Democracy Users in the Pub

[danieldwilliam]

I was as the first regular monthly meeting this year of the Edinburgh reform group last night.

It was good to see folk again. I’ve not been able to make the last few meetings.

I think we’ve come up with a plan for how to organise the group so that it’s forward facing and enjoyable and social and provides a support structure for people who want to be more or less active in the Reform movement.

As usual lots of interesting chat.  I got to try out what I think if going to be my favourite question of the referendum.

What are the issues that you will most important when making your decision about how to vote? What aspect of society would independence or the retention of the Union have to have a really positive affect on to sway your vote?

A couple of the answers really got me thinking.

First up – not a lot, independence won’t make much of a difference.

What if that’s true and we spend a lot of effort thinking about how different systems of government and conclude that fundamentally this question doesn’t make much difference.  That’s a bit of a worry for politicians on both sides of the question.

Secondly – what to do with the Scottish diaspora?  Which system of government would be most welcoming of the many people who consider themselves to have some Scottish connection.

Not before the referendum as a discussion on the franchise but afterwards. How do we encourage people to return? Do we want them to return? Do they have a right to return?

Feeling quite buoyed up by it all.

Comments

[andrewducker]

The population of Scotland seems pretty stable over the last 50 years:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/scotlands-population-2008-the-registrar-generals-annual-review-of-demographic-trends-154th-edition/j1103004.htm

Got anything on Glasgow falling a lot?

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Here's some nice stuff from Glasgow City Council:

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/Factsheets/Glasgow/Population.htm

The table at the bottom shows Glasgow's population going from 1.1 million in 1951 to 584k in 2008. Looks like it's picked up at about 3% a year since then.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

0.3% - typo!

[andrewducker]

Good Lord, that _is_ a massive drop. Thanks for that!

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

Looking at that link I think there's been a drift from Dundee to Not Dundee over the last ten years.

My belief is that over the longer term people have moved from the Highlands and Island to the cities. Certainly I get the impression that lots of places in the H&I would welcome a few hundred enterprising types arriving.

According to the Oracle of Wiki Glasgow had a population of 1.1 million in the 1950's and now has a population 600k.

I think quite a lot of the dense slum housing was knocked down during the 1960's but I guess if you have a city that used to twice the people in it there might be room for a few hundred thousand Returning Scots.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Me point exactly - though you might have to rebuild the slums of the Gorbals, Springburn and Townhead to fit them in...

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

Perhaps not new build slums.

One might find it easier to slightly increase the density of the central belt.