There is only 11 days to go before Scotland goes to the polls to make a historic decision on the direction we want to take as a country. The latest polls indicate that the momentum is with +Yes Scotland and that more and more people are realising that independence isn’t just the dream of a few politicians but a real possibility for us to affirm ourselves as a successful nation.
However many people still have a lot of questions. The large majority of newspapers are incredibly biased towards a No vote and the story they tell is a stark contrast to what campaigners actually see on the street and as a result many questions remain unanswered.
If you are undecided or simply have questions regarding the referendum and what an independent Scotland would be like, you can do one of two things. The simplest is to read the little book attached to this post. It’s called The Wee Blue Book and it’s been very helpful for many who couldn’t get a straightforward answer about the currency, the pensions, EU membership and so on.
The second thing you can do is ask me anything about the referendum. Now I’ll be straight and won’t promise to give you a definitive answer all the time but I will do by best to answer and will direct you to places where you can find out more. I should also point out that I’m not interested in rants about individuals involved in the campaign, whichever side they are. If you think poorly of Alex Salmond, Allistair Darling, Nicola Sturgeon or even David Cameron it’s your prerogative but I’m not here to discuss your opinions, only answer your questions and concerns.
My goal isn’t to “convert” you to the yes side with whichever lie I can come up with, that would be not only stupid but really presumptious. My goal is to make sure you have all the information you need to make a truly informed choice on the 18th.
So please let me know if I can help and reshare if you know someone who may have questions.
#indyref #askmeanything #scottishreferendum #scottishindependence #scotdecides
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I don't really want to download the weebluebook right now so could you tell me more about the pensions.
My dad has an index linked local government pension but he got it working in England. He retired to Scotland and really likes the Highlands. What happens with his pension? Will he lose the index linking? Will more tax be deducted? Or will it remain the same? Because he'd quite like to vote yes otherwise but the pension is what it's coming down to right now.
+Kirstie Dale The pensions is a common question and the answer is actually straightforward. The Department of Work and Pensions have confirmed that pensions will be paid as normal whether Scotland is independent or not. I have seen people receiving correspondence from both the DWP and HMRC confirming this (example here: http://wingsoverscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/pensionsletter.jpg).
There are also several examples of Britons having emigrated to places like Spain and still able to cash in their pensions.
When you have some spare time, here's the relevant section of the WBB: http://theweebluebook.com/pensions.php
I'll have to do a bit more digging regarding your specific question about index-linking as I've not come across this before and don't want to do you the disfavour of simply guessing.
Hope this helped
Thank you +Jean-Loup Rebours-Smith. I've forwarded the pensions section to my dad so he can have a look and see for himself :-)
Please do let me know if you find anything more specific to the situation though.
+Kirstie Dale I have sent an enquiry to DWP specifically asking about the type of pension your dad is getting. If I get an answer from them I'll definitely let you know.
The Wee Blue Book solves 99.9% of Bitter Together's stains
Thanks +Jean-Loup Rebours-Smith 🙂