With a week to go until the independence referendum, the decision that will shape Scotland’s future seems to be pitched on a knife edge.
A recent Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) poll had the two sides neck-and-neck with 38% of Scots backing independence, compared to 39% against it, with the other 23% undecided.
Much will depend on how opinion sways over the next seven days.
How do Mancunians feel about this issue – would we be sad to see our 307-year-old union dismantled?
MM took to the streets to see what the public had to say. We asked:
Are you worried about Scotland becoming independent?
| Yes | No |
| 33% | 67% |
Albert Beaulne, 63, said he wasn’t worried at all about Scotland becoming independent.
THE WEAKEST LINK: Albert Beaulne reckons it would be better if Scotland voted out
The Castlefield resident said: “I actually think it would strengthen Britain. The Scottish economy is weak and if you get rid of the weak part, only the strong part remains.”
Mr Beaulne, who is the president of a software development company, pointed out the political implications of Scotland leaving the union: “It would make the country a more politically conservative country, but I think that’s a good thing to be honest.
“We might even get lower taxes by reducing social support payments to Scotland.”
Others weren’t so optimistic about prospects, should Scotland say goodbye.
Michael Stokes, from Salford, said: “If Scotland left, it might result in the rest of the Union becoming more Tory, which is a very scary prospect. If not that, then Labour will almost definitely move even further to the right.”
The accounts and investment worker said he was worried about the likelihood of a physical border.
The 23-year-old said: “It would be like a modern Hadrian’s Wall! It would feel weird. There would definitely be potential for smuggling and asylum seekers.”
Najura Chabani, from Cheetham Hill, said she wouldn’t like to see Scotland leave our country – but she greatly admires Scots for wanting self-determination.
The Caffè Nero employee, 36, said: “When I first came to this country I thought England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were all separate countries, but quickly I realised it feels more like one country. It would definitely be a shame if it was split up.
“I think they completely have the right to decide whether they want independence and I admire them for doing so. I’m for anyone that does what they think is right for their country.”
FED UP: The campaigning is grating on Simon Livesey, who thinks Scotland will struggle
Simon Livesey, from Middleton, is more worried about how his cookie crumbles than the union.
The 40-year-old said: “I’m worried about how they would get on without us to be honest. I don’t think we buy enough shortbread off them to keep them afloat.”
The warehouse worker added: “To be honest, I’m fed up with all of this debate stuff. Politics is anathema to me. I’m completely apathetic about the whole thing, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”
Laurence Taylor, 23, from Fallowfield said: “I can’t say I’d be sad if Scotland left the Union. I’m not really sentimental about these sorts of things. Times change – who are we to stand in the way of that?”
The retail supervisor said that he’d definitely notice a change at work: “I work in Primark and the only interaction we have with anything Scottish is people trying to use Scottish money. So we’ll get no more annoying people saying ‘that’s legal tender’ in a Scottish accent.
“There’s definitely a great degree of insecurity involved. They’ve always been the ones dominated by the English. Perhaps this is what they need.”
Another person to touch on the nationalistic element of the debate was Yusf Ali, a Chorlton resident. The 27-year-old said: “The way I see it is they’re more nationalistic than us. They tend to be like ‘Yeah we’re Scottish, we like Irn Bru’. It seems a bit odd, for me.”
The 27-year-old entrepreneur said: “I am worried about the economy. It’s difficult to find a job, let alone create one at the moment. It could get a lot tougher in both countries.”
Kim Fields, a receptionist from Salford, said she wasn’t worried about the ‘Yes’ campaign winning.
IT’S NOT SCOT THE SUPPORT: Kim Fields thinks that Scotland will stay
The 28-year-old said: “I haven’t yet met a single Scottish person who wants it. I really don’t think it’ll happen.
“Also I don’t get why they’re trying to break away. It’s a total waste of time and, to be honest, I think it’s a little bit daft.”
Bruktawit Abdu Mahamued, a 33-year-old PhD student from Longsight, drew parallels with her own experiences.
“I’m from Ethiopia and we had a similar separation with Eritrea,” she said. “We now have bad relations, plus there’s not much safe travel between countries. I wouldn’t want anything like that to happen here.”
Kerry Reid, a 24-year-old advertising executive from Castlefield, said it might be nice if a physical border separated the two countries. “It would make driving up more exciting, like you were going on holiday,” she said,
Withington resident Simon Cass took a laissez-faire approach to the debate. The 24-year-old student said: “Whatever will happen, will happen. I think it would be bad for them, but lack of education usually leads to a primeval feeling of ‘I want to be my own nation’.”
He added: “They’ll struggle without us but it’s their decision. If they vote ‘Yes’ we’ll just have to be cool with that.”
Image courtesy of BBC Scotland via YouTube with thanks
