Westcoaster

There is a growing support for independence in Scotland, politics has changed forever since the independence referendum, evidenced by 56 out of the 59 Scottish MPs being from the SNP and the polls suggesting a landslide towards the SNP in the forthcoming Scottish government elections on May 5th. However, my point is that an out vote in the EU referendum is a trigger point to speed up that process, bringing it forward by several years. So in terms of the Scotland v England argument, the strong euro scepticism in England may take the UK out of the EU, which may be against the voting wishes of the Scots, the Welsh and the folks in Ulster, which may in turn cause the break up of the UK. Leaving the EU has many potential unintended consequences, it's very important that people vote with a rounded knowledge and not from a rabid distrust of 'foreigners'.

When I compare the EU and US, I mean in terms of trade and as a manufacturing and R&D block, not to emulate the USA's healthcare or gun obsession!

Yes and you know that it is ridiculous to suggest that Scotland couldn't 'survive' on it's own There will be absolutely no pull or say with the EU if we are out of it! Scotland was told prior to the referendum that we wouldn't be able to join the EU if we became independent and that the only way to guarentee staying in Europe was to vote No in the independence referendum. Now it looks that we may be out anyway! Legally, perhaps it can be argued that England leaves and that the others who wish to stay can retain the membership? Who knows? I sincerely hope so!

The two referendums are linked, the exit of the UK from the EU will prompt another Independence referendum in Scotland, which is a consequence that those who think that the 'UK' will be stronger out of Europe, have not realised or considered. Leaving the EU is about a lot more than complaining about the numbers of Romanian car washers, Polish plumbers or Lithuanian labourers, it is about potentially losing trade, peace, economic integration and the desire to make Europe a genuine competitor to the US. I find it very depressing that there is a dearth of hard facts about the consequences and potential benefits of leaving and for staying in the EU. The right wing press have their agenda and will create another climate of fear to influence the decision of the ill-educated and ignorant, just as they did in the Scottish independence referendum. There are a few on here who have an inflated opinion of just how important the UK is in the modern world, get over yourselves! Make no mistake, we need Europe more than they need us. The UK has been a reluctant and recalcitrant member of the EU since Thatcher's time, frankly, I'm sure many EU governments would happily like to see the back of us. To mis-quote Lyndon B Johnston, it's better to be on the inside pissing out of the tent than on the outside trying to piss in. The EU is far from perfect, but it's better to work to make it work more effectively, than simply flounce out and not have a fall back position.

If your 'two states' are Scotland and England, I'm right behind you!

The graphic doesn't tell you which are the most densely populated areas, a hint is that they are blue on the map!

Really? The 45% who wanted independence is growing and the second vote is inevitable. If the majority of voters vote to stay in the EU, I take it we won't hear any more from you 'outers' then?

Are you changing your position to a yes vote? It seems like you've talked yourself around!

Not so, as the 18th ranked by population, Scotland could expect to have 13 MEP's, rather than the 8 that Westminster has 'allocated' us. Finland has 13 MEP's and has a smaller population than Scotland. All EU nations are equal by treaty and voting rights.

You get the government you voted for, we in Scotland have to rely on our own parliament to control the devolved issues and make the choices that the people in Scotland want. The Scottish Parliament has to balance it's budget every year, not like George Osborne and his obtuse view on how to reduce a deficit by making it many times larger than it was at the start of the "financial crisis'" I can only bring my Scottish based view point to the EU in/Out referendum, if it doesn't match the majority here, so be it. Polls are already showing a greater wish to stay in the EU amongst Scot's voters, but then we do things differently up here.

Because Scotland would be treated as an equal within the EU, not in a second class manner at present, represented by a political party that has only one MP in Scotland. Scotland's fishing, farming and food sectors are very poorly represented in the EU at present by a combination of English tory MP's and Tory Lords who have no interest or experience of these important Scottish industries. The elected Scottish MP's are prevented from being directly involved in trade negotiations. Better representation in Europe will allow Scotland to grow it's markets there, as high quality food and drink products are exactly what the europeans want.

Are you sure? Looking at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_of_Europe makes me think we are at the higher end of the tax burden when you include National insurance and the other 'stealth' taxes. Why would these treaties still be valid when England is outside the EU? The change of status wil make them null and void. This graphic sums up the situation from a non English UK perspective: [ATTACH=CONFIG]209538[/ATTACH]

Nope, but their direct intervention has helped preserve many food and drink products from copycats and counterfeiters through PGIs and PDOs.

Definite and unequivocal vote to stay in. The EU is the major (and very willing) recipient of what is grown, fished, brewed and distilled in my part of the world. As an advocate of Scottish independence, it will be intriguing to see the Tories inadvertently break up the United Kingdom when they try to drag Scotland out of the EU, or, more amusingly, if the Scottish vote keeps the UK in! It'll be a sad day when England is an isolated and overcrowded basket case vying to become the 51st US state, what are you going to do when 2.25 million English emigrants return from their homes in the EU? Trade agreements take years, if not decades to set up fairly, so good luck with that.

Cool, I'll look out for the deposit facility. I'm really keen on the boat trip, so I will be suggesting that Kirsteen brings a book or similar if she wants to be a landlubber! I may be in for the boat trip yet.

As previously said, twin room en suite for Kirsteen & me, so is that £130 + £40 = £170 deposit and full payment? Sadly no boat trip as Kirsteen gets seasick on small boats {And I'm too scared of her wrath to leave her behind!}

Silver Supra refuelling today around 4.00 p.m. at the Esso garage in Lochgilphead. Anyone from on here?

Naturally, as a Scot I have an inherent antipathy towards the tories and to whatever hooray henry leader they have at the moment..... However, you really have to marvel at David Cameron's arrogance in believing that he could push an unpopular deal (in European eyes) through 27 other states and hang an in/out referendum on the deals 'success'. Personally, I think that there will be a close vote to stay in the EU, with only a few percent in it. This will be close enough that it will create merry hell with the UKIP'ers and the Out voters, pushing the tories into their usual factional struggles, with Cameron jumping early and leaving the tory leadership to Gideon or Boris. On the bright side, if there is a yes vote, I'll look forward to IndyRef 2, as EC exit is a trigger for the second Scottish Independence referendum!

Hi Wull, back in 2009 I was in a similar position to where you find yourself and had a list of cars I wanted to buy as a powerful weekend drive. I had my heart set on an air cooled 911 and I looked at around 12 - 15 all over Scotland and the north of England and saw a lot of shiny $hite. I then changed my sights and looked for a Skyline R32 and went to a garage in Bradford to look at one and saw a Supra in the flesh for the first time and loved to look of it. I test drove it and was instantly hooked on the power and the road presence it has. The build quality is top notch and the reliability is fantastic for a 20 year old car (mines is a '93 TT) I can confidently say it's a keeper. I say go for it, finding a good one is not too difficult, but don't be too fussy, the auto version has a great 'box and the JDM version is not as 'inferior' to the UK spec as some would have you believe. I say go for it!

Living in Argyll and being involved in the re-settlement of refugees in another part of Argyll, I can confidently advise that the Daily Fail article is inaccurate in many ways - they have an agenda and they won't let the truth get in the way of that. In the local press and on social media locally, the biggest moaners appear to be incomers to the island from other parts of the UK and see no irony at moaning about 'immigrants'!!

http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/community-safety/-/journal_content/56/10180/3510492/ARTICLE#Costs will explain it for you.

This is not aimed at you personally, but I hear of a lot of people complaining that the roads aren't gritted and that it is somehow the local authority's fault that the roads are slippy. If you must drive in winter, then you need to drive to the conditions and leave plenty of room to stop and you need to equip your car to cope with the conditions such as fitting winter tyres - even in the southern half of the UK. For that reason, the Supra only gets driven when the temperature is >6C and there is no snow or ice forecast because it wears summer tyres. If you drive your car like it's June and it's wearing summer tyres then eventually you will have an accident. Having said all that, I'm glad you weren't injured!

The parallel lines will have been caused by a carpet stretcher when the carpets were originally fitted - not sure what's causing the staining though. A professional cleaner may know how to clean the stain. EDIT Possibly known as draught marks! http://www.cleanercarpets.org/draughtmark.html

A BRG 1974 Sunbeam Imp Sport, loved that car and foolishly swapped it for a Mk2 Granada and cash

I consider myself to be left wing, but I've never voted for Labour and consider most of their MPs to be snivelling, corrupt, self-serving, hypocritical barstewards that wouldn't get my piss in the event of their own combustion..................... But then the tories are even worse! Therefore as a socialist I do not feel the need to defend the record of that woman - she isn't a socialist, or even vaguely left wing in my book. [EDIT] Just studied the picture carefully, wasn't she in the opening scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey?