Douglas Alexander and Dimbleby gang up on Nicola Sturgeon

[Edgey1988]

Scottish people need collagen.

[crawlbabie]

the title of this video is all wrong, nobody is ganging up on anyone, SNP needs to stop playing the victim card all the time

[crawlbabie]

if anything it was the Scots who thrust it upon the English, as James I (Scottish king) took over the thrown after the death of Elizabeth I. check your history first before you speak.

[TalonMercenary]

@crawlbabie Exactly. A lot of Scots coveniently forget it was them who formed the union with England. England should get the vote on whether we still want Scotland

[caitlinispurecool]

@TalonMercenary 'Them' being the people or the rulers?

[JohnnyNorfolk]

They dont like it up em Mr Mainwaring.The nasty SNP on the back foot what a turn up.

[FranklyLate]

I wish she knew about Tom Harris MP at this time!

Next time!

[51wins]

RIP - SNP

SNP maybe biggest party but Scotland we Scots (majority) don't want to be Independent. We have our own government, we have the best of both worlds we make our own decisions but are part of the UK getting billions extra each year.

Scotland could survive on its own but we would have to pay more tax, no British army, likely have to join the Euro in long-term. No more Royal family, no more free education, Scotland would take debt burden and we wouldn't control all the oil in North sea!

[Gorgoroth5746]

@51wins Also the nostalgic value, being an English person I'm proud of the fact the Union has stood for 300 years and want to see it continue to exist. You have highlighted a point that I hadn't thought of. National debt, would that be divided somehow? I think that is an area no-one has mentioned considering key public services operate in Scotland but are paid for out of the Treasury such as the NHS.

[TAofMoridura]

@Gorgoroth5746 I'm not proud of the Union, or the 300 years of it. We were bullied and bribed into it, and I want out, together with a very large and growing number of Scots. The national debt is being vigorously discussed, and the economics issues have been well highlighted in great detail, needless to say with two competing version.

Scots committed to independence are completely satisfied that we will be better off after independece, since we give more than we get. Saor Alba!

[CHANNELOMD]

HA HA HA it was great to see the little mongrel get her yap SHUT

[random2862]

What's with the griping - she didnt answer a simple question

Nats r very well trained in the art of badgering. Ms Sturgeon was as evasive and as slippery as a Salmond. It really wasnt a hard time. Ok she didnt get protected by the tv people we have up here. Who r cowered by belligerent nats who smear people as anti scottish.

I am Scottish with no political affilations. The twin threats to a proper open informative debate is the wee scots gerrymandering and daft english comments

[garysgreat]

I agree that Nicola Sturgeon was treated badly and I felt uncomfortable watching it. She comes across as a very nice genuine person. (Don't trust Salmond!)

I also thought Kelvin Makenzie was a little "Londoner" arsehole.

I'm English and I support the Uk but this is no way to debate such an important issue.

If this type of discourse continues for another 2 years then the SNP will have independence in the bag!

The Unionists have to make a far more mature case and accept Devo-Max FTW.

[SuperAlbertz11]

@garysgreat ....You would not say she was nice if you had dealings with her, she is one devious little arrogant ***********

[N330AA]

@garysgreat Scotland is in no position to ask for Devo-Max. Westminister would rightly reject it, and if they have a problem with that they can leave.

[TAofMoridura]

@N330AA You're logic is a bit off - If we left,we'd have devo max + independence. We'll leave democratically if that is the will of the Scottish people in the referendum. If you want to contribute to ths debate, try to get better informed - it isn't all that hard to do.

[N330AA]

@TAofMoridura Excuse me? I am perfectly informed. If you left you wouldn't have Devo max, you'd have independence. Devolution would cease to exist. Devo-max implies remaining in the union and having all control bar foreign and defence affairs etc. Westminster will not let you have it though because the political dynamics of the UK would be unworkable. Scotland can leave is she wants but she can't continually threat to leave in order to get her own way if she stays.

[TAofMoridura]

@N330AA The Scottish Government committed to independence. While we're in, we want more powers. This is not a negotiating card, since we're determined to leave anyway. Devo max is an option that right now 43% of Scots seems to want. They have a right to make that choice in a referendum, but we hope to change their mind before the referendum. As for the political dynamics of the UK, they are already unworkable, and the UK a dying political entity. Scotland, England, Wales and N.I. are not

[N330AA]

@TAofMoridura A country can vote for it's freedom under international law. There's nothing saying they can vote for special treatment within an entity under international law though. So no, devo max won't be granted, you either leave, or you accept the situation as it is - you have enough devolved freedom anyway.

And i may say i find your opinion on the UK unrealistic and hyperbolic.

[CarolineRaRaRa]

Shes like a chattering rat.

[bhoywunder]

Douglas Alexander, weak, spineless, glass jawed. abour R.I.P

[McDuff73]

What an odious little wanker Douglas Alexander is, let the woman bloody talk instead of being so childish and badgering her.

This is appalling behaviour from an MP supposedly an adult during a live televised discussion.

[turkeylad]

Douglas Alexander is disgraceful

[pokerkid99]

get used to it folks. there's worse to come. bear in mind Alexander and the rest are fighting for their political careers. independence means no membership of westminster club.

[FireiskLtd]

I watched this live and was amazed at the lack of respect to Scotlands Deputy First Minister. This will probably be the same on all debates from now until the Independence Referendum in 2014. 5 against 1 is hardly fair.

Let us have a grown up Debate with fairness and equal air space.

[crawlbabie]

@FireiskLtd well it was set in London so there's obviously going to be fewer Scots than English, but as it's clear Douglas Alexander is a Scottish person, so it was more like 3 v 2.

[KMcPsentia]

I thought nats liked being oppressed - it gives them a sense of purpose. Maybe they just don't like being oppressed by fellow scots, of questionable patriotism

[sionnyn]

This is a mugging by dimblebore and douglas alexander. BBC has been swamped with complaints.

[jistaface]

Yep how awful to question the commitment of those Labour members of the * Scottish * parliament who take their instructions - verbatim! - from the Westminster Tories.

[ramboice]

Classic! Typically editing a quote and taking it out of context. It was the democratic point that the Unionists never wanted a referendum and therefore Westminster should not impose conditions on the referendum that should be coordinated by the Scottish Parliament.

[jack834834]

This kind of thing is all the unionists are good for - being as those who actually watched the full 2 and a half hour long debate from holyrood (and therefore are aware of the context) will be few and far between. To deny the Scottish electorate the right to have their voice according to the timescale of their own democratically elected government IS anti-Scottish, but the phrase is too easily taken out of context, and Joan McAlpine should have known better.

[Hirunite]

Out of context. Sentence was clipped! Original quote was longer.

Here is the abridged quote confidently delivered by Alexander: "I absolutely make no apology for saying that the liberals, the labour party and the Tories are anti-Scottish."

The full quote:

"I absolutely make no apology for saying that the liberals, the labour party and the Tories are anti-Scottish in coming together to defy the will of the Scottish people, the democratic mandate."

Bit different.

[weejimmykranky]

I guess we're going to see an awful lot more of these types of tactics in the coming couple of years, and it's only going to get worse. It's going to be down to those who support independence yet have know real or tangible link to political parties and the SNP in particular to rebuke such underhand political tactics.

[grumblingtummy]

Lord Ashdown made a considered contribution but I found him comparing his painting of independence elsewhere in the world, which had been brought about through war, conflict and genocide, to be an unfair comparison with the likely aftermath of Scottish independence.

Don't know what happened to Kelvin MacKenzie last night. The Levinson jab must be starting to work :-).

[grumblingtummy]

I thought Wee Duggie was actually being quite rude in his continued barracking of the Deputy First Minister as she tried to make her point. David Dimbleby really should have intervened as Chairman to stop this rude behaviour and then ensure Nicola responded to the "question" from DA.... and we wonder why common courtesy is disappearing from society!

[MSfeller]

Apologize for what?! You fools are not patriotic, you do not love your country as Scotland, because your country is the United Kingdom and there's where your allegiance lies. You belittle it all the time, your policies do no good for Scotland, you gang up on, and ignore the significant (and growing daily) population of Scots that favor independence, but yet, you present no positive points for Scotland to stay in the Union, only negativity about us leaving. You are indeed a disgrace to Scotland.