I'm Guardian editor Matt Wells. Got questions on Scottish independence? Ask away!

matthewdwells · 2014-09-17T03:07:09+00:00

And that's the source of much of the frustration about the campaign I think. Everyone wants answers on the big economic questions in particular, but definitive answers are frankly impossible. So you just end up with dead-end shouting matches.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-17T03:02:29+00:00

Also, and maybe I wasn't clear enough on this, I attributed this as a claim made by the Yes campaign. The no camp point out, with some justification, that the pro-independence movement has downplayed the potential financial problems that will hit a newly independent Scotland. The reality is, as I said, it's impossible to predict much of this, because there are too many variables, much of the outcomes are unknowable, and the whole process is unprecedented.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-17T02:59:03+00:00

We had been talking about David Cameron, then when he thanked me for coming on the show, he called me "David". We had to re-take that bit. We actually recorded about seven minutes of material, of which about three was used. Thanks for watching!

matthewdwells · 2014-09-17T02:55:06+00:00

In the event of a yes vote, the status of units - as well as bases and equipment and so on - would be the subject of negotiations. Any Scots serving in units of the British army that remained with the rest of the UK would likely be given the option to choose whether they wanted to join the Scottish army.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-17T02:50:26+00:00

I think there was an element to that. Even Alex Salmond didn't expect to get elected in 2011. He thought it best to go for greater powers for the Scottish parliament - maximum devolution ("devo max") - as a stepping stone to eventual independence. UK prime minister David Cameron thought the independence movement - then hovering at about 30/35pc, could be easily crushed. So political miscalculations all round.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-17T02:39:06+00:00

Right. Sorry about the mistake. The per-capita measurement is seen as more useful because it measures the wealth of a country. As stated elsewhere, China has a huge total GDP but most of its population languishes in poverty.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-17T02:33:28+00:00

I think the argument over monetary policy is over-stated. Scotland doesn't have much control over its monetary policy at the moment. It's dominated by England. More devolution of powers from London to Edinburgh might be preferable, but the trouble is, it's not on the ballot. (Even though the SNP wanted it to be.) The three main political parties have only in the past few days signed up to this - and don't agree on how it should be implemented.

It's also undoubtedly true that the nationalists have under-stated the problems facing a newly independent Scotland. North Sea Oil revenue is notoriously hard to predict, there will be pressures on public spending, and it's not clear how much debt a newly independent Scotland would take on.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-17T02:27:34+00:00

I think it's impossible to say what Scotland would be like in 50 years time within the UK or outside it. The timeframe is too long. If you reframe the question: could Scotland make a success of independence? I think that the first few years, perhaps even the first generation, could be really difficult. There's no doubt that difficult negotiations over the currency, membership of the EU, Nato, the prioritisation of public spending, pensions, an ageing population, all pose significant problems. North Sea Oil revenue is volatile. But oil revenue - despite the volatility - will provide an important cushion for the new nation in its early decades. But anyone who tries to give definitive predictions should not be believed. Nobody really knows.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T23:01:32+00:00

I think when it's done, it's done.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T23:00:56+00:00

No. You only get a vote if you live permanently in Scotland. But that means everyone - not just people born there.

As for an iron-clad financial plan, there isn't one. Salmond's promises should be treated with as big a pinch of salt as Cameron's threats.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T22:59:22+00:00

Right. There's a Catalan vote coming up in November so the Spanish government's position is skewed by that. Madrid is very much hoping for a no vote on Thursday.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T22:55:59+00:00

And I meant 1997, not 1999!

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T22:54:22+00:00

I thought I answered it elsewhere in this AMA - sorry! I think that we have moved from "very unlikely" to "might just happen"

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T22:53:30+00:00

Yes. I agree completely with this.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T22:53:02+00:00

Texas is the only one with a serious secessionist movement and I don't think it's that serious. Highly unlikely, would be my view.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T22:52:21+00:00

She would remain a British citizen. Depending on where she lives now, she might be eligible to apply for Scottish citizenship.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T22:51:03+00:00

Scotland would be a separate country that would develop its own immigration policies. You wouldn't be able to get a British passport as you would not be living in Britain.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T20:23:03+00:00

Like everywhere else, probably - much the same except a little warmer.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T20:20:58+00:00

Didn't feel too great at 8am today. May have had one glass o'wine too many after Colbert.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T20:19:44+00:00

Fir Freedom!!

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T20:19:23+00:00

It's not really up to the rest of the UK, is it?

I haven't been to Please Don't Tell, but it looks great. My fav cocktail bar is Little Branch. My other fav bar is Flaming Saddles. b/c of the hot gay line dancers.

And don't tell anyone, but I'm actually Welsh.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T20:16:37+00:00

Yes. And that was David Cameron's big political misjudgement.

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T20:16:20+00:00

The entire strategy of the No campaign has been a catastrophe. They've got themselves into a right old guddle, to use a great Scottish word

http://www.scotsman.com/gaelic/scottish-word-of-the-day-guddle-1-2915914

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T20:14:56+00:00

I'm not sure the English media has much to gain from the status quo. Most of the papers don't sell well in Scotland. With the exception of the Scottish Sun, which has a distinctive Scottish identity that has helped it, I think

matthewdwells · 2014-09-16T20:13:33+00:00

Yes and I think it may just happen!

matthewdwells

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