The scottish indpendence question

Do we care?

Re: The scottish indpendence question

I can't see why the Scottish, the Irish or the Welsh would want to be independent - independent of what?. They are part of the British Isles, which includes England. Why break it all up? We are all so similar as to be the same - makes no sense at all to me.

Re: The scottish indpendence question

One of the worst things that Labour did was to give Scotland it's own assembly, which is just another tier of very expensive bureaucracy that has driven wedges between neighbours. It annoys me intensely that their politicians still have a say in English affairs, but we have very little say in theirs, hence the arising unfairness of, for example, no tuition fees, no care fees and no prescription fees north of the border, all at the expense of the English.

But I think this independence question is a bit of a red herring really, the SNP knows that it couldn't continue to finance the country without the cash from England. Just more politicians selling false hope and false promises to a gullible electorate.

In the final analysis politics made this problem, it has to be politics that solves it. Is there anyone with the courage to grasp this particular nettle? Don't hold your breath!

Re: The scottish indpendence question

Don't think I'll see anyone emerge in my lifetime. Agree with all you've written on this Barry, false hope and false promises to a gullible electorate, that just about sums it up nicely

Re: The scottish indpendence question

It's not 'the Scottish etc' that want it, it's just a few egotistical politicians that want it to further their ends. So that they can get even more pompous with power and even more wealthy on the backs of the ordinary person.

Let them have independence, but make sure they get NOTHING from us, then see how long they last. Unfortunately that would only harm 'Joe (or Jock) public' because the politicians will make sure there is no adverse effect on them.

Re: The scottish indpendence question

Let Scotland have their independence - we'll see Alex Salmond as Scottish President!!!!, followed closely by the Welsh and finally we too 'south of the border' can also separate ourselves from a certain German family and we too can have an elected President.

Re: The scottish indpendence question

I read this the other day:

"The Acts of Union, England 1706 and Scotland 1707 ratified the political Union of England (including Wales which was joined to England by a treaty of 1535) and Scotland to form The United Kingdom of Great Britain. An Act of Union 1800 ratified the union of Great Britain and Ireland (Now only Northern Ireland).
Mr. Salmond is therefore playing with a legal very hot potato. For Scotland to become independent these various acts of Union would have to be repealed so if Scotland needs a referendum to do this then presumably so do England, Wales and Northern Ireland."

Can you imagine the chaos which would ensue if any of the latter three voted “No”?
The debate would go on for decades and jolly good luck with that Mr.Salmond.

Now Mr. Salmond is not stupid and I am sure is well aware of the above. I believe this is all a negotiating ploy to wrest more power from Westminster.
Well in my view he cannot have his cake and eat it too. He must either make do with the status quo or go for full independence and all four GB countries vote on it.
This might well backfire and Mr. Salmond may find that the other three would be happy to be rid of Scotland and their Westminster MP’s and the Barnett formula which gives Scotland a bigger slice of the UK revenue cake than all the others. So he would really have to go it alone.

I do not believe that is what he or the people of Scotland really want.