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Scotland's older people saved the Union

Young people really wanted independence.

FEARS OVER PENSIONS, the economy and jobs drove most people to reject an independent Scotland.

Polls out this evening from Tory peer Lord Ashcroft show that 47% of people who voted no did so because of concerns over the currency, EU and the economy.

27% voted no because of their attachment to the UK and 25% said that a no vote would achieve the “best of both worlds”.

70% of those who voted yes did so on the principle that Scottish people should decide Scottish matters.

Across the board, the NHS, an unhappiness with Westminster, the pound and taxes were the most pressing issues.

In terms of age, 16-35 year-olds were divided, with 16 and 17-year-olds voting 71% yes. However, 18-24-year-olds voted 52 to 48 against independence. 25-34-year-olds went to other way, voting to break free of Westminster.

On the other end of the scale, over 65s voted 73% to 27% to stay in the Union.

The results show that the No campaign won among men and women.

Unsurprisingly, 95% of Conservative voters backed the Union.

Read: United Kingdom: Scotland votes No and rejects independence

Read: The morning after in pictures: Scotland wakes up to historic decision

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89 Comments
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    Mute Kevin O Brien
    Favourite Kevin O Brien
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:21 PM

    The FFG way working hard for the 1%

    342
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    Mute Vincent Alexander
    Favourite Vincent Alexander
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:49 PM

    @Kevin O Brien: It will be interesting to see to see what SF/IRA will bring to the table if they are in government after the next elections. A border poll would be a safe bet to divert attention from their mismanagement of the economy.

    54
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:55 PM

    @Vincent Alexander: They should shelf all talk and activity on united Ireland until after the get control of the current FF/FG managed crises. They need to focus on undoing the damage before it’s too late.

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    Mute damien leen
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:22 PM

    @Vincent Alexander: what a Muppet…having a go at a party not yet in power instead of having a go at the current clowns in government…you Sir are next level ignorant!

    139
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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Jan 15th 2024, 4:52 PM

    @David Corrigan: Speaking to SF people on the ground, they are worried about the whole immigration issue & comments by senior SF people on the issue & also what would happen if they fail on the main issues like Fine Gael & Fianna Fail. The silent majority are bubbling with anger at the moment, things will need to change fast. FFG concentrated on side issues & neglected the real issues.

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    Mute Vincent Alexander
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    Jan 15th 2024, 5:48 PM

    @damien leen: SF’s track record in the North or any council where they hold the balance of power is enough to predict what they will be like in government. Instead of looking to fly the Palestinian flag over Dublin council buildings they will look to fly it over Leinster House.

    14
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    Mute Sean Murphy
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:26 PM

    I work in a retail shop near Moore street. Roma gypsies shop frequently in this shop. The only way I see them pay is via vouchers, which they gouge from charities like this by gaming the system with their 5+ kids each pretending to be poor. The vinnos pay out in these vouchers. Our welfare game and charities are being played by these chancers and we’re losing. They’re entitled to the full suite of welfare benefits because they’re EU citizens (usually Romanian or Hungarian, yes I know Roma is separate from Romanian before anybody tries to say I think otherwise)

    351
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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:40 PM

    @Sean Murphy: And Romanians would bring you to task if you called them Roma.

    48
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    Mute Margret Walsh
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:19 PM

    @Sean Murphy: To be honest the ‘normal’ Romanians and other Eastern Europeans are high on the list of people complaining about the bad reputation they are giving them. They think the Irish are mad for putting up with them !!

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    Mute Mike 100
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:20 PM

    Thanks FFFG

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    Mute Fiona Wyse
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    Jan 15th 2024, 4:11 PM

    I remember reading a comment about St Vincent de Paul on the journal in the last couple of months. A man who worked with them commented that when he went and did house visits, some of the houses that he went to had the best televisions on the walls, every child having a tablet and the best lashes and lips on show.
    Your level of income is not the problem if that’s the case it’s your budgeting skills you’re not prioritizing what’s important.

    131
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    Mute Frank Cauldhame
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    Jan 15th 2024, 4:22 PM

    @Fiona Wyse: Are you Joan Burton?
    She didn’t like ‘poor’ people owning mobile phones because they they uploaded videos of people protesting against water charges.

    109
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    Mute Juri Hertel
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    Jan 15th 2024, 7:16 PM

    @Fiona Wyse: Link please.

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    Mute Fiona Wyse
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    Jan 18th 2024, 11:46 PM

    @Frank Cauldhame: Eh no lol.

    1
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    Mute Fiona Wyse
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    Jan 18th 2024, 11:47 PM

    @Juri Hertel: it was a journal article on here about SDVP a couple of months ago, somebody working for them posted the comment.

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    Mute Andrew Martin
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:11 PM

    Anything on what’s happening down in roscrea right now ??

    125
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    Mute Michael Geaney
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:19 PM

    @Andrew Martin: Any comment on the above article or does every article have to be turned into a discussion on IPAs?

    35
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    Mute Seanie
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:51 PM

    @Michael Geaney: You might have noticed, comments are closed on the above article.

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    Mute Clare Power
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    Jan 15th 2024, 5:37 PM

    @Michael Geaney: are you new here!! The journal slap our hands if we want to comment on issues that affect us all so we comment where we can!

    35
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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:28 PM

    So wait, let me get this straight, our right wing government abdicating all responsibility for the poor, and instead funnelling tax money to private, unregulated charities, who have zero meaningful oversight, hasn’t solved poverty?

    Wild.

    This vast desperation should come as no surprise.

    We have 75k homeless (source: Guardian) and sold 2/3rds of our social housing to private owners. We have 14x more homes on Airbnb than available for rent. We have some of the highest rents and highest food prices in the EU.

    And guess what, the far right will show up here in droves and say the only solution is less government. Less taxes for the rich. And less regulation on property owners.

    Ireland: cop on. Stop being so gullible.

    126
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    Mute Nemethon
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:25 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: are you saying St Vincent De Paul is unregulated if that’s what you’re saying I highly advise you do your homework. I’m with SVP I can tell you in my area we file accounts. Our funding comes from good people who donate to the charity and we distribute funds mostly shopping vouchers to people in need. Some charities may be unregulated but you’ll find most are regulated and audited

    47
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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Jan 15th 2024, 4:51 PM

    @Nemethon: how often does someone representing government visit you to make sure the accounts you file are accurate? What government agency audits you, supervises how you distribute your donations to make sure what you claim is accurate, etc.?

    What you’ve said in no way refutes what I said, btw.

    What laws govern your behaviour specifically, and how familiar are you with them personally? Who oversees you from government to ensure you behave within the explicit laws that govern you? Etc.

    In fact you operate under VERY light touch regulation, compared to what you’d operate under if you were in a government agency.

    So for example SVP is regulated by the Charities Regulation Act. It’s main requirement is an annual submission of financial records.

    On the other hand government agencies are under much more – public – oversight

    https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/financial-scrutiny/

    And SVP receives close to 1.5M a year in taxpayer money.

    With essentially no regulation.

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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Jan 15th 2024, 5:03 PM

    @Nemethon:

    Also worth noting that SVP pays its head 110k a year and has 155M in reserves.

    That’s someone earning far more than an average government employee warns, sitting on 2x the amount it donated to the homeless, etc.

    And while an audit might show that all those numbers are accurate, what it doesn’t do is given voters an control. Even political control. You can’t vote out the head of SVP despite his salary being paid by taxpayers. You ain’t see him scrutinised in the Dail either.

    Etc.

    21
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    Mute Juri Hertel
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    Jan 15th 2024, 7:17 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: Our 2 billionaires received much more:

    independent.ie/business/world/irelands-two-richest-billionaires-worth-more-than-bottom-half-of-earners/a505294402.html

    4
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    Mute Juri Hertel
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    Jan 15th 2024, 7:21 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: Two love the Nazi’s “Less taxes for the rich” for sure:

    independent.ie/business/world/irelands-two-richest-billionaires-worth-more-than-bottom-half-of-earners/a505294402.html

    3
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    Mute John Kenny
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:53 PM

    Probably half of them are the people the government let in

    97
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    Mute Jack Moss
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:58 PM

    Ever wonder how a woman could feed a family of 8 people three meals a day back in the 70s when microwave ovens and ready meals didn’t exist and a shopping trolley was full of junk food.

    76
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    Mute Frank Cauldhame
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:08 PM

    @Jack Moss: That was half a century ago….

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    Mute Aloweilly
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:13 PM

    @Jack Moss: potatoes , porridge and boxty

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    Mute Eileen Kelly
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:14 PM

    @Jack Moss: Usually because the woman herself did not sit down to dine with her family, she ate the leftovers if there were any and lived on cups of tea.

    49
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    Mute Jack Moss
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:16 PM

    @Jack Moss: wasn’t full of junk food .

    33
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    Mute Seamus Enright
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    Jan 15th 2024, 3:59 PM

    @Jack Moss: Clearly not all of them could, there was net emigration from Ireland until the 1990s.

    39
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    Mute uUleRhCu
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    Jan 15th 2024, 4:50 PM

    @Frank Cauldhame: It’s gas,when it doesn’t suit people narrative to make comparisons to 50 years ago they rubbish things but then they will say ‘In the 60/70’s we built loads of council houses,why can’t we do that again’

    23
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Jan 15th 2024, 5:16 PM

    @uUleRhCu: Like those who crow about a war that ended decades ago when they try and criticise the opposition parties. People need to move on.

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    Mute uUleRhCu
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    Jan 15th 2024, 5:51 PM

    @David Corrigan: Again,people love to whitewash the past and say ‘move on’…when it suits them but then go on about 100 years of fffg.And we all know that that lot have not gone away.That also is only one small part of people’s problems with that lot….It’s more the damage they would do to the economy(and international relations)if they got in.Finally,for someone who doesn’t support that crowd,you do an awful lot of heavy lifting for them.

    9
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    Mute Juri Hertel
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    Jan 15th 2024, 7:15 PM

    Billionaires have telephone numbers too.And addresses.

    independent.ie/business/world/irelands-two-richest-billionaires-worth-more-than-bottom-half-of-earners/a505294402.html

    45
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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Jan 15th 2024, 2:31 PM

    “Back to school costs, third level costs, household goods, furniture, clothing, support with health related costs, issues with mortgages and rent or funeral expenses”

    Average Journal commenter: the poor are so lazy.

    72
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    Mute Spanner
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    Jan 15th 2024, 9:21 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: dont forget those who insist were a wealthy country while blaming those on welfare for all our woes

    20
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    Mute Gavin Bushe
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    Jan 15th 2024, 6:59 PM

    I think it would be fairer and more liberal to live in North Korea.

    When the economy next crashes (probably in 2035 AD) will the neoliberal Irish change their minds about the need for a Communist revolution?

    I am willing to wait and find out.

    8
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    Mute Deadman Walking
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    Jan 16th 2024, 8:52 AM

    The reason for this lies solely with government policy’s,Blaming the less well off it’s just what the government wants one to do. The sitting government has caused this divide between Have and Have nots. They are forcing more and more poor people into this country, they have forced up house prices by allowing vulture funds buy up large amounts of properties. The buck lies at the top and government are happy all day if we all blame each other…… this left / right dribble from the sitting government is just smoke and mirrors.

    4
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