Comments on: Independence question – No country for old men

By: Colin Dunn

Colin Dunn — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:05:14 +0000

Indeed. You should see some of the online discussions about the fonts used in the last US election – Gotham in Obama’s case.

Maybe we could try American Uncial?

By: Colin

Colin — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:00:13 +0000

Am I missing something? This isn’t a “latest suggested independence question”, where is the question mark? It’s a statement that we are asking to affirm or deny. Don’t call it a question, cause it’s not.

By: Doug Daniel

Doug Daniel — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:30:17 +0000

Maybe not at the moment, but they’ll have given it a fair bit of thought by the time the referendum comes. And if people don’t know what they’re voting for when they step into the voting booth, there isn’t a conceivable way of wording the question such that all suddenly becomes clear when they look at their ballot sheet. Unless we’re going to supply every voter with a booklet detailing both sides and stand over them until they’ve read it cover to cover before letting them vote!

Seeing “independent state” instead of “independent country” isn’t suddenly going to make someone think “oh NOW I understand! Why didn’t those people at my door say state instead of country?”

By: Doug Daniel

Doug Daniel — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:11:37 +0000

“Some experts have claimed that by using the words ‘agree’ (rather than disagree, or simply yes/no), ‘country’ (rather than ‘state’), and ‘independent’ (rather than ‘separate’) and giving no reference to the ‘union’ in the question, could give Yes Scotland up to an 8% boost, nearing what they would need to win based on average polling. I do feel that this is unfair, but then again it would be nigh on impossible to find a solution that satisfies both sides.”

Let’s look at this bit another way: using “disagree” instead of “agree”, “state” instead of “country”, “separate” instead of “independent” and giving reference to the “union” in the question, could give Better Together up to an 8% boost.

I definitely feel this is unfair!

By: Duncan Hothersall (@dhothersall)

Duncan Hothersall (@dhothersall) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:23:13 +0000

It may surprise you to learn that I’m not in St Andrew’s House.

By: CW

CW — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:09:48 +0000

There’s not the same negative caveat attached the other option, that’s why. It’s a matter of emphasis.

By: Allan

Allan — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:19:08 +0000

Duncan.

The vast majority of Scot’s are probably waiting for the politicians to stop bickering over the piddling minutiae that is the question for this referendum.

In the meantime, there are much more importaint questions being asked up and down the land. Like where’s my next wage-packet coming from?

By: Craig Gallagher

Craig Gallagher — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:48:41 +0000

I had a few tutors who would say the same thing as well. In fact, I say it myself, but as a historian-in-training I can’t just completely ignore the last twenty years of historiography asking whether we can ever really know the truth of what happens, anywhere. Better to engage with it and come up with an answer yourself. I happen to have decided that you can know.

And your example proves my point. The “truth” as you read it is different from the “truth” I read it. You imply Scotland wouldn’t be independent in the EU, I say that’s preposterous, of course it would, repeat ad finitum

By: Juteman

Juteman — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:35:20 +0000

You just did, Duncan.

By: Iain Menzies

Iain Menzies — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:27:00 +0000

oh i can think of a couple of historians that i had as tutors that might disagree with you on that one.

The retetntion of sterling (which would have to be a temporary arrangement) isnt the biggest problem with ‘independence so much as membership of the EU would be for a country like scotland….