Independance for Scotland?

[ovacik2]

Now, Glasgow in the mid 60s was "interesting" on a Saturday night, but its now it is a great place to be at any time day or night.

Independence for Scotland??  Where ever next,         Yorkshire?....     

[davybill]

Toky dont mention handbags or Jackqui Harvey will be after one.

[Jacqui Harvey]

As we are talking "Scottish" I think it would be a sporran I would be after...   

[teetee]

I think that as the Scots have their own Parliament and make their own decisions on things like care for the elderly and university fees then they should go it alone. It appears that they are able to pick and choose the good bits that suits their "country" and in the meantime have a say over what goes on in England.

You are either with us or against us  

[johntaylor49]

Sigh, well history again, Scotland was the biggest single investor in the Darien Schemes in the 17th Century, some believed as much as four fifths of the entire wealth of the Country was lost so much so that Scotland was basically bankrupt with huge debts and the only way out of this disaster was to "sell the Country" which was in fact achieved with the act of Union.

There have certainly been times where Scots could argue that they have been exploited, the Industrial revolution through to the twentieth Century and the development of Oil and Gas but this is a biased view as a) the debts were written down as part of the Union and b) the oil and gas reserves were discovered and developed by the state as a Union

Scotland is a small country economically and with a very small population, it shows the fortitude of its educated people that as part of the Union it is able to "punch well above it's weight" within it, and command respect on a Worldwide scale. I would be concerned for the people in taking a step into Independence with no real long term surety of fiscal stability!

I have told any Scot who would listen to vote SNP to get a better deal and that has proven to work, devolution has been good for Scotland in my humble opinion and keeping Westminster aware of the power of a people is a good thing! But I do not feel it would benefit anyone for Independence to go ahead, (not a chance anyway from what I hear!).

The statements of costing England are not strictly true, over 26 years the balance between support and revenue have balanced about equal, albeit a lot of services are not included, but there is some need to support a people who certainly supported us in the manufacturing and export days of our Union quite dramatically!  (I have heard that the last foundry in Falkirk has closed, please tell me it isn't so! )

As British I don't want us to lose Scotland from the Union, it is the Union that makes us all better off and I do care what happens to Scotland. It simply wont happen anyway --- I am afraid that Alex Sammond will have to look to be King of somewhere else!

[johntaylor49]

Now, Glasgow in the mid 60s was "interesting" on a Saturday night, but its now it is a great place to be at any time day or night.

Independence for Scotland??  Where ever next,         Yorkshire?....       

I lived in Yorkshire for many years between Huddersfield and Barnsley and I thought it already
was a Country with its own government??   I have always said actually that the Union consisted of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and ------- Yorkshire!   Well being serious a better Union might be a Federal Government
and Regions, England being the South East and South West, Briton being the North and Midlands as someone in York has more in common with someone in Coventry than in Brighton!

[Colwyn]

David Cameron has announced that he will not take part in television debates with Alex Salmond over Scottish independence. Instead, former New Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling will lead on this. Damn fine thing that an Englishman living in England should keep his nose out of Scottish politics? Perhaps, but since this Englishman has the firm conviction that Scotland should be governed from London (and hence by him for the time being), it may look like running away or hiding. I expect he realizes that showing his shiny face and glib platitudes on Scottish TV would be the strongest boost imaginable for independence supporters.

[johntaylor49]

Very good Colwyn   Next he will be saying that as of obvious Scottish decent (Cameron) he shouldn't take part? Why don't we have the special envoy to the Middle East do it? Or is he still hiding in a lifeboat on his yacht?? Its all academic really, not going to happen and "King" Alex will have to look elsewhere for a throne! I was in Scotland recently (yes, in the bars in Glasgow --- again -- hic!) and was actually shocked at the level of hatred for the man (HRH King Alex of Scotland --- so he thinks   !) and the lack of conviction that Independence would go anywhere --- except of course with the Students and you but that is normal as when you are young you get all excited with high ideals and nationality -- be no soldiers if they didn't!

Ahh, the exuberance of youth and high ideals --- two years ago I consulted on email archiving for a large University which would need a lot of data storage and one of the questions I asked was their " green" policy on power consumption -- the reply I got both amused and surprised me -- "Well, we had someone come here and tell us we would attract a lot better students if we were more "green" and advertised the fact --- but --- our own research showed we would get more and better Students if we burned live Panda's outside the Students Union on a Friday night"  same perspective, hardly anyone really cares -- or wants Independence!

Che --- Up the Revolution!

[Colwyn]

except of course with the Students and you but that is normal as when you are young

You are not mistaking me for someone who is "young" are you? Anyway, I didn't actually say I supported Independence. My point was about someone who claims to be a "passionate" supporter of the Union but who won't go into a public debate on the topic - so he couldn't come on this thread! I guess I would know a lot more about the pros and cons of independence if could vote - I would try to make certain I had a more informed opinion. As an disfranchised outsider I tend to lean to the independence option being better for Scotland but I don't have a soapbox for this issue.

[dycedon]

 Just seem this post, personally i dont agree with independence, where would the money come from ? North Sea oil no, westminster will never let that go, that is what is keeping the whole country afloat, look at the likes on Spain and Greece, and for Stoops comment, cost england money, no dont think so, if not for the oil again engerland would also be in the mire but then again when it comes to money only a yorky could come away with a statemant like that.