Davidson for the unionists. I say blessed because without these two highly capable individuals at the helm Scottish politics could look very different.Sturgeon has so far proved in Scotland to be a steady captain who has made her points and steered a clear course through extremely choppy waters. The temptation to call a snap second election against the wishes of Westminster had been resisted and she has worked to pull a level of consensus together between the parties in Scotland to find if not a common way forward at least some common ground to build on. That this is appreciated is reflected in her approval ratings.On the other side is Ruth Davidson leader of the Scottish conservatives. This is no easy job as the party was more or less wiped out in Scotland in the wake of Thatcher and her ultra-Tory Stooges that ruled in Scotland for too long. Davidson has presented the case for the union unequivocally but in a way that the Scottish people can accept. She has also proved to be a capable leader of the opposition who is willing to compromise where needed.I for one wish both of the women well. In another time we could have had two reactionary characters in charge who could would lead is all down the road to ruin. I just wish that some who live in England could appreciate how delicate the situation is.