<p>I hope no, but I bet yes.</p>
<p>I watched a stoopid news summary on Yahoo that traced this matter back to the Acts of Union in 1707 (birth of the U.K.). Had they never heard of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce? At the very least, had they not seen Braveheart? This sore has been festering for A LONG TIME. I would not be surprised at a victory for Scottish Independence.</p>
<p>Won’t Scotland be in a much worse situation economically if they vote Yes? Most of the wealth of the UK is in England, not Scotland, notwithstanding the North Sea oil. Would Scotland still depend on England for its defense? </p>
<p>I have several friends in Scotland and a niece-in-law who is a Scot (she lives here so cannot vote) and hey are all supporting independence. </p>
<p>My prediction though is the No’s are going to eke out a win. </p>
<h1>21 speaking of Braveheart, here’s a Scots Wha Hae - Braveheart video</h1>
<p><a href=“Scots Wha Hae- Braveheart - YouTube”>Scots Wha Hae- Braveheart - YouTube;
<p>Hey, how can the citizenry go against Agent 007 Sean Connery? Probably the most ardent Scot Nationalist. And I am still upset that Brits beheaded Vanessa Redgrave, Queen of Scots. LOL</p>
<p>I think the Yes vote will prevail…but by a razor thin margin.</p>
<p>Can’t the queen just sic Northumberland on them? Where are the Percys and the Howards when you need them?</p>
<p>I am Scottish and slight annoyed I don’t get a vote as I live in the US- but the 16 year olds do!</p>
<p>The Yes voice has been getting louder and more media attention lately. When I have messaged friends and family back home they are voting NO. I ave 2 friends on fb that post a lot of YES info.( annoyingly so)</p>
<p>My family is split. H is a yes, I am No. I think it will be close, but the No Thanks will win.</p>
<p>It’s a good thing for the No vote that they aren’t broadcasting Outlander there, is all I can say! :)</p>
<p>They can’t give “Scottish” people living abroad a vote because currently Scottish is not a nationality. Many Americans for example call themselves “Irish” (because that’s by far the most fashionable nationality) even though it’s 10 generations since any member of their family set foot in Ireland, and they are 90% the genes of other nationalities as well (and all non-Americans think you are crazy people when you introduce yourself as Irish in a group of strangers. Sorry, they are not impressed). If self-proclaimed Scottish people abroad were given a vote, the entire issue would be decided by millions of people with no links to Scotland at all, while another million who actually live there would be denied a vote.</p>
<p>I am concerned that if it’s a yes it might all get VERY nasty for ordinary people. For example. imagine you are an ordinary person who works at an airport in England, but were born in Scotland. Are you now a security risk? Will you lose your job? No-one knows the answers to these questions. </p>
<p>I am also worried about Scottish universities, and especially research. There are NO plans on how to fund Scottish universities on independence. As I did a PhD here, I know lots of people working in academia, mostly as research scientists. Quite a few of them work in Scotland now (in fact I went to Glasgow for my vacation to visit one of them) The SNP says they will apply to UK and EU funding bodies for research grants. As if everything will be the same and all nice and friendly. No funding body would have any responsibility to fund anything in Scotland, so why would they? My friends are very worried about their jobs (in fact I have already been house hunting in England with a friend who has decided to jump ship). A lot of new jobs in many industries are on hold depending on the result of the referendum. </p>
<p>Becoming a republic is totally a separate issue. The Queen would still be queen of an independent Scotland, just like she is queen of Canada, Australia, India etc. Having said that, the SNP began life in the 1970s as some kind of republican party I believe, so a later vote on this is possible.</p>
<p>@cupcake, I too am wondering about the universities. What about existing funding grants, are they just going to cancel everything?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Of course they can. Expatriate UK nationals who are registered voters in Scotland could easily be granted the right to vote in this election, just like I, an expatriate US national living overseas, can vote in US elections in which I am a registered state voter.</p>
<p>I have plenty of expat Scottish friends/associates who are livid about being excluded from this decision that will impact which passport they hold. Some of them could lose their work visas if EU citizenship is lost.</p>
<p>FYI
<a href=“http://online.wsj.com/articles/expatriates-must-sit-out-scotland-independence-vote-1410880706”>http://online.wsj.com/articles/expatriates-must-sit-out-scotland-independence-vote-1410880706</a></p>
<p>Can you vote in local and state elections, GMT? I thought expats could only vote in federal elections. And this is a local election-- it’s not for the whole UK, but only for people living in Scotland, just like the California governor’s race is only for California.</p>
<p>@Cardinal, I dunno. I never seem to file for the absentee ballots on time. 
</p>
<p>It’s ironic that foreign nationals who are presently residents in Scotland can vote on this issue. Can you imagine the color of your passport being determined by a Frenchman??? </p>
<p>@cupcake</p>
<p>I am a British Citizen, my nationally is Scottish.</p>
<p>Have a read at this
<a href=“Wikipedia:Nationality of people from the United Kingdom - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Nationality_of_people_from_the_United_Kingdom</a></p>
<p>The all important celeb opinions:</p>
<p>YES
Sean Connery
Annie Lennox
Vivienne Westwood</p>
<p>NO
JK Rowling
Mick Jagger
David Bowie
Helena Bonham Carter
Patrick Stewart
David Beckham
Susan Boyle
Sir Paul McCartney
Sir David Attenborough
Dame Judi Dench
Simon Cowell </p>
<p>" Many Americans for example call themselves “Irish” (because that’s by far the most fashionable nationality) even though it’s 10 generations since any member of their family set foot in Ireland, and they are 90% the genes of other nationalities as well (and all non-Americans think you are crazy people when you introduce yourself as Irish in a group of strangers. Sorry, they are not impressed)."</p>
<p>Wow, cupcake, you have something against us Irish-Americans? Not sure why you drug us into the debate. I think you could say the same thing about Italian-Americans, and others in this country. My mother was born in Ireland, so I am entitled to Irish citizenship, as are my children. I have not exercised that right, but several of my sisters and nieces and nephews have, which has made it easier for them to live and work in EU countries.</p>
<p>The friends I have in Scotland are no votes (Scots and non). But they are a small number. Curious how my uncle is voting - another non Scot living in Scotland. He travels extensively in Europe (still hikes the Alps for several weeks a year and is 70 in couple of months - closer to my age than my Mum’s). A very interesting though quirky man (wears leather plus fours even when visiting London) I wonder if his love of travelling in Europe would impact his decision.</p>
<p>I think there will be a lot of complicated issues if there is a yes vote and they have not been addressed. Several big banks including the Bank of Scotland have already said they will move their bases to England (I believe to do with maintaining the backing of the Bank of England). I’m curious how things like the National health system would work. </p>
<p>I do think there should have been some way for Scots not living there to get a vote. I’m not talking about people of Scotttish descent that have never lived there (half the world could vote then including me, my husband & kids and all main laws). You’d think there would be a way of certifying people who were born there so they can vote.</p>
<p>It seems to me that the No vote is a vote for fear. </p>