Alex Salmond resigns after Scotland votes to stay with UK

[Bosonic]

Source: The Independent

Alex Salmond today said he would be standing down as Scotland's First Minister and Scottish National Party leader.

Earlier today, the Scottish National Party (SNP) leader acknowledged that the issue of independence has been resolved for at least a generation.

Mr Salmond, in conceding defeat, has challenged all three major Westminster parties to immediately deliver on their promises of extra powers for the Holyrood parliament.


Read more: http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/alex-salmond-resigns-after-scotland-votes-to-stay-with-uk-30600501.html

[oldandhappy]

1. Cameron must keep his promises.

The younger voters went for independence by a big margin. They will be older and better funded come the second try! I have had some tell me it was a decisive vote. I say if 45% of the people lost, Westminster needs to pay attention.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

3. They may be older and better funded once older

But, once they are older they will have the same considerations that the older generation had this time. Age has a way of doing that.

[freshwest]

14. Not just age, but years of hard work invested in a system to protect those younger than them.

If youth or minorities feel (or are) disenfranchised, they will destroy the whole thing to make something new. Civil wars build with youth, egged on by those who enriched themselves within the status quo.

They use them as tools to keep their own wealth under the new paradigm. Until it's time to wash, rinse and repeat!

People survive through connections to others. Perhaps no other species is as dependent upon each other to live. We need to work for social justice, to keep healthy connections, not tear them apart.

Ohmygawd, I sound like I'd have been against the American Revolution! It was a bit easier to make the Founders' argument for Independence with an ocean between us. Besides, we were a young country with people to use (slaves) and a lotta things (land, water, timber, minerals) to steal from the natives. Busy, busy!

I think smaller groups lead to feudal outcomes. Less diversity of opinion, more aggressive policing of individuals in a tighter grouping, little input in cultish thinking. It's all about control, either a loose, ethereal control from Washington, or a big tough guy in your neighborhood with all those guns and a big loud mouth full of ideas for your life, running the gamut from merely dumb to hideous.

Most people have little or nothing to do with the federal government, yet it is constantly under attack as corporations run amuck in the intimate details of our lives, with no principles respected other than profit. They pay people to tell us that every day everywhere. The messaging is for a purpose, and not for our own good.

The default controls will always be there in the background. Either you respect and participate in the process of good and equal government, or you let the older groups organize society, religion and business.

Note: Use of the word 'you' is not a personal reference, it applies to any reader, but not you yourself. Thanks for a chance to vent.



And I may change my mind tomorrow...

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

27. Your welcome!

[joshcryer]

6. They'll pump the oil harder.

And move toward privatization quicker.

And no one will do a damn thing about it.

[BillZBubb]

2. ...to immediately deliver on their promises of extra powers for the Holyrood parliament.

Good luck with that! The election is over so don't expect any major concessions from the victors. They will toss you a few small bones for appearances sake.

[T_i_B]

4. I could never stand Alex Salmond or his politics

However, he is undeniably a hugely talented politician and IMHO the SNP will really struggle to find a replacement.

[freshwest]

10. He shouldn't have quit. Nearly half the Scottish agreed with him. Who will represent them now?

[iandhr]

12. Maybe

But NO even won Aberdeenshire. That's is his own constituency.

[T_i_B]

13. The SNP still exist

And their whole reason for existence to fight for an independent Scotland. To be honest this whole independence pallaver has at times seemed like an SNP vanity project.

The question is, who will lead the SNP when Salmond goes? The most likely answer is Nicola Sturgeon, who is unlikely to convince quite as many people as Alex Salmond.

[FrodosPet]

18. What abount Lance Bass or Mike Trout? Are they busy?

If so, perhaps Flounder will serve for the halibut.

[T_i_B]

19. How about Mike Hunt?

Mike Hunt for the next Scottish First Minister!

[FrodosPet]

20. A former NFL linebacker for First Minister?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hunt

I wonder what ever happened to Mike after leaving football?

[freshwest]

15. Wonder if the lottery winners funding made it look like he was a grifter.

Just find his quitting odd, with nearly half the country behind him. I don't know if it was seen as a vote of 'no confidence.' Maybe he HAD to quit by law.

Independence is always attractive as people want something new. I wonder if any of the people were influenced by movies.

The imagery of this film was used as supporting Scottish Independence here in the USA, don't know that the Scottish people cared for it:



And American Independence:



Both visceral appeals. But the issues appear to be much deeper from some comments on DU.

[T_i_B]

16. This referendum has deeply divided Scotland.

There has been a lot of shit thrown by both sides, the "Yes" campaign especially. Salmond has his qualities, but could he have moved Scotland forward from this peacefully?

And yes the Scots love using "Braveheart" imagery. It's just as tiresome as the English banging on about 1966.

[Kaleva]

21. What happened in 1966?

[Nedsdag]

22. England won the World Cup (soccer) in 1966.

Yet they keep dwelling on it.

[Kaleva]

25. I thought it must have been a typo and poster meant 1066

[mwooldri]

26. We English go on about that date too. nt

[freshwest]

29. Well, that means no confidence in him from his own. No wonder he quit. Thanks for the info.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

17. I disagree. He did the honorable thing

And among Scots, that means a hell of a lot.

It also does not change the fact that the vast majority of Scotland hates the brits, has no regard for Queen mum, has a societal memory of the horrors inflicted upon them by english soldiers in ages past, and want nothing to do with their southern neighbors.

Also, Scotland makes the best liquor in the world.

[Adrahil]

28. I dunno...

Most Scots I know don't fit your description. And 55% percent apparently DO want something to do with their fellow Britains.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. If American politics is any guides

All promises made are null and void now that they won.

But maybe I am just cynical.

[Demeter]

9. And it won't take a generation, either

Time is greatly compressed, these days. And the global depression is here to stay, unless and until SOMEBODY changes SOMETHING....

[ScottishDee]

7. He will be missed

Did not always agree with him, but always felt he tried his best for Scotland.

His achievement in 2011 was nothing short of brilliant.

Shame it ended this way.

[bikebloke]

8. Cameron's promises

Caneron said the issue for further devulation would now be studied, meaning forgotten.

[iandhr]

11. don't think so

A general election is coming in the UK quite soon. If Labour wins something will be done.

[PFunk]

23. which means that there will be another vote in ten years

If this is true. This issue is definitely not settled no matter what Cameron says.

[roamer65]

24. They will have their ups and downs like the Parti Quebecois.

There have been been two votes in Quebec on independence and it will not end until the PQ no longer exists.

The last one in 1995 came damn close to passing.

[freshwest]

30. Three arrested as independence rivals clash (Friday)

19 September 2014 at 11:51pm

Three people have been arrested by police following clashes between pro-union and independence campaigners in Glasgow.

Police separated rival supporters in Glasgow's George Square on Friday night. Credit: PA Wire
Officers were called to George Square after hundreds of rival supporters gathered in the hours after Scotland voted decisively against leaving the UK.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said enquiries were underway which could lead to further arrests.

"Three people have been arrested so far in relation to the incident in George Square. Retrospective inquiries will be carried out which may lead to further arrests."

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-09-19/three-arrested-in-as-independence-rivals-clash/

I didn't think this would happen there, didn't think people would be arguing with each other over the vote. Anyone heard about this incident or anything like it?

[T_i_B]

31. Yes I've heard about it

Sounds like the sectarian bullshit of Celtic v Rangers has become part of the independence debate.

[T_i_B]

32. Salmond offered Syria

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/salmond-offered-syria-2014092691081

ALEX Salmond has been asked if he would like to run Syria for a bit.

The Scottish First Minister, who still has ‘lead a nation’ on his To Do list, has been offered the post because of a shortage of non-genocidal candidates.

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon said: “We were wondering who could draw a disparate nation at war with itself together under a threadbare banner of nationalism.

“Salmond’s got a track record of not-complete failure and if he can fool one nation with a string of vague utopian promises, he can do it with two.