Let’s do a thing
Recently we’ve seen quite a few people on social media wondering why there hadn’t been any opinion polls on independence published in a while. We thought it was a bit curious ourselves, so we rang a few polling companies with a view to commissioning our own one, but Panelbase told us they were doing fieldwork on one as we spoke, to be published roughly a week today (they’re every two months).
But even though we don’t need to do one on the straight Yes/No thing now, that’s no reason why we can’t take it upon ourselves to ask a few other questions.
Because opinion polls on Scottish politics rarely ask the questions we want answered. We’d quite like to know how many people actually believe there would be an enhanced devolution settlement in the event of a No vote, to name but one example.
So we made a few enquiries, got a few ratecards, and arrived at the discovery (slightly to our surprise) that having a professional opinion poll conducted is actually pretty affordable. We could get one with half-a-dozen questions, say, done by one of the major pollsters for under a couple of thousand quid.
So who’s up for it? We’d need to run a mini-fundraiser for it, but with Wings Over Scotland’s current monthly readership the cost would work out at less than 4p per reader. Even if only 2% of people contributed, in line with the rate for our previous effort, it’d only take about £1.90 a head.
In return for that we’d get not only useful – even vital – information, but almost certainly some major media coverage for issues that currently go ignored. (Because content-hungry newspapers love to report polls.) It should also bring more readers to the site. And we could also have a bit of fun at the same time by seeing what sort of headline-grabbing numbers we could generate with one or two incredibly-loaded “Better Together”-style questions in among the serious ones.
(We already checked, and as you might have suspected from the BT surveys, the polling company is more than happy to ask whatever we like as long as we’re paying.)
What we’ll do is run the fundraiser for a limited time, maybe a week or two at the most. We’ll make it the sort where if we DON’T reach the target, everyone gets their money back. And if we get past the target, we can add more questions to the poll. (They come in at about £350 a pop.) And we’ll probably have a poll on the site to decide from the best questions.
If you fancy the idea, now would be a good time to start suggesting questions.
I am up for it so long as SS sets the methodology and you set the questions.
Let me know an IBAN number so I can send my modest contribution from abroad.
I’m up for a few pounds.
Question:
Which side on the Independence Campaign do you feel is more actively encouraging open, honest and meaningfull debate.
Do you feel the Newspapers have a duty to publish fair, honest and even Referendum information.
Do you believe the BBC in Scotland is for or agains independence.
Do you agree the BBC editorial is controlled by the Labour party apperatus in Scotland.
I’ll chip in….
I’ll be happy to chip in.
I agree asking how many folk believed further devolution would be forthcoming is a good question.
In light of their “blether together” launch you could also ask how many people thought unsolicited calls were a good approach and if they would make them more or less likely to support the calling organisation?
I’m good for a ten spot.
I shall contribute to this, do not worry about that. If you do have some sort of poll asking us what questions should be used, I still think you should be able to override that just in case a silly question that we won’t actually learn much from gets in the lead or, worse, somebody does a Scotsman on you…
Me too…
Brilliant. My first choice would be;
“Should Holyrood decide what’s best for Scotland or Westminster?”
Obvious but to the point.
This will be the most fun since sliced bread. Consider £100 pledged straight away, so that’s only 95% of the total left for everyone else to raise.
Suggested BT-style loaded question: “Regardless of how you’re going to vote in 2014, do you agree that Blair McDougall and Alistair Darling should not tell lies?”
Or less loaded but more illuminating: “The BetterTogether campaign says Scotland is ‘stronger’ as part of the UK. Do you have the foggiest what that actually means?”
How about
‘Do you think Scotland is a country?’
Interesting — I thought they were dearer than that! It definitely would be interesting to ask a question about how firm people’s views are. Perhaps like Yes Scotland’s “Using a scale of 1 to 10, can you please say where you are on this scale regarding Scotland becoming independent?”
Count me in.
Yup, up for throwing a few quid in for this.
If you go with Ipsos-MORI get them to change their age-group ranges though – for their Scottish Independence polling for the Times, 55+ is the oldest!
“Do you agree that Scotland is located in the British Isles, and will still be located in the British Isles after a Yes vote?”
I love Gordon’s idea about asking if people think the media is biased against independence.
Another one: “Many members of the parties who make up the BetterTogether campaign are in favour of independence, despite their party’s official position being against it. Do you think these parties should ask their members whether their party should have a neutral line on independence?”
Or something like that. Can’t think of good wording.
In
Great idea – I’m in.
Could be interesting to ask what people think would be improved by Scotland becoming independent, like education / NHS / welfare / equality etc. I’m thinking this would be useful for campaigning with a focus on the issues that matter to people. (it they already think that X would be better under independence, then let’s talk about X more)
It could be more expensive than a multiple choice question but this might work best if it was in the style of the Ipsos MORI Issues Tracker, where respondents just volunteer issues rather than picking from a list.
Is Scotland too wee, too poor and too stupid to govern itself?
‘Mupfurrit.
Good idea by Bugger, Skier would be ideal.
Count me in for a tenner
“Where would you prefer to live: a country that has no nuclear weapons, is in the EU, doesn’t hate immigrants and which doesn’t punish poor people for the crimes of the rich; or the UK?”
Definitely worth the price of a pint at least! Count me in.
Should we run a bus to Carlisle for everyone who says ‘I’m getting out, if we vote for independence’?
Yes, I am in for a few quid!
Show people a sample of various Better Together questions (e.g., from the 500 Questions list), and then ask them whether they think Better Together are asking fair questions or whether they’re just scaremongering.
Another idea: Ask people whether Scotland is too wee (Yes/No), too poor (Yes/No) and/or too stupid (Yes/No) to be independent.
be careful with the questions. I wouldn’t ask too many at this stage. another poll could be done later on if necessary and funded.
what do we want to know? I want to know what the undecideds are concerned about and still need information on to move them to Yes.
The recent BT one had multiple choices, except the choices were qualified and skewed. You should ask at least one question with qualified and skewed choices and the same question with open choices. It would be interesting to see the difference in answers and also how that would be reported (if at all).
Count me in…
I will chip in a few quid.
A question like, Why is the British establishment fighting tooth and nail to retain Scotland in the Union. Is it
a. Coz they love us so much and want to care for and protect us from the big bad world
b. They dont want their fanilies to be foreigners
c. We are actually quite rich and rUK would be broke.
Or one could be
Why do you think the British Establishment is willing to risk its reputation and standing in the world by using, lies, scares and propaganda against Scots who are looking to decide their future.
Something to get the Scots thinking would be good..
I’m in it for a fiver (not mean, jist skint!) – Would be great to have the questions WE wan’t answered for a change.
Personally, everyone I meet is far more pro-indy or at least considering it than the polls would have you believe.
Bet the BBC don’t run the story though, and the Hootsmon (new website) will rubbish it.
Yes, I’d contribute.
Excuse my naivety but would the company give you an idea of where they do their polling? I always imagine the ‘100 people’ in Scotland being the length of a lunchtime queue for Greggs.
@Anne, I guess possible questions fall into two categories: Those that we want to know the answers to, and those that would potentially create great anti-BT headlines in the media. I would like to ask both kinds.
This is an excellent idea, and I’ll certainly contribute to the funding. I do think you should allow readers to suggest questions, and even have some say in the final selection.
I’ll pass you part of my Job Seekers Allowance if you’ll ask my question, which is:
I have here in my hand a heavy plank of wood with some rusty nails driven through the end. I intend to whack you over the head with it. Do you think this is a good idea? (present preferences, according to recent polling, in parentheses):
Yes: (33%)
No: (33%)
Need more information (33%)
It’s no joke – that’s where we’re at.
Q) Regardless of how you’re going to vote in 2014, do you agree that Blair McDougall and Alistair Darling should not tell lies?
A1) I am voting for independence, and I agree that Blair McDougall and Alastair Darling should not tell lies.
A2) I am voting against independence, and I disagree [etc].
A3) I wish to keep the pound.
I’ve got a few bawbees I could part wae anaw!
Let’s dae this hing!
Sounds fun. I’ll chip in a fiver. Or maybe a bit more.
In true BT style, “Regardless of how you’re intending to vote in the referendum, should Scotland be an independent country or should it remain safely in the UK?” Yes/No.
Would Scotland be blackballed from all world-wide fruit based organisations in the event of a YES vote?
Is scurvy sore?
are you having a separate button for this rev or do I just chip in on the normal “donate” button…….?
Great idea and will contribute.
As well as the wording of the individual questions the order they are asked in will be relevant?
As well as the wording of the individual questions the order they are asked in will be relevant?
That’s a rubbish question. Don’t put that one in.
naedb
Sorry, I am devoid of creativity. It is indeed a rubbish question.
Even better – use two different polling companies asking the same questions at the same time.
I think many of us doubt what we see in polls and it would be interesting to see the difference in their results – having two data sets can help determine the accuracy of any other future polls we see.
are you having a separate button for this rev or do I just chip in on the normal “donate” button…….?
This one makes no sense. (I’m here all week – try the veal)
Count me in for a couple of quid.
I’d love to know which way undecided devo-maxers are leaning.
Rev,
Do the ratecards mention the cost of conducting a poll ‘on the street’?
“If Scotland votes no in 2014, will you be able to look yourself in the mirror? WELL WILL YOU?? FUCKING THINK ABOUT IT”
This should be a special question – no actual answer need be requested from the interviewee.
Count me in
Count me in for a fiver – I’m with BillDunblane, not mean, just skint this month.
Questions – I’ll leave that to you Rev. Stu.
Great idea and well worth a financial contribution. It’s important that the questions are meaningful for those expected to answer – this will also give the results real substance and drive full coverage elsewhere in the media. I have every faith that you’ll get it right and that we’ll see some interesting results.
Meantime, I’m fed up seeing articles which claim support for YES is at 30% and falling and then state categorically that a NO majority is inevitable. This is nonsense but it will discourage some people from seriously considering a YES vote. A few polls with positive results for YES would be helpful in busting this myth.
Up for it.
‘Independent experts unanimously tell us that the No campaign have never uttered a single truth during their entire existence. Given that only a vanishingly small minority of cretins who have no idea what they’re talking about disagree with this, do you agree with all the experts?’
naebd
The order questions are asked in can be very leading, consider these two questions:
Is Scotland economically viable?
Given that 95% of all UK oil revenues comes from Scotland should that money be spent solely in Scotland?
Then reverse the questions and you would get a higher ‘yes’ to the economically viable question, without a doubt.
The wording and construction of polls is a science in itself.
Count me in. Did I read it on ‘Wings’ some time ago that previous questionnaires seemed to indicate that a majority of people polled thought that the Scottish Government was best placed to run Scottish affairs, but the same people then became ambivalent about the word ‘independence’. If that is so, it would be good to see whether the term ‘independence’ can be unpacked to give a better view of how people may vote if they had a clearer understanding of self determination/independence/separation etc.
Sounds like a lark, count me in will bung a 20 your way in the next couple of days.
“are you having a separate button for this rev or do I just chip in on the normal “donate” button…….?”
It’ll be a separate thing, probably through Indiegogo like the last fundraiser.
Like the idea of the ‘sliding scale’ approach to the big YES/no question- really sheds light on the strength of response. (Thomas Widman @ 1.42pm).
I’m in
Q. On a scale of 1 to 10 how successful could an independent Scotland be?
1 being not very and 10 being exceptionally successful
Yep, I’ll make a donation to the poll fund.
In view of a question almost always raised when I’m canvassing: How can we afford to be independent?
I’d like to ask people: Are you aware just how wealthy Scotland really is – are you aware how much revenue is raised in Scotland for the UK treasury – and; Do you think that all (and I do mean all) money raised in Scotland should stay in Scotland?
Also; Do you honestly believe for one minute that Scotland will be granted more powers if we vote NO?
I’m in for £100 as well.
Excellent notion Rev. I’m in.
And I second the idea that scottish_skier has a bash at the methodology.
Aye. Good plan.
Im in…as long as John Curtice isnt reviewing the findings.
Can you name one difference between (Scottish) Labour and (Scottish) Tory policy?
Which do you prefer : Hope or Fear
A man walks into a bar and bartender says “Why the long face?”.
Is it:
Alastair Darling
David Cameron ( leaving wean behind optional)
Nigel Farage
I’ll be happy to contribute!
I’ll contribute.
I’d be interested to know what no voters think will happen if they form a majority vote.
Also, for no voters, whether they’re doing so because they believe BT’s shpeel and/or disbelieve Yes Scotland’s patter.
Content to let some one else formulate the questions.
Doug Daniels says – Consider £100 pledged straight away.
Likewise Doug, and Martin is back in Kaz on Thursday, who I’m sure will follow suit so there’s a decent start to it. Like your question by the way:
“Where would you prefer to live: a country that has no nuclear weapons, is in the EU, doesn’t hate immigrants and which doesn’t punish poor people for the crimes of the rich; or the UK?”
Succinct, honest and not at all leading… 😉
Put me down for the usual, Rev.
Q. One of these statements is true. Which one?
1) North Sea oil is a liability.
2) There will be border posts at Carlisle after independence.
3) London wants to hang onto Scotland for our own benefit.
4) Alex Salmond is fat.
Have a list of all the major devolved and reserved powers, and get the participant to tick which they think Scotland is “good enough” to manage itself. Would be interesting to see which powers folk think we can and can’t control, and of course interesting to see if people really know that well which powers Scotland already has. Because I don’t know many people from my hometown, for example, that pay attention to stuff like that to be honest.
To what extent do you trust the polling company?
Do they have a good reputation and track record?
Will the poll be a good representation both in terms of number and cross section?
If we are going to the effort of doing this… It should be a thoroughly comprehensive / watertight poll that the usual detractors cannot accuse it of being Mickey Mouse.
If we are going to invest in a ‘weapon of truth’ lets have a big one that can generate a huge amount of interesting facts.
I’d rather contribute £100 for a explosive poll, than £5 for a measly one.
Yup – I’m up for it.
I’ll throw in a couple of quid to get an answer to “What’s with the pink jackets?”
Stu can I suggest that you at least talk to Stephen Noon and see if they have any research they might share or at least try to avoid asking questions already being asked? If they want to keep their stuff secret then fine go ahead with a stand alone survey. I’m certainly happy to contribute
If you decide to do it I am good for a tenner.
Count me in.
Love this idea: “Even better – use two different polling companies asking the same questions at the same time” and also Ray’s. Would be very interesting to see how many people even know what is reserved and devolved.
Another thing I’d be interested to see asked, though I imagine it wouldn’t be many people’s top question is “have you ever lived outside Scotland?” I’m interested in that because many of the Yes campiagners I know are very much internationalists and have seen the world from a number of different countries, hence their belief Scotland can be better. By contrast many of the strongest No voters I run across are the kind who’ve never lived outside their area of Glasgow. If borne out by poll results, this would turn the kind of “narrow nationalism / parochialism” myth on its head.
Good initiative. Initial thoughts;
Do you believe the policies of Conservative and Labour governments over the last thirty years have;
Increased social justice in the UK. Yes/No
Improved equality in the UK. Yes/No
Created opportunities for everyone in society to improve their living standards. Yes/No
Do you believe the voting system in the UK delivers a democratic outcome for the people of Scotland in general elections. Yes, most of the time, occassionally, never.
Do you believe future Conservative and Labour governments will be willing and able to deliver the type of society you would like? Yes/No
Do you believe an independent Scotland will enable political parties to deliver a better democratic deal for the people of Scotland. Yes/No
Which issues would persuade you that independence is the best option (5-essential, 4-very important, 3- included in short to medium term plans 2- would be desirable in the future, 1- not important just now;
Nuclear arms removed from Scottish soil
NHS protected from privatisation and properly funded
The pensions underfunding issue resolved
Remaining in the EU
Improved equality
Creation of an oil fund
Full control over our armed forces
etcetcetc……
happy to contribute to it for a non BT biased poll
Spot on
Dougie Douglas
This thing is lighting up like a Xmas Tree
I’m up for it.
My question would be:
If you felt that you did not have all the facts on independence would you vote? Yes or No?
i’m in
@Rev;
To avoid a ‘Scotsman’ can you make it a registered poll of some ilk? Can’t see anyone minding if it’s publicised as one?
Count me in. No suggestions for questions I’m positive that Rev. Stu is more than capable of thinking up some right belters.
“Stu can I suggest that you at least talk to Stephen Noon and see if they have any research they might share or at least try to avoid asking questions already being asked?”
That’s a fair point. There might also be some things they know but don’t want made too public at this stage. Information they may be planning to base campaigns on next year.
Are you aware that by voting NO, you’re voting to become part of Greater England – that you’ll be voting Scotland out of existence as a country?
Couple of idears, sorry if they’ve already been mentioned:
In the event of a No vote, who do you think would best served Scotland’s needs (Lab, Con, Lib, SNP, other);
Given that Labour are ‘ambivalent’ about using a)Ian Taylor’s money and b) the OBR report, do you think Alastair Darling has a shred of moral fibre
Sorry, the second one’s just for fun
Maybe i’m too paranoid, but i wouldn’t trust any UK polling organisation.
I know folk say they wouldn’t risk their reputation by cheating, but i think this issue is so vital to the UK state, they would take that chance, and may be doing so already.
Just realised, the first question should be
Do you understand the difference between a Referendum and an Election?
From the information Better Together has provided as a case for the Union how many positive items could you list:
None, 1, 2, 3…10+
From the information Yes Scotland has provided as a case for Scotland’s independence how many positive items could you list:
None, 1, 2, 3…10+
“If every Scot was guaranteed to be a million pounds better off after independence, would you vote for it?”
“Would you be more or less likely to vote for Scottish independence if Nicola Sturgeon was first minister on the day of the vote?”
“Do you agree that John Curtice should be banned from commenting on the results of this poll?”
Great idea.
If funds permit, I like Dougie Douglas’s idea to
‘use two different polling companies asking the same questions at the same time’.
And I third the idea that scottish_skier has a bash at the methodology.
Yes to Alex Grant re Stephen Noon
I’m in too.
Just got paid so hurry up..it won’t last forever! 😉
“The order questions are asked in can be very leading, consider these two questions”
Whoosh.
Not only a good idea, but I think essential. I recently bumped in to a friend who I hadn’t seen for some time. He told me he was for Yes, but also said he wanted more information. I took this to mean that he is actually a soft No, but didn’t want the embarrassment of admitting it. I mean, who would want to admit they would prefer their home nation to be governed by another.
I’ll chip in for as many of these that we can squeeze in.
Count me in.
Question: Have your voting intentions changed in the past six months? If so, how?
Desimond\
@ whatever
Double plus good
@ Rev – Happy to donate.
Great proposal. My starter will be a tenner.
Questions can be used to raise awareness of issues as well as obtaining responses for the poll. Eg, describing the NHS in England to Scotland, and “which do you prefer?”.
The NHS, education, Trident, social care would seem like obvious subjects to concern the public.
B the Panda idea to consult with Scottish Skier is sound if SS can afford the time.
Project Fear will be desperate to rubbish the poll so every care is needed.
Happy to contribute.
I can see the BBC news item already, Probably Sally Magnusson “In an independent poll published today and commissioned by Wings Over Scotland that well known den of swivel-eyed separatist, black hearted, lying, cybernat bastards. Bla bla bla”
@The Man In The Jar
If it got Wings mentioned on Reporting Scotland, in any context, it would be well worth it!
Go for it I’m in for some dosh!
I think we are evolving from an Internet RagTag Gypsy movement, into a real apolitical movement. ( apart from “Separation” )
It would be great if something like this could be done regularly with one of the questions being “have you changed from voting no to yes?”…this could be drip fed in the way that Thatcher drip fed the no. of miners who were going back to work on a daily basis….
Go for it. I`m in.
TMITJ
I can see the BBC news item already, Probably Sally Magnusson “In an independent poll published today and commissioned by Wings Over Scotland that well known den of swivel-eyed separatist, black hearted, lying, cybernat bastards. Bla bla bla”
Yep. And here`s the visual soundtrack.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/400xY/2013/7/1374171537-682.jpg
The sliding scale 1-10 style question, as mentioned above, surely allows much more detailed analysis.
Yes Scotland are doing one at their street stalls.
(Perhaps Doonfooter could refresh my memory as to the question, but it’s a basic 1=definite No, 10=definite Yes.)
Some great suggestions already. I think the important thing is to design the poll in such a way that it will be extremely difficult for a BT “expert” to rubbish the results (whatever they are) without looking silly, mean and in a big huff!
I’m up for it!
In fact, I think it would be a good idea to plan repeating this operation regularly until the big day. The company would presumably do a better job if repeat business were in the offing. To this end, it is important that the lead question should be the same each time, and the only one which suggests itself is the Referendum Question itself.
Subsequent questions can vary between surveys.
I would be interested in a 0-10, where-do-you-stand question: 0= A firm “no” and 10= a firm “yes”.
I would also like to see a question about the Saltire – should public buildings fly it every day, or just on special days, or not at all.
I’ll contribute providing it can wait until payday.
I suggest asking where people are getting their info on the debate, i.e. TV, the papers, online, friends and family etc
One question that I think is very important to include, because it helps you weight the importance of all the other answers, is “How likely are you to vote in the referendum?”
Excellent idea Rev, Count me in. Bank transfer done.
Support Alex Grants’ idea – share this with Stephen Noon to make sure its coordinated.
If its done by a ‘name’ Polling company it will get Press coverage for sure, and great profile for Wing at the same time.
All else being equal would propose use PanelBase as they have consistently shown higher % for Yes in all their polls to date (must be something to do with their methodology).
Its worth giving some serious thought to the headlines we want to generate as this should drive the choice of questions we ask.
Being mindful of the fact that the unsympathetic MSM could put a negative spin on the result if we aren’t super careful on how we word the questions. In some ways its better to have a few solid questions rather than a whole raft of vague ones as that allows the media to pick and chose and only report whatever suits their agenda.
its a yes from meI
apart from obvious, do you feel issues are being debated properly. BT/no are making this about SNP/AS, should other parties mps in favour of yes make an effort to stick their heids above the parapet. Do you feel you are getting a balanced view/reporting from media outlets.
Finally a chance to find out what the price of “stamps” will be in an independent Scotland.
Count me in.
How about…… in a range of 1 to 10, where 1 means that this area is the one Westminster cares most about, and 10 means they do not give a toss, rate these nations/regions /areas accordingly,
Scotland
Wales
NI
London
SE
SW
Midlands
NE
NW
Square Mile
I’m in.
Doug Daniel at 1.48 pm
I like the question
“I love Gordon’s idea about asking if people think the media is biased against independence.”
It would be interesting to find out if it is only the committed who are paranoid about the media.
I also like the Qs
If Scotland votes no in 2014, will you be able to look yourself in the mirror? WELL … WILL YOU PUNK?? (A slight variation to one above)
And from Jimbo concerning Qs always raised when canvassing: eg How can we afford to be independent?
Are you aware just how wealthy Scotland really is, and that
Scotland raises £X for the UK treasury; and
that all (and I do mean all) money raised in Scotland should stay in Scotland?
Also; Do you honestly believe for one minute that Scotland will be granted more powers if we vote NO?
This is a great idea – like others, I’d be very happy to chip in with another donation. Ideally it would probably be best to use one of the more established pollsters – it would be much, much harder for the mainstream media to ignore findings from a company like YouGov, Ipsos-Mori or ICM (of course that doesn’t stop them shouting results from a less established pollster from the rooftops when it suits them, but that’s life).
The possibilities for good questions are endless, but a couple off the top of my head –
“At present, Scotland is represented in EU negotiations and votes by David Cameron and William Hague. After independence, Scotland would be represented by the elected Scottish government instead. Which arrangement do you think would give Scotland a stronger voice in the EU?”
“Imagine that you vote No in the 2014 referendum, but the Conservatives go on to win an overall majority at the 2015 election, meaning that David Cameron will remain Prime Minister for another five years. Would you then regret your decision to vote No, or would you still feel that you had made the right decision?”
Great idea
My quesion would be.
If the Tories proceed with their plans to curb the voting rights of Scottish MPs is there any point in sending them to Westminster?
My vote and donation is settled.
Q1. If you vote no, will you then feel you’ve been fucked over by the British government when your Scottish parliament is rendered obsolete & dismantled?
Q2. Is Alistair Darling
A. A fucking liar
B. Brainwashed
C. Stupid
Bonus Question
Removing the letter R, create an anagram from Alistair Darling.
Answer: Against All. (Honest, try it.)
The SNP’s recent poll asked how convincing or unconvincing the promise for more powers for Holyrood after a no vote was:
Convincing: 33%
Unconvincing: 47%
Don’t Know: 20%
I always get a NO response to this question:
If the Union had never come about and Scotland had always been an independent country, if a referendum was being held next year to decide if Scotland should be run by England’s parliament, would you vote YES?
Yes yes yes! This would be amazing! Even on a regular 2 monthly basis? Count me in. As for questions, I’ll leave that to the more articulate amongst you!
I do think people should be asked about indy ref voting intentions depending on the govt that will be in W/minster…Be nice to get an update on that!
Another question
Have you heard of Labour for Independence?
Cath says:
Another thing I’d be interested to see asked, though I imagine it wouldn’t be many people’s top question is “have you ever lived outside Scotland?” I’m interested in that because many of the Yes campiagners I know are very much internationalists and have seen the world from a number of different countries, hence their belief Scotland can be better. By contrast many of the strongest No voters I run across are the kind who’ve never lived outside their area of Glasgow. If borne out by poll results, this would turn the kind of “narrow nationalism / parochialism” myth on its head.
I love this idea.
Removing the letter R, create an anagram from Alistair Darling.
Answer: Against All. (Honest, try it.)
I’m going to have to give that effort a D.
I’d contribute £100, but the last fundraiser I had real problems, so
hope you can have alternative ways rev, for people like me who move around a bit.
International jet setter that I am 😉
I’m in for £50… Considered using PayPal?
Q, Have a list of all the major devolved and reserved powers, and get the participant to tick which they think we’ll be allowed to have / keep if we vote “No”
So it’s actually “[Rs] against all”? Sounds about right.
If you agree that Scotland is a country, do you believe that Scotland should have a seat at the United Nations?
Sneaky shepurashun question 🙂
I’ll chuck a tenner into the pot.
“The SNP’s recent poll asked how convincing or unconvincing the promise for more powers for Holyrood after a no vote was:”
Link?
Oh and keep the YES?SNP at very long arms length if we do it. I would like it to be clearly a Wings project
@Ray @Cath
I agree, was speaking to someone the other day who didn’t want independence because the SNP would destroy the NHS… Would be very interesting to see what powers people think are reserved and what is devolved and also how well they think they are being managed.
@Widmann @Scotchwoman @Ian Brotherhood
Also think the Likert scale is a good idea, gives more information, however, I think 10 is too many. I would say either 5 or 6 as most people have already made up their minds. I would suggest 6 as it gives two different strengths of a maybe and also forces respondents into a decision away from neutrality, i.e. a plain don’t know with no indication of voting intention.
Also like “do you think Scotland is a country?” and “Should Holyrood decide what’s best for Scotland or Westminster?”
Yes lets do it,
Is Better Together supplying the information you need to know about what will happen in the event of a No vote? Yes/No
Is YesScotland supplying the information you need to know about what will happen in the event of a Yes vote? Yes/No
@Rev Stu Please contact me
DOUBLE plus good.
How will you vote if you knew that Boris Johnston is going to be the next PM?
Yup. I’m in for £50.
Suggested question for Slab voters – if Salmon agreed to resign immediately after a successful Yes vote, would you vote Yes?
Question:
If you don’t think Scots should govern Scotland, which country should be given the contract?
a) England
b) The Duchy of Grand Fenwick
(a bonus point if you notice that there is no difference between these options)
Regardless of the referendum result, should oil revenues be the sole responsibility of the Scottish Parliament?
I think theres lots of mileage in trying to gauge peoples understanding of topics. When people say they want more information, some may be hiding the fact they just dont have a clue.
ie
Do you know difference between referendum and an Election
Do you know difference between Scottish Government and British Parliament
Do you know difference between New Labour and Scottish Labour ( always good to add some humour)
From establishing where we are, we can establish what information is needed to address any shortfalls.
An Additional Question. Would you like all powers returned to Westminster and the Scottish Parliament abolished.
I’d be very interested to see the attitudes of people who have had exposure to different information sources. For example, it would be very good to ask where people get their primary and secondary sources of news. Also:
Have you heard of the McCrone report into North Sea oil revenues?
I would expect almost everyone who had to be pro-indy (that might not be because of the impact of the report, but because it is better known in pro-indy circles, but anecdotal evidence suggests McCrone is a ‘killer app’). Another useful one might be something along the lines of:
On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is heavily subsidised, 3 neutral, and 5 is heavily subsidising, what do you think is Scotland’s financial position to the rest of the UK?
I would expect that question would reveal a disconnect between public perception and reality, so it would be good to know the exact extent of the disconnect, as finaicial viability is probably the key argument we must win.
This is a brilliant idea! My question?
Do you believe that this is as good as it gets?
I like the idea.
Although I think adding in some wild questions would be fun, it has to be remembered that this isn’t a level playing field, and although the media ignores loaded questions from the unionist side, it will probably use them to highlight the poll as biased or irrelevant (the irony…)
Q: Are you sure you are registered to vote?
FFS it took me ages to scroll to the bottom. All I wanted to say was count me in!
Then I just remembered about the we icons on the right DOH!
Count me in for a few quid
Perhaps also ask a question about media consumption? It would be interesting if we could show a strong correlation between leaning towards a No vote and relying on the BBC for news, for instance. It would be hard to prove causality, mind you (do people vote No because they rely on the BBC, or do they prefer the BBC because they are comfortable voting No?).
I’m up for it Stu.
My ‘loaded’ question:
“Has the scaremongering of Better Together made you more likely to vote Yes or less likely to vote Yes?
I’m happy to contribute to this crowdfunding project and help select the questions in a pollif given the chance. Just let us know when it’s up and running. VC Bloom is the only Scottish crowdfunding company to date, though there are a couple of others due to start up this year.
I agree, was speaking to someone the other day who didn’t want independence because the SNP would destroy the NHS…
Yes, I think that’s a good point. Just about every NO (and YES) voter I’ve encountered thinks that the NHS is a UK-wide/catchall thing. They are completely unaware that Scotland’s NHS is a unique entity.
Count me in
I have a spare dubloon or three, count me in.
Q. The real question is not ….can Scotland afford Independence … but can England afford Scotland to be Independent?
And YES I’m in for a Scots penny and in for a Scots pound.
You could construct it such that people do their own deductive reasoning:
1. Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes/No
2. If you answered No and England elects a Tory or Tory/UKIP Govt again for the UK in 2015, would you wish you had voted Yes? Yes/No.
3. If you answered Yes, do you honestly think there’s a rat in hell’s chance Milliband will be elected as PM? Hahaha.
4. Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes/No.
_______________
How important is a public NHS Scotland to you?
How long do you think a devolved Scottish Govt will be able to maintain a public NHS in Scotland while England’s is privatised?
Count me in.
Great idea! I’m in.
@ericmac at 2.24 Right!
Yup. . Count me in for a few quid. ..
@jiggsbro;
il astarding liar
“1. Do you feel there is enough information about independence?”
If the answer is no, “2. Websites such as Wings Over Scotland, Bella Caledonia and National Collective exist to debate issues of independence, as well as the Scottish Independence Podcast. Plus the Yes Scotland website contains many articles about independence, and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has a blog which discusses independence issues as well. Have you actually bothered to seek out information from these places?”
If the answer is no again, “3. Are you capable of wiping your own backside, or do you need someone to do that for you as well?”
Are you aware the budget for the NHS in Scotland is set outside Scotland?
I would be very wary of asking too many questions in one go. People can get pissed of. If you exceed the target, could I suggest either holding back the money for another poll in a few months time, or just closing the fundraiser once there is enough to get a sensible number asked?
How do you intend to vote in the next UK General Election?
SNP, SGP, UKIP, Tory, RedTory or YellowTory?
The response to the request is excellent.
I would ask people to keep contributing even after the target is reached. Perhaps enough will be raised to conduct a few polls in the run up to the referendum?
“I would be very wary of asking too many questions in one go. People can get pissed of. If you exceed the target, could I suggest either holding back the money for another poll in a few months time, or just closing the fundraiser once there is enough to get a sensible number asked?”
A sensible thought. But let’s not get carried away until such times as we may actually have dramatically exceeded the target.
(10 would probably be a good maximum, should we reach such dizzy heights of possibility.)
I’d be up for supporting a series of polls, each building on the previous survey’s findings.
I do love this site.
Hang on, if we can commission a poll for £1,500, WTH are these troughers spending £1.5M on?
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/political-news/taxpayers-to-foot-15m-research-bill-before-2014-referendum.21669485
Not to mention the £800,000 price tag of asking 1,000 teenagers a couple of months ago.
I’m in let me know how, where and when.
I’m up for it !
Excellent idea. Have contributed the cash for now. Will think of a contribution for the questions in the meantime…
£530 in the pot already?
You’ll have hit the target by midnight.
Best get dem pesky questions sortit quickwise…
After three centuries of Union, child poverty in Scotland stands at around 20%. If Scotland votes no, how many more centuries before child poverty is eliminated in Scotland?
On a serious note, I’d like some questions asked about child poverty levels, life / health expectations in adults, binge drinking, etc.
I’d also concur with Thomas Widmann’s point regarding media consumption.
Happy to contribute …………………..just say when.
“3. If you answered Yes, do you honestly think there’s a rat in hell’s chance Milliband will be elected as PM? Hahaha.”
4. If you answered yes, do you really think even if Milliband did get in he and the Blairite New Labour will change anything at all? Really? Hahahaha
@Onzebill;
here.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/let-s-do-a-thing?c=home
Better Together: The gift that keeps on giving.
Sign up to plague Scots with nuisance calls. I’m sure we’ll be really chuffed to be bothered by some computer-aided, spotty, Tory Boy teenager or the local heavy breathing pervert.http://www.bettertogether.net/blog/entry/blether-together
Question –
Are you aware the Westminster Labour Government in 1999 moved the north sea maritime boundary north (to rooughly Dundee) to annex 6000 sq miles into English territory?
Ach go on then Rev, I will jump on the bandwagon for a few quid. I can never resist a bandwagon .
Question (which I think is a belter – the second part may or may not be worthwhile including) –
If Scotland gains its independence in 2014, which party would you vote for in the first independent elections for Scotland, which would take place in 2016?
Further, if Scotland does not gain independence in 2014, which party do you intend to vote for in the UK General Election scheduled for 2015?
@Roddy Macdonald
A quick google of blether:
“to talk foolishly; blither; babble” from Old Norse blathra, from blathr nonsense.
I think we can all agree that it’s refreshing to have some honesty from the No campaign.
I think this is terrible timing, when we should all be sending gifts for the new royal baby! 😉
I’m assuming it’s standard, but you need to make sure you get the cross tabs so you can work out what people who answered on one question answered in another. Best way to pull data out of it which you can then either publish in full or get titbits out yourself. Also, do the demographic questions count towards your questions (ie age, gender). I’d assume not.
Would also suggest asking which party people voted for in the regional vote in the last Scottish election with a “not eligible (ie were under 18 or moved to Scotland recently) and didn’t vote option. That’s your control number re voting intention and finding out how closely the sample size represents the population at large.
Voting intention on a scale of 1-10 for a current Yes/ No is useful, as would be likeliehood for changing your mind to the other side by the time of the referendum. You want the results to be as granular as possible for something like that (ie use a 1-10 scale on likeliehood to change with 1 being almost certainly not and 10 being almost certainly will). Those two should be showing a pretty strong correlation, but it might throw up a few surprises re where soft votes are (ie there could be a subgroup of people who have moved one along the voting scale at the moment, but think they might now be persuadable to the opposite). That along with the cross tabs for the demographics and previous voting history shows what groups are most willing to change. It wouldn’t be full proof because you’ll end up with really small sample sizes in the cross tabs, but if you run the same poll again and it shows similar results you can start to work out a campaigning focus on issues that resonate with those voters. For that reason, you might not want to show all your cross tabs as that information could be used by those against independence as well.
No harm at all in having a few wind up type questions, and I don’t think that would be a bad ploy because it would mask the fact that you’re getting some seriously useful stuff out of the poll if you go with stuff along the lines of the above in my opinion.
First post btw 🙂 Prompted by me going to chuck some money your way for this, and also by me geeking out to 538 for US elections so thought a few thoughts on it would be handy.
Just donated – more than half way there already – WOW.
Question :- If Denmark and Finland e.g. can survive as independent countries, why do you still think Scotland can’t?
Soften up people being polled with a prize draw. Winner gets a Susan Boyle CD – loser gets a Susan Calman video.
We could have a survey an hour at this rate…. 😉
I will contribute.
I like Gordon’s question: ‘Do you believe the BBC in Scotland is for or against independence?’
Questions generally need to be serious for the answers to be taken seriously. Questions that can be repeated in future polls would also be best.
Deal me in for a few crisp oncers.
Oh, will these still be legal tender in an independent Scotland?
Count me in for a few quid, talking of recent polls ,in tonight’s Evening Times tucked away on page 5 is a pol by Yes Scotland 47% Yes 48%No. Hence why hidden away and naysayers getting more shrill the anecdotal evidence being backed up by a poll.
Stand by for a MSM and BBC blackout
Pissed off I can’t contribute.
You see, I’m one of those lazy scroungers they keep
going on about…
I can donate some copies of my book as prizes/to sell
if that’s of any use…
I’m good for a tenner but as a pensioner, with concessions, that must be worth double to you.
I’ll donate after work.
I like McHaggis’ question. Who would you vote for in the first election after independence. It makes folk think.
O/T
Latest research paper doing the rounds – Scotland as an Independent State: Where would it seek shelter?
http://www.stjornmalogstjornsysla.is/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a.2013.9.1.1.pdf
The research paper, written by Icelandic Professors, said cooperation and not conflict would follow a victory for the Yes campaign in next year’s referendum
Erm, that’s pretty much the total raised already… £73 left at the time of posting.
Wow wonder how long it would have taken the Hootsmon, small price for info you can trust.
Hi Rev
sent a tenner via the google thing earlier, if you do not reach your target just keep it
The fund is up and running, and reached its initial target of £1500 at 4.58pm, just over 90 minutes to do so.
Is this record?
Done and I note your nearly at the target amount
Bang goes another myth, that the Scots are tight fisted!
@ Triangular Ears
Being of limited means, I could only post this link to the happy couple, in way of my congratulations.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/ingrid-wolfe/child-poverty-in-britain-%E2%80%94-redefine-it-or-reduce-it
Target reached. Well done Stu, and everyone who contributed…
”
You raised the campaign total to: £1,507
”
Well done us!
We’re over the line in a little over 60mins….
Amazing effort fellow independistas!
See what can be achieved when we put our minds to it?
Count me in for a few quid.
suggested questions:
1. Do you agree that the phrase ‘do you agree’ does not result in a bias in responses?
No, but seriously:
2. Have you decided yet how you will vote in the referendum?
I think the actual levels of haven’t decided yets should be dissociated from current opinions about the actual question.
Oh boy! Those who have known me for years on here, there are some, will know how often I have called for a poll with the following options (exact wording not essential as long as the meaning is clear).
Regardless of what you presently believe about Scotland’s financial position post independence, answer the following:
1. If Scotland were to become better off, or at least no worse off, financially after independence, would you then vote Yes or No?
2. If Scotland were to become worse off financially after independence, would you vote Yes or No?
The reason for this is that decades of canvassing, particularly questioning those who said they were going to vote for a Unionist party at elections, convinced me many years ago that the vast majority of those unionist voters would, in their heart of hearts, like to see an independent Scotland if they could be reassured on this issue. For the huge majority of voters, family provision takes precedence over everything else and who could really argue with that?
The nearest any poll has come to this, was the ‘if you were £500 a year better off’ one from a year or two back, which although indicating the majority would then vote for independence, was, quite rightly, written off as a specific bribe loaded poll. It was a near miss, but a lost opportunity.
Questions as above could not be accused of any such bribery factor since it includes simply being no worse off.
A large positive result would make it absolutely clear that the true aspiration of Scots is for independence.
That would set a backdrop to the campaign which put the U-scaremongering in an even worse ethical light and also made it clear that success for them was in fact the thwarting of the genuine aspirations of the people for independence by scurrilous means.
I will financially contribute to any question which would contribute in any way, but reserve the right to not contribute if I feel the question chosen is detrimental. No expectation at all that anyone here would come up with a detrimental question, just a back bowl.
That was quick
Great list of questions posted here Stu. 😆
Question::-
Imagine you are a member of Better Together, now explain why we are Better Together with the rest of the UK. Is it because:
a) we have the UK’s WMD’s parked 30 miles from Scotland’s largest city?
b) we have the bedroom tax implemented across all of the UK?
c) Westminster is run by a large number of millionaires who have no idea about living in the REAL world?
d) M.P.’s deserve to keep their noses in the great money trough at Westminster known as M.P.’s expenses?
e) London and South East England deserve to hold on to all of OUR oil revenues?
f) only Westminster can be trusted to know what is best for Scotland?
g) an Independent Scotland could never survive as an Independent country for long?
h) no country would do do business with an Independent Scotland?
i) an Independent Scotland would not be allowed to use the pound as its currency?
j) an Independent Scotland would be denied membership of NATO,E.U and U.N.?
k) an Independent Scotland could not afford an armed defence force?
l) none of the above
m) other (please specify)
Sorry Stu, once I started I couldn’t stop. 😆
p.s. I’ve just asked the “Big Boss” and she has agreed we can give something to the pot, just need to figure out how and when to do it now. 😆
#The NHS in Scotland has always been entirely devolved to Scotland and is run for the benefit of the people of Scotland by the Scottish Government:
Do you a Want to retain NHS Scotland as it is now?
b Accept some privatisation of simple operations & medical procedures for profit
c Want the entire NHS Scotland to be privatised as is happening in NHS England
I didn’t get a chance to chip in, as I’m waiting for my new card to be activated. Will the fund raiser remain open for the 16 days?
I’m blown away, again. £1,712 (at time of typing) in an hour and a quarter. Holy cow.
But keep it coming, if you haven’t already – that’s a pretty bare four-question poll, it’d be amazing if we could get it up to 10. (About another £1,700 or so.) But hey, we’ve got about 15.9 days left 😀
Great idea money on its way. Need to be careful with number of questions and complexity. My couple of suggestions. Beside each other in this order.
First a multiple choice, the old Self Determination, Devo Max being everything but Defence and Foreign Affairs, Status Quo. question which do you opt for.
Second Question Do you believe in the event of a No vote that the unionist parties will deliver further meaningful devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament. Yes or No.
Third Question. In the event of Unionist parties makes promises of further devolution that are broken in the next UK parliament do you believe we should have a further referendum before 2020.
Thoroughly impressive stuff! Now how impressive can the questions get?
“The reason for this is that decades of canvassing, particularly questioning those who said they were going to vote for a Unionist party at elections, convinced me many years ago that the vast majority of those unionist voters would, in their heart of hearts, like to see an independent Scotland if they could be reassured on this issue”
Canvassing recently has convinced me you’re right Chick. The interesting thing is when you use the Yes cards. One one side it asks where you are now, 1-10. 1 is totally against, 10 totally for. The second question is just the referendum one: “Should Scotland be an independent country: yes or no?”
The surprising thing is that quite a number of people will give answers of 2,3,4 but answer yes to the second one. Often they want to talk, and when you listen what you hear is exactly as you describe. The really want Scotland to be independent or “wish it could be” but…then they reel off the too wee, too poor stuff and basically don’t believe it can be done. You sometimes hear phrases like “already bled dry by England” (interestingly, the most anti-English sentiment I hear comes from such “no” voters, not Yes ones). Other common ones are people rejecting ruling ourselves because they imagine it will be like Labour in Glasgow politics. It’s really quite sad.
On the other hand, I can’t imagine these people are Better Together fans either – many are vehemently against Westminster. I also sometimes wonder if they will really be likely to go into a booth next year and vote no. I suspect many will either vote yes in a kind of “oh fuck it” moment, having said no until the bitter end, or abstain. If they do vote no it’ll be with pretty heavy heart, from what they’re saying. And I’m not sure Better Together have really thought through what that means after a No vote if/when those people discover they’ve been lied to, or when the regret sets in with them.
Question: ” Why is it a ‘good thing’ for England to have political self-determination, but a ‘bad thing’ for Scotland?
Will “crème anglaise” still be custard in an Independent Scotland?
“I didn’t get a chance to chip in, as I’m waiting for my new card to be activated. Will the fund raiser remain open for the 16 days?”
Yes. I don’t think you’re even allowed to close them early, although they tend to deliver the cash as you go on, rather than waiting for the deadline.
What gives an English electoral majority, the right to determine Scotland’s potential?
A) God.
B) The Treaty of Union.
C) We are too wee, too poor, too stupid.
D) The English are our natural masters.
E) Ek is a fat Nazi.
F) All of the above.
G) None of the above, I’m just dighted.
OK, the list of responses might have been a bit of fun, but the question was meant in earnest.
Fantastic effort by all involved!
Just shows the depth of feeling at the standard opinion polls that we are used to that rarely give the methodology OR the full figures.
We could take a lead from the experts!
🙂
Possible question;
If Scotland were independent, what change would you like whichever party is in power to make first?
PS for a more accurate assessment of true Scottish aspiration re independence and the influence of financial considerations the question would be ‘Moreno’d’ i.e. on a scale of five with options for :
‘Significantly better off’, ‘Slightly Better off’, ‘No worse off or better off’, ‘Slightly worse off’, ‘Significantly worse off’.
OTOH on the simplification side, one question could be aske:
If you were convinced Scots would be no worse off in an independent Scotland, would you vote for it?
I have suggested all the variants of the above many times and in many forums since the early naughties.
Also would add that the preamble should go to more length to urge the respondent to disregard whatever they currently believe would be the situation and answer only in the context proposed in the question.
Good thinking Stu, lets go for it. It’ll make a refreshing change to see the YES side setting the narrative and make an interesting sport out of how the Naysayers react.
Questions Questions eh, i would also like to know how much the Scottish public is aware of the propaganda and Scaremongering that is going on.
Will contribute too.
Doh. My question only works if it is asked of those who intend voting No, so a possible follow up to the referendum Yes/No.
Jings. I took my eye off this to do some actual work like what they pay me for, and look what happens.
Another,
What would you like to see an independent Scotland do with the surplus revenue from oil that is currently redistributed throughout all of the UK?
Contribution sent.
Possible Questions :- Do you only get information on independence from newspapers television and the official YES and Better Together.
If NO –
Are you aware of on-line sites that promote and discuss independence such as WOS; Bella: NNS: National Collective; Labour for Indy etc
Cheers @ North Brit. Have included that wee gem in my blog http://logicsrock.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/carry-on-screaming-in-your-own-home.html
Sorry. misunderstood, thought we were going to see the questions selected by Stu before deciding whether to contribute. Will contribute anyway.
Anyway, sounds like an on-goer to me.
Damn fine idea Rev. I’ll be chipping in.
I’d suggest using ICM and getting them to do a telephone with their new landline & mobile random dialling system alongside an online poll from Panelbase or Angus Reid. A couple of questions in each should be identical (e.g. on referendum voting intention). That would allow a good comparison between the two methodologies.
I’ve a few ideas for questions including one quite simple one which I believe should give the best indication of what will happen on polling day, even this far out. Let me think how best to craft this one.
I can also suggest a demographic question (national identity) which should ensure we see if it matches the population properly on what really should be weighted into every indy poll yet is not, even though it’s well established and constant over long periods (people don’t change their national identity on a whim and this one is a big controlling factor in the equation!).
Oh, and the papers willl find it hard to resist a juicy poll. Of course they’ll have to credit WoS. Hope your server capacity is up to it…
“Are you aware of on-line sites that promote and discuss independence”
Yeah, was already thinking of one along those lines.
Love all this harmony man.
Where do you contribute ?
Atypical scot said
If Scotland were independent, what change would you like whichever party is in power to make first?
That is a great question. The answers would be very interesting, plus it points out that a Yes vote is not necessarily for the SNP.
Triple PLUS good
I’m up for it – How about asking the exact same questions BT have aske,d in anyone of their polls, and see what really turns up
This is a question I’d like people to answer.
The UK has amassed and continues to amass huge levels of debt and is actively doing so on our watch.
Do you agree that it is our responsibility and not the responsibility of our children and grandchildren to pay our share of this debt?
If so, do you agree that all revenue from Scotland’s resources and taxes should be kept in Scotland in order to protect the next generation from inheriting our massive debts, without providing them with a means to pay for it?
I will contribute. It is a great idea. What we need is what some American president called the ‘big mo’ so what we should have are questions that reveal movement between last year and this year. Also we should have comment on the scaremongering to destabilise the BT lot.
Apologies if this has already been suggested but don’t we need a reference point to put the data in context? In other words how do people who are tending towards YES or no respond differently to the questions posed (or how did they vote in last Scottish Government election?) .
I know you’re all excited – and rightly so – about this, and it does seem to herald a sea change in the growing power of this website, but I do have to get this off my chest.
Advance apologies to any monarchists amongst you, but I have just listened to Nicholas fucking Witchell regarding the up and coming ‘royal’ birth and, whatever it costs, this will be money very well spent if I never again have to hear a media statement referring to someone in Scotland starting with the words “Her Royal Highness”.
FFS!
Great Idea.
How about the Blair Jenkins flip-side question – If Scotland was already an independent country and the 2014 referendum was on joining the United Kingdom would you vote Yes (to join) or No (to remain independent).
@Roddy Macdonald
Good stuff. Agree that this is typical of BT’s ghastly attempts to sound “couthy”.
Jeannie (recovering a sense of equanimity after previous rant), that is a fine question, this whole thing for me is about future generations, I am fairly comfortable now, but I have always had fears about the young of our country.
Westminster seem to have no such qualms, we need away. Desperately…
@ Stuart Black
http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/ingrid-wolfe/child-poverty-in-britain-%E2%80%94-redefine-it-or-reduce-it
Just in case folk didn’t spot it earlier. 😉
@Stuart Black
And I agree wholeheartedly with your previous post!
“Good stuff. Agree that this is typical of BT’s ghastly attempts to sound “couthy”.”
I don’t think they’ll ever top “It’s the economy, glaikit.” My toes STILL haven’t uncurled.
Suggestions for poll questions :
1. If the event of a Yes vote in the Independence referendum there will be an election for a Scottish Parliament in 2016. Which party would you vote for in that election ?
Scottish Conservative Party
Scottish Greens
Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Lib Dems
Scottish National Party
Scottish Socialist Party
2. In the event of a Yes vote in the Independence referendum who do you think would make the best First Minister of an Independent Scotland ?
Alex Salmond
Nicola Sturgeon
Douglas Alexander
Alistair Darling
Joanne Lamont
Jim Murphy
Michael Moore
Danny Alexander
Ruth Davidson
Patrick Harvie
Rev Stu Campbell 🙂
3. Scotland currently generates 9.9% of UK taxes and only incurs 9.3% of UK spending. The difference represents £4.4bn which would be available to an Independent Scottish Government. What would your priorities be to use this ‘Independence Dividend’ ?
Increased Pensions
Increased Investment in Infrastructure/ House building
Reduce Borrowing / Pay Down National Debt
Increased spending on Education / Health
Creation of an Oil Fund invested for future generations
4. Should Scotland be an Independent country ?
Questions asked in that order, does that count as ‘leading the witness’?
Agree with SS, the Moreno Question should be asked as a control.
@Stuart Black
For some reason your contribution reminded me of Prince Charles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-SGCxRUtXM
One wonders what Nick gets out of all this servility.
Thanks for the link, Cameron, we can do something about this, but it is totally dependent on a YES vote.
Something Vronsky said upthread – and I hope it was not skimmed over – struck a chord:
I have here in my hand a heavy plank of wood with some rusty nails driven through the end. I intend to whack you over the head with it. Do you think this is a good idea? (present preferences, according to recent polling, in parentheses):
Yes: (33%)
No: (33%)
Need more information (33%)
True.
Nice one Jeannie!
Stuart Black – to be honest I’m not anti – royal, but do we need to spend anything on another royal event, at a time when child poverty in this country is rocketing. Of course you can guarantee there will be another along the way just in time for the referendum.
Donated my humble contribution. Re questions, I would recommend listing the pro-Indy sites and the reasonable/official No sites (ignore the nutters/ZCR sites) and ask people which ones they have heard of and/or visited. Merely mentioning them will inform them of their existence in their pursuit of knowledge and opinion.
Another tack may be to ask questions aimed at the type of society they would like on a spectrum between American (low tax, privatised, minimal public services etc) and Scandinavian – but that would probably warrant a later poll of 6-8 questions on its own.
When the SG publishes the White Paper in the autumn, what issues/policies/strategies would like to see addressed? Would persuade you to vote Yes? Again there is an opportunity to list multiple options within a single question.
“I would recommend listing the pro-Indy sites and the reasonable/official No sites (ignore the nutters/ZCR sites) and ask people which ones they have heard of and/or visited. Merely mentioning them will inform them of their existence in their pursuit of knowledge and opinion.”
That’s precisely the idea, yes.
“1. If the event of a Yes vote in the Independence referendum there will be an election for a Scottish Parliament in 2016. Which party would you vote for in that election?”
I like this one.
Do you agree that in a democracy, a country should get the government it votes for?
Another £1000 in the fund, how many questions is that now?
Come on people, apparently all eyes are focussed on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, what are you doing wasting your time here?
I must turn the television off… 😉
I wonder if RT would want to interview the Rev. re. the poll results? I imagine they might, if the result diverge significantly from the polls that have so far been disseminated to us.
Hope you’ve had a hair cut recently Rev. 🙂
@CameronB-
Don’t you go lecturing people about haircuts young man…
@Stuart Black;
I’ve heard some animals eat their young. No idea how that came to mind like.
@ ianbrotherhood
And I thought you liked it. 🙁
Ivan, I like your question 3.
@CameronB-
I don’t remember saying I liked it, although I did say it suited you. Not quite the same.
Anyway, if we start up with the hair jokes we’ll just end up in Quarantine…again.
Mustache – I’m off to a fringe meeting.
A comparatively measly £20 gladly chipped in….What fun!
Can’t give nearly as much as i would like but mark me down for £20.
Please tell me how to pay.
Question suggestion: do you think that unionist parties should spell out exactly any extra powers they would give to holyrood in the event of a NO vote now?
or, do you think the NO campaign have been painting a) a realistic picture of an independent Scotland?
b)a picture that suits their own ends?
In the event of a NO vote do you think the NHS will be privatised?
@Atypical Scot: 😀
Apparently he rest of the world are waiting on this – allegedly…
Oh, and stop press, the Queen is at Buckingham Palace.
I’m sorry, I’ll stop – oh wait, the bells are going to ring out, oh joy! – sorry, I really will stop now, I’m going to retreat to my vomitorium for the duration.
I’ll chip in too.
Should another country have the right to force Scottish troops to fight in a war, that the people of Scotland voted not to take part in?
Or words to that effect.
Whoever put the monkey in the pot, get in mate!
My eyes are boggling at that total!
I don’t get paid til Friday so I’ll contribute then, but wow and well done everyone!
Tight as the proverbial gnats chuff I have, nevertheless, just lobbed some money in the kitty. I may have been out in the sun too long :O
“A comparatively measly £20 gladly chipped in….What fun!”
No donation is “measly”. Every penny anyone can spare is much appreciated. These are tough times.
And thanks!
PS I think it will be a girl and I’m swithering between Shamilla and Whitney as likely name
“Another £1000 in the fund, how many questions is that now?”
We’re at 9, I think. Little bit more needed for the 10.
I see the BBC headline on the royal baby is currently.
Duchess in labour as world waits
I’m in France with my ‘foreigner’ family (in case you are reading Alastair). I’ve not met anyone waiting here.
Regardless of how you intend to vote in the Referendum, do you believe that Scotland has the economic resources to be an independent country?
Regardless of how you intend to vote in the Referendum, do you believe that an independent Scotland would be a fairer country?
Regardless of how you intend to vote in the Referendum, do you, in your heart, really want Scotland to be an independent country?
Regardless of how you intend to vote in the Referendum, do you, in your heart, really want Scotland to be an independent country?
This is the one we need to get in with the correct wording. It will give you something very close to the result.
@ Stuart Black
Apparently the rest of the world are waiting on this – allegedly….
Apologies for being a pedant, but approximately 65% of the world’s population is accounted for by rural peasants living in China and India. They tend to be so shit poor, that most of them do not have regular access to electricity. They probably aren’t glued the TV right now.
But I’m forget, London is the center of everything and we are blessed to have such a benevolent and involved monarchy, to protect all of our rights and civil liberties. Gawd bless them all.
On the basis that there will be more than one such poll may I suggest the following
–
The Electoral Commission has requested that both “sides” inform voters of the issues involved in answering the referendum question, “Should Scotland be an independent country?”, on 18 September 2014. Which of the following have given you information as to what might happen after their respective votes? Please rank each campaign 1 very poor to 5 very good and 1 best to 6 worst for each source within each campaign.
The information you have got on Yes – 1 very poor 2 poor 3 so-so 4 good 5 very good
The Scottish Government 1 2 3 4 5 6
The YesScotland campaign 1 2 3 4 5 6
Independent websites eg wingsoverscotland, bellacaledonia 1 2 3 4 5 6
The papers, ITV, Sky, commercial media 1 2 3 4 5 6
The BBC 1 2 3 4 5 6
Friends and neighbours, workmates etc 1 2 3 4 5 6
The information you have got on No – 1 very poor 2 poor 3 so-so 4 good 5 very good
The Westminster Government 1 2 3 4 5 6
The Better Together campaign 1 2 3 4 5 6
Independent websites eg Terry Kelly? D Hothersall? 1 2 3 4 5 6
The papers, ITV, Sky, commercial media 1 2 3 4 5 6
The BBC 1 2 3 4 5 6
Friends and neighbours, workmates etc 1 2 3 4 5 6
[ available responses not listed – None of them – Don’t know ]
–
This will cross tab nicely with voting intention, including Don’t Know and will see if
people feel they are getting information, who from and any noticable bias and if
the social campaign is being effective and
will track from poll to poll as to who is getting through to the voters
Good idea Rev, surprised it’s so cheap. I’ll contribute.
Agree with other suggestions that some useful advice from SS might be handy.
As for questions, well obviously the referendum question, but possibly one along the lines of where people get their political news from, BBC, tabloids, STV etc.
A week or so back the SNP or the Yes Campaign released some data on their private polling which showed the “NO” vote to be weakening (on a scale of 1 to 10). This was met with shouts of “they would say that, wouldn’t they” and calls to publish the rest of their polling. Perhaps they have other polling results which they would be delighted to have reconfirmed by an independent poll and broadcast to as wide an audience as possible. Maybe worth a quick ask.
Apologies if this has been covered.
Wow! Top work everyone!
Looks like we might get 2-3 polls out of this.
“The information you have got on Yes – 1 very poor 2 poor 3 so-so 4 good 5 very good”
I think that sort of question costs more – the ones we’re looking at so far are “closed” questions where you pretty much answer Yes or No. Not sure, though – will have to thrash all that out. Happily Indiegogo hand over the money more or less straight away, so we can get straight to work tomorrow.
Blimey Rev, just went to the donate page and your well over target already. That’s incredible.
I noticed you mentioned using extra funds to ask more questions – I’m a bit wary of asking so many all at once, as a poster mentioned earlier people get fed answering questions.
Maybe instead their is a longer term strategy here, how about holding some of the funding back for future polls ? If you’re receiving that kind of funding, you could plan ahead for next spring/summer.
Sorry Rev, you’d have had my tenner, but that payment site wants way too much of me to allow me to contribute. Give us an address for a postal order and I’m still up for it.
OT but somebody did mention baby names. Nothing to do with the current London shenanigans, but I heartily recommend a wee swatch at the baby names of those born in Scotland last year. It’s hilarious, particularly the diabolical extent to which people go to have a unique name with hyphenation, mis-spelling etc. e.g. John-Jock (no, I’m not kidding!)
An interesting look at who we are. Enjoy
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/births/popular-names/babies-first-names-2012/detailed-tables.html
I would tend to agree – don’t ask too many questions or people will start to switch off. A series of logically linked questions that people can follow will penetrate and deliver more.
I’m a bit wary of asking so many all at once, as a poster mentioned earlier people get fed answering questions.
Yes, better to keep the poll short (they’ll need to ask questions on their age, sex, where they live, job etc too first before they even get to the main stuff) so keep a poll short. Questions should be as clear as possible and not leading.
Better to spread the cash over a number of polls, keeping key Q’s in each one. You’ll get a different 1000 folk each time most of the time.
sorry about the typo, I meant to say ‘fed up’ instead of just ‘fed’.
HandandShrimp says:
PS I think it will be a girl and I’m swithering between Shamilla and Whitney as likely name
Wayne if it’s a boy
“Q: When is the perfect time? A: Who can say, but probably somewhere between haste and delay – and it’s usually wise to start today.”
Rasheed Ogunlaru
I thought that in modern polls you got 50p or so for answering so its not people answering that is the problem its the cost of cross-tabbing that rockets with the number of questions
@HandandShrimp;
Short-sharp-shocks? Set tazer to stun.
Good grief what a lot of comments!! Took me forever to get to the comments box – count me in for a tenner or two.
Set phasers to severe malky
Yes indeed, we’re witnessing the birth of something special.
I think a neat question would be turn the referendum question on it’s head and ask if we were already independent, would you vote yes to form the UK and give up being a nuclear free zone, share a defence policy, give up a number of tax raising rights including oil to be pooled, etc,.?
Its a little long winded but I’m sure you get the gist.
Ok, just popping off to suss how to donate my tenner.
“Sorry Rev, you’d have had my tenner, but that payment site wants way too much of me to allow me to contribute. Give us an address for a postal order and I’m still up for it.”
Drop me a line via the Contact form and I’ll send you details for a bank transfer or somesuch.
“I noticed you mentioned using extra funds to ask more questions – I’m a bit wary of asking so many all at once, as a poster mentioned earlier people get fed answering questions.”
As I’ve said, I think we’re going to put an upper limit of 10. Any money over that will be put aside for future polls.
“I think a neat question would be turn the referendum question on it’s head and ask if we were already independent, would you vote yes to form the UK”
That one’s definitely under consideration. Might be interesting to see if it differed from the standard Yes/No.
With all this extra cash you should consider setting up a ‘think tank’ or sponsoring a professor or something?
Hi Stu. In addition to my previous point about talking toStephen Noon I suggest you ask a question about BBC coverage / impartiality As they are supposed to be ‘consulting’ about how to handle this a properly polled view could be priceless as they consistently state that criticism is purely cyberNat exaggeration !
In an ideal world, should Scotland be an independent country?
Or some such like.
I’ll contribute regardless of the following, but I’d like to be able to analyse the results. For analysis, I think the following questions would be useful.
Which party did you vote for in the last Scottish Parliamentary elections?
If Scotland remains within the union, which party do you intend to vote for in the next Scottish Parlimentary elections?
Should Scotland be an Independent Country?
(For those who answer [no/don’t know] to the above question) If UKIP and the Conservatives poll well in the up coming European Parlimentary Elections, and it looks likely that the UK will leave the EU, will you vote [yes/no/abstain] in the referendum on Scottish Independence?
(Finally, for those still answering [no/don’t know] to the above question) If an Independent Scotland can show, before the referendum, beyond reasonable doubt, that as an independent nation, it could save the eroding of British values, such as the NHS and the Welfare state, from current and historic Westminster cuts, will you vote [yes/no/abstain] in the referendum on Scottish Independence?
I’d genuinely like to see the above, as it would allow a good insight into how the referendum will actually play out, and also provide a way in which to focus the Yes campaign’s message.
I would have to say I think it’s a bit daft to ask rhetorical questions about something that cannot/will never happen in reality. We are not independent, we are not applying to join the UK. Don’t waste a precious question on it.
bloody hell rev all those donations in less than a day….dont suppose you fancy running a college fund appeal for me?…its a worthy cause honest!lol
Q: If you knew that your single vote was going to decide the whole referendum one way or the other, what would it be?
When I look at the bitter together site I see lots of comments about “deeper pockets” (stupid – it’s actually what’s in them that counts), safety in numbers, and defense propaganda. It would be good to have some kind of question that challenged this false status quo.
Q. Are you confident that the Westminster government can address the £trillion national debt, while renewing the UK nuclear deterrent, reverse declining conventional armed forces, and make some attempt towards a more equal society?
““1. If the event of a Yes vote in the Independence referendum there will be an election for a Scottish Parliament in 2016. Which party would you vote for in that election?”
I like this one.”
do I get kudos for being first with it?
OT. Correction to my earlier pedantry re. China and India’s rural populations. I don’t know where 65% came from, its more like 42% of global population, very roughly. As such, the Beeb might be correct.
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/
P.s. This is a very useful site if you want to do comparative analysis on a range of social indicators.
@ianbrotherhood
According to the Scottish Registry Office, there were no FANNIES born in Scotland last year. Now isn’t that sad?
From those that were, my choices would be for a Boy : Rufus-Theodore or Ambrus-Largs. Girl: Dezstany-Rose or Anuoluwapojojo.
I kid ye not!
Have been hoping you would do a poll, great news and you can count me in for £20
Is the British state a Country or a Political Union? Country/Union
Which country/state has had two Queen Elizabeths? England/Scotland/UK
Does the Union Jack really represent Scotland, England, Wales and NI or does it’s design represent English domination over other countries?
All Countries Equally/English domination
Do you think other countries know the difference between England and Britain internationally? Yes/No
Would being independent and having our own seat at United Nations improve Scotland’s profile internationally? Yes/No
Would you like to see the Scots Saltire flying at the next Olympic Games? Yes/No
Were you aware that the British Conservative Party, Orange Order, British National Party (BNP), United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the Democratic Unionist Party are all against independence? Yes/No
Were you aware that every political organisation who stands for election and whose headquarters are based in Scotland all support independence? Yes/No
Is it patriotic not to want Scotland to rule itself? Yes/No
Do you believe the No campaign’s claim that they are patriotic Scots? Yes/No
Should Scotland control defence, foreign policy and benefits policies? Yes/No
Do you want Scotland to have the same powers every other independent country enjoys? Yes/No
Should the Scots rule Scotland? Yes/No
Holee Smolee… I’m just in from work and the total has been passed already! I better get ma tenner in then.
I’m open to it. If I may suggest the following question:
Should Scotland be an independent country?
Ta much.
It would also be interesting to pose the ref question at the start, then at the end pose the preferred question of ‘Do you agree’…..would there be a change in numbers?
Probably one for if we are rolling in the dough though!
I mentioned way up top to not mention the nutters/ZCR sites in any list of sites they may view. I am swithering though. Maybe if they are shown how deranged some of the No supporters really are, it could only help us.
I’ll leave it to the Rev.
If Scotland votes no in 2014 do you think that the country afterwards will be:
(a) better off than now
(b) worse off than now
(c) just the same as nonow
To be mischievous, the question could be phrased:
If Scotland fails to achieve independence in 2014…
@Jamie Arriere-
No new Fannies in Scotland?
If only Irn Bru could do an ad featuring Tories…
This needs considered thought, and strategy. There’s no point burning money asking silly questions, no matter how amusing we may find them.
Why are we doing this? It seems to me there are two main objectives: one is to find out things we want to know, and the other is to attract publicity for key concepts related to independence. So, what so we want to know, and what do we want to highlight. In the latter category, think long and hard about what sort of negative spin might be put on the question and/or response, as someone will sure as hell find one.
I think what Morag highlights has to be done with an awareness of what Yes has done and intends doing. I think this was pointed out earlier up-thread.
Agree with Morag. If we commission a kosher paid for poll by one of the more modern pollsters then it has has much credibility and news worthyness of any of the other polls whether commissioned by Ashcroft or the Hootsmon. Therefore lets make the questions fair and weighty, something that will require more than a “those were biased and/or frivolous questions to dismiss it.
Now it may well be our numbers may not be radically different from some of the recent polls but if they do show the gap narrowing the a good poll will make it a scunner to refute.
Three girls called Tori born last year. Three new Tories a year – that would do us fine. You never know, the pandas might keep up with them.
🙂
Well blow me down!!
Just got back from a 6 mile bike ride tonight (testing my new bike).
In an hour the poll pot (pardon the pun) has broken the £3K mark.
Excellent effort from all concerned 🙂
Oh and something was on about somebody having a wean or something?
Has anyone informed Prof Curtice of this exciting development?
He’s sure to be interested – come to think of it, won’t be he be terribly hurt that someone’s psephologising in his own back yard without him knowing?
Come on Prof – we know you’ll hear about this soon – what would you ask?
Highland Martin
Excellent
Double plus good
Maybe we should try and come up with a question which will make voters consider the consequences if a NO vote is returned, like do you think that a NO vote would improve Westminsters attitude toward Scotland/Holyrood?,
Having completed many hundreds of polls for online pollsters (esp. YouGov), I don’t think we should restrict the number of questions just so that people don’t get tired. (I think it would be more useful to conduct more polls with fewer questions, but that’s nothing to do with tiredness.)
The way online pollsters work is that they pay people money in relation to the number of questions they answer (typically 25p for a short one, 50p for a normal one, and £1 for a very long one), so if you’re being asked to answer a 50p poll, you’re psyching yourself up for at least 20 questions.
Also, the pollsters often group several short polls together, so our questions might be asked after some completely unrelated questions about washing powder or preferred holiday destinations.
Also, the pollster will probably not ask a lot of people (I reckon not much more than 1000, but I guess that depends on how much you pay them), so asking questions in order to inform them is probably not worthwhile. We should ask questions because we want to know their opinions (or because we want how their opinions change when presented with specific bits of data), not because we want to change their opinions.
Finally, the pollster might suggest asking about past votes (either Holyrood or Westminster) and use that information to make sure the poll in representative. This might or might not be a good idea — it often appears to have the effect of suppressing the number of SNP voters.
£15 sent via PayPal / Indiegogo Stu
Just catching up after being away all day – things move fast on this site! Happy to contribute into the overspill fund. Have not had time to view all the responses yet but has anyone suggested a question to ask how many would switch to YES if they are convinced that the Tories will win the next election?
Do people really get paid for answering polls? I’ve done a couple of telephone ones and didn’t get a bent sou.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126194-Universal-Porn-Filter-Coming-to-the-U-K
So if we Vote No. We have no more porn. I think that’s a major influence to vote yes in the coming months.
Sounds like exactly how I’d like to blow a few quid. If we get to Referendum Day feeling there was something else we could have done .. anyway, the serious fight is just getting started and the BitterTogether ammo is already low (possibly blanks).
As with much of your work, nice one, Rev !
If you knew that an Irish nationalist was employed by the UK government to press the nuclear button do you think it should rule Scotland?
Did you know that the working title of Mein Kampf was Better Together?
Are you aware of the Independence march and rally held in September?
“Having completed many hundreds of polls for online pollsters (esp. YouGov), I don’t think we should restrict the number of questions just so that people don’t get tired.”
It’s not just poll-taker fatigue we have to think about, though, it’s reader fatigue too. If we spew out too much information at once, lots of it will get lost. I think 10 questions is a good number.
A turn-around question if you would vote to join the UK in it’s present form (as previously suggested) could be rather revealing. Imagine if (and it is if) a minority would be willing to vote to join the UK, that would be sensational. Instant headline:
MINORITY OF SCOTS WOULD NOT VOTE TO JOIN THE UK
Of course, MSM would not touch it with a barge poll, but the Yes team would certainly let people know about it at every opportunity. We could also pay for an ad in the newspapers, (7 OUT OF 10 SCOTS WOULD NOT VOTE TO JOIN THE UK). Let’s see how they spin that one!
I rarely post here, but will definitely donate for this. The only thing I’d say is don’t squander a golden opportunity and a fantastic idea with loaded questions or lots of poking fun at BT. We often look at there nonsense and rightly ridicule them for it. Your proper poll questions could get lost in the social media noise if we follow their example.
@HandandShrimp: Yes, I’ve made at least £150 over the years answering YouGov polls, so you do get paid eventually if you answer enough. They won’t pay you anything unless you clock up £50, though.
@Rev: Yes, good point. It might also be worthwhile releasing the results in small chunks for maximum effect.
How about 11 questions, and shape them as you would a football team – some more or less ‘attacking’, a similar number ‘defensive’, a definite big safe one in goal and a maverick free to roam upfront…
(Just saying Rev, cause you do like yer fitba’, right?)
Any serious piece of work, be it a sculpture, symphony, novel etc, needs a framework – this poll should be viewed as a collaborative ‘piece of work’, and the subject could hardly be more serious.
O/T. SORRY.
You’re link to Michael Kelly has set off my depression. Back to the docs.
My god!
Daughter coming in tomorrow to show me how to work PayPal so will get a score donation.
Canvassing for SNP Sunday, one of the two leaflets was a sliding scale questionnaire 1 to 10 from Yes to No, so that’s being done. Will report back when any results appear.
I could only manage a small amount, but I’ve just pushed the total over the four grand mark. 🙂
@ ianbrotherhood
“Come on Prof – we know you’ll hear about this soon – what would you ask?”
My guess would be:
1. Separation from the UK but within the EU?
2. Separation from the UK but outwith the EU?
(If you do not feel you have sufficient information on the EU to answer those, that’s OK you will be counted as a No vote)
Don’t believe me, check the Scottish Attitudes survey questions.
Q1. Leaving aside the independence debate, would the removal of nuclear weapons from Scotland make you feel less British?
Q2. Leaving aside the independence debate, would the collection in Scotland of all taxes generated in Scotland make you feel less British?
Q3. Leaving aside the independence debate, if Scotland & England competed as separate countries in future Olympic Games, would you feel less British?
Q4. Leaving aside the independence debate, if Scottish MP’s were to be prevented from legislating on matters that only affected England & Wales, would you feel less British?
Q5. If the Royal family chose to stop coming to Scotland each September for their annual knees up at Balmoral, would you feel less British?
Q6. If Westminster abolished the House of Lords & replaced it with a democratically elected second chamber, would you feel less British?
Q7. If Susan Boyle stopped eating fish suppers & lost 5 stone, do you think she would be considered less British?
As a Welsh follower of this site, can I just say how impressed I am with the co-operative spirit displayed with this crowd funding effort. The positivity and creativity displayed on WOS gives one an idea of the kind of democratic engagement which could appear in Scotland following independence. I visited your beautiful country last week to see Runrig in concert at Edinburgh Castle( and they keep getting better and better- even after 40 years!), and it just seemed to me that there was a spring in people’s step and a vibrancy afoot in the city- it really felt as if Scotland is on the cusp of something truly historic next year.
As to the questions well it will be up you good Scottish folk to decide on the best ones , but may I humbly suggest that it might be worth considering a question as to what sources people will rely upon to help them make up their minds next year: mainstream media, friends and family, blogs and social media, public debates, discussions in workplace ( and rate them on a scale of 1-5)? This information could be really crucial in targeting don’t knows over the next few months.
Like waving a Saltire behind DC we should think what is the done thing to ensure that our poll is not written off as Mickey Mouse stuff.
Assuming we are offered a normalised sample for age, gender, class, as its WoS it is reasonable that it should be looking for a Scottish electorate normalised sample so of the over 24s we should ask that 22.7% voted SNP, 27.3% voted for others and 50% didn’t vote in 2011. This removes any bias towards getting a sample of politics wonks and is important considering the latest evidence is that some 83% intend to vote in the referendum.
Having got our sample our most important question is Should Scotland be an independent country? but also we need to know if and how WoS and the others are affecting the debate which is where my multi-part question above comes in. Then one could ask a couple of loaded questions eg
Did BT asking what the VAT rate is going to be in an independent Scotland in 2016 when we have no idea what the VAT rate will be in 2016 in the UK if Scotland says No help you to make up your mind how to vote? Yes/No/Don’t know
Is it really believable that Scotland’s GDP per person is the same to within 1% as the UKs as the Yes campaign claims so we don’t need the oil to become independent? Yes/No/Don’t know
to see how exaggerated claims are accepted by believers/non-believers and Don’t Knows respectively.
That it is a themed poll and deals with matters where WoS has its own interests rather than Yes or BT at its heart would make it very difficult for the results to be written off if carried out by a reputable polling agency.
IMO the interesting result would be if people were getting poor information about what a No vote might mean. Wouldn’t we have fun telling them 🙂
Just chipped in any extra funds should be used to locate Johann Lamont’s hideout.
@Cath
Yes there are other mitigators which thwart aspiration for independence.
In particular, the fear of Labour numpty control has, I believe, been deliberately constructed. Think about the standard of the Labour startup for the Scottish Parliament chosen by Dewar (and contrast with his rejection of the likes of Dennis Canavan for being “not good enough”).
They had to be taught to rear up on their hind legs and utter phonems which approximated to communication.
All designed, IMV, to bring the Scottish Parliament into disrepute and to sow ‘maybe we ARE too stupid to run ourselves’ doubts in the electorate’s minds.
There are plenty other scare tactics.
However, a question can only really eliminate one thwarting influence at a time and fiscal fear is undoubtedly the main one.
OT. Just in case anyone else noticed or cared, and for the sake of accuracy, I need to correct my earlier pedantry again. Doh. The rural populations of India and China is closer to 28% of global population. I still don’t think they will be interested in what is happening on the balcony.
@Cath 2
Another common one you used to get, admittedly about 20 years back, was that England would use military force or blockade Scottish ports and the like.
Don’t think anyone believes that any more, so things have definitely moved on.
“Do you know the difference between a referendum and an election?? ”
Having talked to a fair number of people about the referendum I’m convinced that a lot of people don’t know the difference, hence the response that they ” don’t like Alex Salmond”. I believe that many people do not realise that the referendum is all about deciding whether to be governed by Westminster or by our own parliament in Holyrood. They believe that voting in the referendum is a vote for Alex Salmond and the SNP. I think its paramount that people know the difference and base their decision on knowing that after the independence vote, they can then elect any political party they choose!
“Should we run a bus to Carlisle for everyone who says ‘I’m getting out, if we vote for independence’?
Aye, but only if you promise to wait until I can get to Carlisle bus station and take me back!
Rev, I’m happy to throw a few shekels in too. Mebbe no’ match Doug’s generous input but I’ll do what I can!
Heather. I think that’s a problem that’s now been identified and now that this is the case, I think it’s one we can comfortably work on!
@Cameron B
Everyone ‘knows’ how overpopulated China is right?. The one child per couple measure and all that?
England, has nearly 3 times the population density of China. Think on.
England’s overpopulation is quite probably the most ignored economic factor in the UK in the last 3 decades. It didn’t used to be, ignored that is. There used to be a realisation that Britain had to be a significant net exporter of manufactured goods to pay for the net 50% of food and drink it needs to import.
@ Chic McGregor
That was before the Poll Tax and formation of unitary authorities though. The principle objective of which, IMO, was a twin pronged attack on urban local authorities ability to provide basic services, such as housing. Oh yeah, and there was Right to Buy, of course.
@Cath 3
I’m aware of the 1-10 scale and have inquired about the distribution, because the expected normal distribution was a point we used to make in Independence First although entirely hypothicated in those days. See:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8CTHz_DTDtlc1YzZVdLX2E5UEk/edit?usp=sharing
It appears, from what I have heard, the distribution is indeed approximately normal as in the above prediction, but with noticeable ‘bumps’ at the extremes.
Those ‘bumps’ I would put down to a catharsis effect.
Will donate but could people who specifically do not have access to a computer be asked as it would be interesting to see where or if they are getting info.
Also
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o a bit confused, in April I received this.I assumed it was via a mutual friend (not a Unionist ) but seeing the links to BT above , I checked it out. It goes to an error page but I’m positive the blether together name was a pro indy site.Did anyone else sign up in April ?
That’s me in.
This is an exciting time to be living in.
@handclapping
OVER 50% of those who voted, voted for pro independence parties or individuals at the last election. Please ignore unionists who prefer to cite the SNP support only as the sum total of support for independence or who count all the non voters and unable to vote (not registered at new address, absent, ill or dead) as no votes.
I’m in for 20 quid. Go get the real answers, not just what we want to hear. Give us an honest poll of what the people are thinking about. See this as a progressing curve and we’ll dispel all their worries. By my reckoning we must be looking at more than 50% for YES, can you prove this likely?
Donated £20 rev, over 4 grand already, at this rate you will be able to start your own newspaper business.
Q. Are you happy for someone earning £135.00 a year, being allowed to charge the tax payer over £8,000 for travel expenses for his kids? YES/ NO
Kate,
is that not £135.000 PA. A wee typo.
@CameronB
Yep. Pre-Ponzinomics.
(My new word of the day)
Richtie-hou, that’s me chipped in a wee bit an aa. I know there’s a fair amount in the kitty already (hat-tip to fowk much quicker off the mark), but I reckon that with sufficient funds it might be worthwhile repeating the exercise in a few months. Especially if it generates a few column cems referencing the WoS site, anyhow.
Impressive fund raising. That should pay for a decent survey. And I threw in a few bawbee.
stay right there, still trying to wrestle the wifes purse off her
I’m exited about this poll and looking forward to the results, but I truly believe that it’s the publicity it will generate for ‘Wings’ that will reap the most benefits for the yes campaign.
If it gets reported in the MSM and makes just 10% of the population aware of this site, then that’s an extra 500,000 people who might be viewing wings to see what all the fuss is about.
If just 10% of that figure looked in just once a month from then on, this would about double the on-line traffic of wings, and many of these people would move from don’t knows to yes’s as they got the information they needed.
….And these are not outlandish figures!
just did a (surreptitious)poll of the team of 7 people I work with and the results were
three certain yes’es
one certain no
and two dont knows
game on 🙂
oh btw the other one is me
you have four yes’es
working on the d/k’s
Count me in!
[On last flying-visit afore back Aug for just good. Tweeting frae Indion@KeithMMVII]
RevStu:
It’s been a while in helping mother as part of home, family, friends and ane folk team.
What essential i catch-up on before proposing question(s).
Also recommend all suggested proposals put up once melded to cover duplication as first round to vote in preference for poll limit.
Back after to and fro’ Glasgow, when new keys cut by eta started out from.
Also looking forward to future travel ‘Taking the Fifth’ [of Forth new among bridges, whatever its official name], constitutionally speaking too come to think of it, so long as nae Unitarists can in hiding after their’s 😉
And hey, the new born bairn is good news too. Alas, a lass called Kirstie from a union made in St Andrews would have been kinda tricksie, so cause for celebration all round of safe delivery for mother and child. And who’da thought the useful bit of skin at the end of a willie would be one frae Strathmore already 🙂
doug daniel says
“If the answer is no again, “3. Are you capable of wiping your own backside, or do you need someone to do that for you as well?”
yup,
the level of ignorance in some people takes thrawn to a whole new level,
that person who suggested that the SNP would destroy the NHS needs shooting (figuratively speaking) everyone gets not all of us are super informed, even the ones who are interested and go out of our way to acquire answers are not always correct but its not being 100% aware that matters it is striving for answers that makes us and society as a whole better people,
the disconnect between politicians and the public is growing ever wider and making us a lazy race who see our problems as created somewhere else and not of our making,
that ludicrous article by Patrick whisthisname saying that Scotland NEEDS England to have someone to blame otherwise the anger will turn to rangers hate celtic had an uncomfortable ring of truth to it,
its up to us to explain the NHS is in mortal danger RIGHT NOW under Westminster and the sky will NOT fall in with independence, and WE CAN be better than we are and finally allow ourselves the freedom from servility and self loathing.
Independence is not some childrens game, it is deadly serious and the no camp playing ya boo sucks with theyes camp belittles the whole thing and cheapens the referendum in the eyes of the public .
Wow, impressed by the total to date. Tuppence duly dropped in the box and looking forward to seeing the questions.
Stuart Black says:
22 July, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Would Scotland be blackballed from all world-wide fruit based organisations in the event of a YES vote? Is scurvy sore?
besides if we have no fruit,
how the hell are we to defend ourselves against a man armed with a banana
that what I’d like to know? 🙁
Do people really get paid for answering polls? I’ve done a couple of telephone ones and didn’t get a bent sou.
The online pollsters (e.g.Yougov) use small rewards to recruit people to their panels (from which they take demographic cross sections for polling). They kind of need to do this as they need people to come forward to be polled whereas phone (landline/mobile) pollsters contact you instead. The online pollsters obviously want to grow their panels as large as possible.
juteman says:
22 July, 2013 at 2:34 pm
“Maybe i’m too paranoid, but i wouldn’t trust any UK polling organisation.I know folk say they wouldn’t risk their reputation by cheating, but i think this issue is so vital to the UK state, they would take that chance, and may be doing so already.”
I agree,
this could blow up in our faces
John King 7:23.
Great comment.
If folks had e.g. seen the rebuttal Panelbase gave John Ruddy when he dissed their polls (called them ‘voodoo’ etc) they might be less inclined to question pollsters motivations.
I question methodologies (some of which are very poor, e.g. TNS, MORI, Yougov) and articles coming from some pollsters when they interpret results (ignorance of Scotland can come across here in a big way), but I don’t think they are inherently biased.
The one that predicts the referendum the most accurately in advance will sing it from the rooftops. After all, it’s a very challenging one (they have no previous references as they do for elections) and history-making. They operate globally/in a global market and form on getting predictions correct is very important in getting new poll contracts. They are all competing with each other after all, so if you want them to be pro-union, you really need them all on board!
I’m ridiculously excited about this.
The pollsters will serve the customer. Ashcroft’s polls tend to ask questions he thinks will favour his political leanings and they do come in for a bit of stick but the methodology of the pollsters tends only to be criticised with regards gathering techniques. Use land lines and you will almost certainly get an older generation. I was phoned a few weeks back and they didn’t ask me the questions because I was over 55 (bit gutted really) so obviously the phone pollsters are trying to address this problem but in doing so are still not getting a cross section.
Doug Daniels, that makes two of us…
Is it just me or does this feel like we’re actually ACHIEVEING something here? I feel properly involved! This should be very interesting and a little bit of fun!
Use land lines and you will almost certainly get an older generation.
It’s only IPSOS MORI who are still just using landlines only, at least for Scotland. TNS are still doing face to face (set up by landline I understand) and this suffers from a shy Yes factor (which you can see in XY plots of Y/N/DK etc) as per telephone, in addition to the demographic sampling problem you highlight.
ICM now use a combined landline and mobile random number dialing system for phone polls (they also do online too now) with agreement in the industry that landline only just doesn’t work any more. You can reach younger people (18-34 group is the biggest landline issue) by landline, but there’s a tendency to reach younger people still living with their parents which are a different demographic to those who have e.g. moved out and have their own place (rented or bought) with a mobile and landline just for broadband…
Atypical_Scot
Thanks, paid in this morning, its standing at over £4,400. Well done all and Stu keep up the good work, this site gives me great hope
Just got back to Taiwan for a six-months+ stint, jet-lagged and suffering from heat exhaustion, to find … this ongoing Wings project! And it’s a belter! Will be donating as soon as I get my head sorted out here!
@Cymru Rydd at 11.20pm
Great post there, and good suggestion for a question re where people are/will source their information from.
@Turnip_Ghost
I think that’s the point. I think we are trying to achieve something here and right across the campaign. We’re working to create something special and worthwhile, an old country made new. How many get that chance to be there when a country holds its breath for a tick of the clock?
Jeez, that sounds awfy colourful, but I don’t think there is any other way for me to express it. Now that really is something to tell the grandkids.
I realise I was being a tad oversensitive about the details Indiegogo/PayPal wanted before I could make my contribution, so as penance I have doubled it to a score.
Closing in on five grand now, that should buy some decent, honest polling and I wouldn’t think I’m alone in wondering how Prof Curtice will deal with the results.
“Should Scotland be Independent from Westminsters government?”
@Gordon Hay – Wise to be sensitive about your personal details for PayPal but I have been using them for years [Ebay, Amazon,etc.] with never a problem. Occasional Spam email which I never reply to but I get them supposedly from my bank as well.
@ Doug Daniel – You are excited? I canna even get to the loo, too busy refreshing the tabs.
I wonder about the selection effect of excluding people who yell obscentities at any and every cold caller on the assumption that they’re trying to sell them double glazing or pursue a claim for personal damages on their behalf.
If any poll company contacted me there’s essentially no chance they’d get as far as conveying that information to me.
@john king at 7.33 am – What about pointed sticks? 😉
Donated a modicum. Missed yesterday, day out with friends.
Well done all.
Hail Alba
@Stuart Black
at 10:08
Beat me to it! 🙁
Gordon Hay says:
I wouldn’t think I’m alone in wondering how Prof Curtice will deal with the results
He’ll probably just entirely ignore them.
Would it be worth asking for regional polls on independence? Would be useful information to have with full size samples for each region of Scotland.
@Lianachan
‘Gordon Hay says:
I wouldn’t think I’m alone in wondering how Prof Curtice will deal with the results
He’ll probably just entirely ignore them.‘
Unless they suit his unionist-with-a-small-u narrative.
One thing to be considered is that parties/organisations/individuals commision polls all the time and then don’t publish them if the results don’t suit. This won’t really be an option for WoS. I’m sure Rev Stu and the Q panel will be carefully selecting questions with that in mind.
Morag – aye, the number of nuisance callers is detrimental to those with a genuine reason for calling. I recently told someone from my bank that they’d gotten the wrong number, because they just sounded like any other “hello, I am from Microsoft, your computer has a virus” pest. It was only when I checked my mobile voicemail that I realised it was the bank, and not the nuisance caller I had assumed. Of course, that would have been prevented if he’d announced from the start who he was calling on behalf of…
Not enough is being done to prevent nuisance callers, and companies with genuine reasons to call are thus losing out.
“Regardless of how you will vote in the referendum, do you support the £26k benefits cap introduced by the Coalition?”
Going back to Morag’s point (8.22pm yesterday), I suggest that what we need to find out is how currently effective the campaigns are, and where the weak spots lie. For example, Yes makes much of having conversations with friends/colleagues… are these conversations happening? I’d also like to know the chief reasons given for voting yes/no. Finally, it would be useful to have a pointer as to the softeness of the don’t know vote.. It would be good to have something on media bias – but I suspect it would merely reflect the yes/no balance, and might be a waste of a q. So here’s my list (counting 4a & 4b as 2 seperate qs).
1) How likely are you to vote in the referendum? (definite, vl,ql,notl, won’t)
2) Which party did you vote for in the 2011 Holyrood election? (Tory,Lab,Snpetc…no vote)
3) If the referendum were tomorrow, how would you vote? (Y,N,DN)
4a) If you are intending to vote Yes, what is your chief reason for doing so?
Need a voice on the world stage
Scotland’s interests ignored by Westminster
Independent Scotland will be more democratic
Independent Scotland could be better off financially
Other
4b) If you are intending to vote No, what is your chief reason for doing so?
Wish to remain part of a United Kingdom
Fear of being worse off financially
Dislike of Salmond/SNP
Believe independent Scotland could not defend itself successfully
Other
5) At the moment, what is your chief source of information about the referendum campaign?
TV/Radio
Newspapers
Websites
e-mails from Yes/No campaigns
Leaflets from Yes/No campaigns
None
6) During the past month (2?, 6?) have you talked to anyone (friends,colleagues,family,activists) who has tried to convince you to vote Yes?
7) During the past month (2?, 6?) have you talked to anyone (friends,colleagues,family,activists) who has tried to convince you to vote No?
8) Before September 2014, Would any of the following be more likely to make you vote Yes to Scottish independence?
UKIP winning a majority of English seats in the 2014 European elections
Polls showing that the Tories are likely to win a majority in the 2015 UK general election
Further cuts in welfare spending by the Westminster government
None of these
9) Before September 2014, Would any of the following be more likely to make you vote No to Scottish independence?
A promise by both main parties at Westminster to grant Scotland full powers over her own affairs, apart from defence and foreign policy.
A promise by both main parties at Westminsiter to give Scotland ‘more powers’ without saying what they are
A commitment by the Labour party at Westminster to scrap the UK nuclear deterrent
None of these.
Doug, at this point I never answer any phonecall that is from a telephone number that I dont recognise. We need an email-spam-style system for phones.
If I don’t recognise the voice, and they’re not saying (more or less) Hello Morag, I just put the phone down. If nobody says anything for more than three seconds, I just put the phone down. If someone asks for the correct surname but prefaces it by “Mrs.”, it’s odds on that I’ll burst into tears, as my mother died a couple of years ago.
If they ask to speak to the homeowner, they’re liable to get a similar earful to the one who did that last night while I was listening to the Prom.
Stu, sent you a message via the contact button re i would like to make contribution but due to paypal wont. Was wondering if there was another payment method i could send it by.
Fantastic effort with the fund exceeding your expectations.
Hi TMITJ, good this, innit? 🙂
A cast-iron pledge to hammer cold-callers ‘in an independent Scotland’ would go down a treat with everyone – guaranteed.
@handclapping
Is it really believable that Scotland’s GDP per person is the same to within 1% as the UKs as the Yes campaign claims so we don’t need the oil to become independent? Yes/No/Don’t know
to see how exaggerated claims are accepted by believers/non-believers and Don’t Knows respectively.
Got me confused here : are you saying that this is an exaggerated claim ? Or just that it isn’t believed by most people ?
(You do know that’s its true – with Oil Scotland’s GDP is about £28k per head.
Without Oil its about £24k per head, the same as the UK average).
@Ivan M
Sorry, trick question to see how much people are actually taking in of the debate and also to measure how much resistance there is to the truth after so many years of 2W2P2S and subsidy junkie propaganda. The BT “question” is to try to measure how far the revulsion with BT’s tactics has spread. Both of course with an innocent face. 😉
I fancy doing a question about “Which of these stories have you heard of?”
There’d be McCrone and the sea grab. What else?
Trident and Faslane?
@Rev
That the Scottish Tories asked for the Poll Tax to be brought in early in Scotland
That Labour/Lord Robertson thought devolution would stop nationalism stone dead
That Shetland staying part of the UK would mean they could claim all the oil and gas
for starters
Not specifically related to Scotland – but what about asking if they know that it was Labour who brought in the Bedroom Tax /Atos?
And also, what about asking if people know the NHS in Scotland is a separate entitity from that in England/Wales?
Dalgety Bay, Solway Firth and perhaps more unknown locations of radioactive disposal.
There’s Gruinard – sunny Anthrax Island.
I would love to see how many people are aware of the ‘sea grab’ by Westminster at the start of devolution. And to those that arent aware, then this is a great way to make sure they now are.
A hat tip to yourself Stu for your quick response to my payment query, appreciated.
The last cold caller I got, I answered their questions then asked if I could ask them one in return, and asked them for their view on independence. Cue a lot of waffle 🙂
This could really set the heather alight. I think Stu will be needing another crowdfunding campaign for bodyguards before too long.
£4704 in 24 hours. Phenomenal!
I wouldn’t dilute the McCrone and sea grab questions with lesser points and I’d also suggest staying off apparently party political points.
Relatively few people seem to have heard about McCrone and fewer still about the sea grab.
The key thing about the sea grab is that it’s indefensible from a unionist perspective. It does nothing for the UK – its only effect is to annex what were Scottish waters and assets to England in the event of a split.
What else?
The positive case for the Union?
@NorthBrit – I wouldn’t dilute the McCrone and sea grab questions with lesser points and I’d also suggest staying off apparently party political points.
A fair point. I withdraw my suggestions.
Q: Ian Taylor/Vitol/dodgy donation to BT – heard of it?
I’m relatively new to this website but have happily contributed to the poll, which is an excellent idea.
That said, for this to be a worthwhile exercise the poll needs to be covered by the mainstream media and, as others have pointed out, for that to happen, it cannot be seen to contain loaded questions or be making a deliberate mockery of Better Together.
A skewed poll by a pro-independence website is unlikely to be taken seriously by the mainstream media and would simply be playing into BTs hands.
I look forward to the outcome of this discussion
Interestingly, the Scottish Government says the ‘sea grab’ line will be the likely international boundary, in their document on Oil. Weird that.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0042/00428074.pdf
I have now been reading you page daily for about 3 months so I am still quite new here. As this is my first comment I have made just wanted to use this opportunity to thank you for the content. All contributions have been amazing and I log in several times during the day in eager anticipation of the next installment. Keep up the invaluable good work 🙂
On this point in particular I will be making a donation in the next few days.
Re questions I was wondering if a thought provoking question might be appropriate (sorry if someone else has already made this suggestion, I just haven’t noticed it in the comments so far). I have lost count of the number of stories I have heard where people have been diehard No, who have for one reason or another decided to do a bit of digging and have turned to and unquestioning ‘I can’t believe I was ever a No’ resounding YES (it has never taken much reading). Yet I have NEVER heard of a diehard Yes switching to a No (although I can’t say this has never happened I serioulsy doubt it). With that in mind perhaps we could add a question along the lines of ‘How much time have you spent looking into the opposing camps arguments?’ ‘Did you find their literature informative? Backed up with fact? How did it affect your current belief system…
a) It made you more convinced that you were in the right camp for you
b) It had no impact at all
c) It slightly opened you up to another view point
d) It completely changed your opinion and you have now switched camps?
I am not too sure of how to word this question appropriately so if you like this line of thought please use your discretion and adapt the wording to something appropriate for the survey.
Yours Aye
Heather
Rev,
You have created a great wave of enthusiastic momentum with this initiative. Can I ask that you consider the prospect of having a second fundraising round, but this time to fund a low cost advert on ITV Scotland for WOS – directing people to the independent poll ?
I would happily contribute towards any initiative that generates additional readers to the site.
Yours aye,
Kendomacaroonbar
@naebd
That’s because the economic numbers work anyway. The grab helped the nationalist case by setting a floor for the oil numbers.
Before the grab unionists used to argue that the boundary might be a straight line extension of the land border (i.e. as per post sea grab but without the right turn) and a lot of the oil would go to England.
Hence Bitter Together now bang on about the uncertainty of oil revenues because the old sophistry about the oil potentially not being in Scottish waters got shot down by their own side.
“Before the grab unionists used to argue that the boundary might be a straight line extension of the land border (i.e. as per post sea grab but without the right turn) and a lot of the oil would go to England.”
Well, they do talk a lot of unsupportable shite, that’s for sure. Ironic that the change of boundary is siezed upon as unjust though when you’ve pointed out that it’s helpful.
And you’re right that the ‘grab’ doesn’t impact much on revenues compared to other plausible boundaries which as far as I can see would only recoup a chunk of sea near the coast, where there’s no hydrocarbons anyway.
“Regardless of how you would vote in the referendum, did you know that in 1999 the administrative boundary between English and Scottish waters was adjusted so that sea nearer England is in English jurisdiction? The Scottish Government is pretty chilled-out about this.”
I have been on this site for a few months now (in the background) and I think it’s about time I joined in fully.
I’ll donate no probs 🙂
Okay, another couple have come to mind.
1) Which of the following Better Together statements do you believe, (then list some of the scare stories, but include things that really worry people, e.g. Europe/currency and obvious silly stuff like pandas/rUK bombing our airports.
This will provide information about what issues need to be tackled AND give an opportunity to lay the stories side by side, thus exposing BT as liars.
2) In the event of a ‘No’ vote, who do you believe is most likely to win the 2015 General Election.
This might help focus the mind. (I spoke to someone yesterday who is a true ‘No’ supporter; anti Europe and Pro- trident BUT he even admitted that the thought of a Tory win at the next election might push him towards Yes).
Apologies if these have been suggested already. It’s hard to keep track now.
naebd @ 3:17 pm
Are you sure about that?
It was not done for a fishing reason, what would be in it for Westminster. How about shale gas and oil, and out to sea where any “earth tremors” would be no great shakes?
I’ll get ma fur coat for the last bit.
Two very important groups where a decent proportion will be required to vote Yes in order for us to win the referendum: Union members and Labour Party supporters. Can a question, or questions, be formulated to get an idea of what proportion of these groups currently support independence?
The people being asked the poll questions must reside in Scotland and be from all backgrounds if at all possible.
What temperature do you notice your blood flow reach when you read blatantly biased (if not outright fraudulent) project fear propaganda masquerading as normal news in Mainstream Media?
1 As cold as the ideal serving suggestion for a dish of revenge.
2 As searingly hot as the core of a nuclear reactor in meltdown.
Donald Kerr
good idea
@RevStu
Check out Naebd’s suggestion for a leading question, with accompanying dubious assertions.
@Naebd
Interesting choice of language:
Border = “administrative boundary”
6,000 miles of territorial waters annexed = “adjusted”
I doubt you will find many people who are “pretty chilled-out about this”. Most people, regardless of where they are from, are bizarrely disapproving of giving big chunks of their country’s territory to other countries. They are apt to use harsh words about the people responsible. See below:
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2012/01/scotlandengland-maritime-boundaries/
O/T
Anybody interested in shale oil and gas extraction, the mechanics that is, should log in to this site in the USA.
http://www.che.com/shalegaswebinar/
It is free
I know there are a few oilers on this site.
Oh and another suggestion;
Given that the European Commission can only address questions asked by current member states,
Does it concern you that, despite being asked to do so, the UK Government have refused to ask for answers to key European questions, such as EU membership, the Euro and Schengen, on behalf of the Scottish people?
(hopefully someone could improve on the wording)
If this was a high enough percentage (and I believe it would be), this might put pressure on the UK Government to deliver, or at least embarrass them.
Might look something like this…
80% of Scots want answers to key European questions, but UK Government refuses to assist
@NorthBrit.
Haha – there are so few leading questions in this thread arent there. I thought I would supply one 😉
(Actually I think RevStu is smart enough to come up with decent questions, rather than the catalogue of “insights into the hang-ups and insecurities of hardcore scots nationalists” we see arrayed in this thread)
And yeah you’re right – there’s lots of kneejerk bottom-lip pouting indignation out there on the internet from cybernats.
Murray should really provide a suggested boundary, because a lot of nats read the article and think the old boundary must have been defensible. In fact it was a fuckin straight line east from the border (with a wee jink north within the 3 mile(?) limit. Come on. Really.
No matter – it’s just a wee hobby of mine – pointing out the facts in the Case of the Great Perfidious English Sea Theft that the Scottish Government Nonetheless Reckons Will Probably Form the International Boundary.
@Naebd
Busted. And so easily.
Horizontal lines are quite normal.
http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/2497
Good luck with your future posting efforts.
@ Heather 2:36
Welcome to Wings.
What you propose regarding Direction of Travel is import.
We all talk about it anecdotally as an article of faith, but it would be good to get some data to back it up.
Maybe all the question needs to say is :
Have you changed your voting intention in the referendum :
From Yes / Don’t Know to No ?
From No / Don’t Know to Yes ?
Thanks Ivan McKee
I knew there would be a much simplier way to say it.
I would just love to get more people to actually look at the information out there. I read and article from self employed journalist who said he had been a diehard No for years but as soon as he did a little research he couldn’t believe how wrong he had been. If more people just thought about challenging what they have been spoon fed for years and did a small amount of reading we would land slide this campaign no worries. That said I am convinced we are going to win anyway. I have converted a few people myself as I am sure the majority of people on this site have too. I’m just getting greedy now and want to convert more at a faster pace lol 🙂
Donald Kerr says:
23 July, 2013 at 3:36 pm
“Two very important groups where a decent proportion will be required to vote Yes in order for us to win the referendum: Union members and Labour Party supporters. Can a question, or questions, be formulated to get an idea of what proportion of these groups currently support independence?”
Just bunged a few quid in. I agree with Donald that we need questions that identify party and TU affiliations. It would also be interesting to know whether new Scots (i.e. folk born outside of Scotland) are more or less inclined to support independence.
The practical trade-off is, that when we start to drill down to this level, we start to need larger sample sizes to obtain credible results
Only the second time I’ve posted (the first was the last big fundraiser). Just sent a wee donation over. This website & the fundraising goal are worth every penny. Cheers!
“@john king at 7.33 am – What about pointed sticks? ”
oooohhhh pointed sticks eh? bananas not good enough for mr la de da?
In the event of a Yes vote in the referendum, who do you think you are most likely to vote for in the first election after independence? SNP/Labour/Conservative/LibDem/Green/Other/don’t know.
This would help to highlight the point that independence does not lead to a one-party state.
Rev, I think we need a question that informs Joe Public of how big the potential of oil assets that are within Scottish waters. I thought I was pretty number savvy, but I was amazed at how much a Trillion actually is. If we take the conservative estimate £1.5 Trillion of oil assets in our waters, that represents a pile of £1000 notes more than 100 miles high! That’s higher than the Space Shuttle flew!
We would also make it clear that the oil companies would have to get a cut etc, but even if Scotland got 5%, that’s still a shitload of money.
Ref: http://www.peakprosperity.com/crashcourse/chapter-11-how-much-trillion
Sorry to be so late to the party, but a question occurred to me when I was in the shower this morning.
John Boothman the Head of News and Current Affairs at BBC Scotland is a former Labour Party activist and was chairperson of the National Organisation of Labour Students, do you believe that the BBC’s coverage of the referendum so far has been
a – wholly impartial
b – slightly on the side of the Yes campaign
c – heavily skewed to the Yes campaign
d – slightly on the side of Better Together
e -heavily skewed to the side of Better Together
“a pile of £1000 notes”
There are £1000 notes?
Can I please have some of those £1000 notes so that I can purchase some other transport than a car to get me to and from work in Aberdeen. The amount of building work going on around here because of investment in the North Sea means that it takes me up to an hour and sometimes more to travel from my work in Dyce to the West End a journey of only 7 miles.
Rev, I know, but assume there were £1000 notes. We could use £100 notes if you like?
Aberdeen loon, is it that bad?
I feel that the poll should be directed to the undecided/Nos.
Why have you not yet made up your mind?
Why are you against Scotland becoming an independent nation again?
What would make you change to a Yes voter?
Brilliant. Just going across to chip in.
As far as questions go, I like Charles’ 2nd question and I think it’d be interesting to get the devo maxers’ view on what they think about the power of voting no. Something along the lines of:
Do you intend to vote yes or vote no?
If no…
Do you intend to vote no because:
– you don’t want any change in devolution or the powers of the Parliament?
– you want more devolution but not independence?
If you want more devolution, do you believe the UK government that voting no will give Scotland more power to get a better devolution deal?