Scottish Independence, yay or nay?

[celeryBADboy]

Si, where do you stand on setting off a series of seismic charges north of Hadrian's Wall, severing Scotland from the mainland, and watching it float off into the Arctic Ocean?

 

Personally I'd be gutted to lose Glen Coe as it's my favourite place on the planet. But sometimes you have to push your own selfish needs aside and concentrate on the bigger picture.

 

Haha why not just around parliment.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Si' date=' where do you stand on setting off a series of seismic charges north of Hadrian's Wall, severing Scotland from the mainland, and watching it float off into the Arctic Ocean?

 

Personally I'd be gutted to lose Glen Coe as it's my favourite place on the planet. But sometimes you have to push your own selfish needs aside and concentrate on the bigger picture.[/quote']

 

Glen Coe is where I got to see the sun setting and the moon rising on the same velvet sky over snow covered landscape.

 

Beautiful does not even begin to describe how much it took my breath away.

[Moctezuma]

I think this question can be broken down fairly easily:

 

If you feel the infinitesimally small cultural differences between Scotland and most of the rest of Britain (the majority of which was conjured up by Walter Scott for George the 4th’s visit to Edinburgh and Victorian romanticism) are enough of a divide to demark a separate country then you should vote Yes.

 

In reality there is a greater divide culturally between the south of England and the rest of Britain than between the Scots and the English.

 

If you are looking for Scotland to gain economic advancement via a departure from the union then you should actually do some reading on the subject and realise how utterly ridiculous that premise is. Scotland has a large public sector in comparison to the British average and this would only grow given the number of new institutions that would have to be set up in an independent nation (this isn’t to denigrate those who work in the public sector which includes myself). Glasgow and its hinterland in particular is a sink hole for money generated elsewhere in the country and whilst it has improved it still requires large amounts of government subsistence. There needs to be a greater amount of wealth generating business and since the country’s industrial decline in its heartlands the volume of exports from Scottish shores is not great enough to generate the revenue needed.

“But the Oil!” I hear people cry, well as an Aberdonian who has family in the oil industry everyone knows that the North Sea is winding down and hit peak production a few years ago and that Aberdeen is trying to reposition itself more as a hub of expertise. So if this question had been posed to those of an economic advancement mindset in 1979 then Yes! Yes! Yes! and

Yes! would have bee the answer as Scotland would in effect have been as rich as Switzerland and Thatcher wouldn’t have been able to profit off the North Sea oil boom that basically rescued her governments coffers.

 

I for one will be voting to keep the union together; I’m both Scottish and British. I don’t hate the English something that I find to be deeply tedious as a previaling national stereotype and hopefully in the long run the two countries can be prosperous together.

[setreal]

Now that the Scots have started messing with Trump, I reckon it will be the last we have heard of them.

[Dan]

Glen Coe is where I got to see the sun setting and the moon rising on the same velvet sky over snow covered landscape.

 

Beautiful does not even begin to describe how much it took my breath away.

 

Pics or GTFO

[Anny Road]

I think this question can be broken down fairly easily:

 

If you feel the infinitesimally small cultural differences between Scotland and most of the rest of Britain (the majority of which was conjured up by Walter Scott for George the 4th’s visit to Edinburgh and Victorian romanticism) are enough of a divide to demark a separate country then you should vote Yes.

 

In reality there is a greater divide culturally between the south of England and the rest of Britain than between the Scots and the English.

 

If you are looking for Scotland to gain economic advancement via a departure from the union then you should actually do some reading on the subject and realise how utterly ridiculous that premise is. Scotland has a large public sector in comparison to the British average and this would only grow given the number of new institutions that would have to be set up in an independent nation (this isn’t to denigrate those who work in the public sector which includes myself). Glasgow and its hinterland in particular is a sink hole for money generated elsewhere in the country and whilst it has improved it still requires large amounts of government subsistence. There needs to be a greater amount of wealth generating business and since the country’s industrial decline in its heartlands the volume of exports from Scottish shores is not great enough to generate the revenue needed.

“But the Oil!” I hear people cry, well as an Aberdonian who has family in the oil industry everyone knows that the North Sea is winding down and hit peak production a few years ago and that Aberdeen is trying to reposition itself more as a hub of expertise. So if this question had been posed to those of an economic advancement mindset in 1979 then Yes! Yes! Yes! and

Yes! would have bee the answer as Scotland would in effect have been as rich as Switzerland and Thatcher wouldn’t have been able to profit off the North Sea oil boom that basically rescued her governments coffers.

 

I for one will be voting to keep the union together; I’m both Scottish and British. I don’t hate the English something that I find to be deeply tedious as a previaling national stereotype and hopefully in the long run the two countries can be prosperous together.

That's a fair post mate and I would agree with most of it.

Where I would disagree with you is where you suggest that had this question been posed 30 odd years ago yes should have been the answer.

If anything a yes is more relevant now than in that time. Leaving aside the oil time-scale, the north of scotland is on the verge of becoming the Saudi of Europe in terms of renewables. The Cold war has finished and the EU has been formed. The political scene in the UK is now so south orientated as to bear no relevance to the politics of the north.

[mattyq]

That's a fair post mate and I would agree with most of it.

Where I would disagree with you is where you suggest that had this question been posed 30 odd years ago yes should have been the answer.

If anything a yes is more relevant now than in that time. Leaving aside the oil time-scale, the north of scotland is on the verge of becoming the Saudi of Europe in terms of renewables. The Cold war has finished and the EU has been formed. The political scene in the UK is now so south orientated as to bear no relevance to the politics of the north.

 

To be honest, Anny, i think that's pretty much a myth made up by the Salmond.

Reckon the biggest renewable option in the UK is the barrage of the Severn and possibly the Mersey.

Thought Moctezuma's post was a fantastic summing up of the whole question

[Anny Road]

To be honest, Anny, i think that's pretty much a myth made up by the Salmond.

Reckon the biggest renewable option in the UK is the barrage of the Severn and possibly the Mersey.

Thought Moctezuma's post was a fantastic summing up of the whole question

 

Nah its deadly serious up here mate. The Pentland Firth has one of the strongest tides in the world and when they get it up and running they will be selling power into mainland europe. Massive work going on up here.

 

wikipedia

The potential economic significance of the tidal currents in the Pentland Firth is great. It has been described as the "Saudi Arabia of tidal power"[8] and may be capable of accommodating 10 GW of installed generating capacity.[9] This is up to 25% of the estimated total capacity for the European Union.[10]

 

In October 2008 tidal power developer Atlantis Resources Corporation announced it was considering a site near the Castle of Mey for a computer data centre that would be powered by a tidal scheme in the Firth.[11]

 

In October 2010 MeyGen, a consortium of Morgan Stanley, Atlantis Resources Corporation and International Power, received operational lease from the Crown Estate to a 400MW project for 25 years.[12]

[Guest davelfc]

Alex Salmond accused of wind farm 'cover up' - Telegraph

[Anny Road]

Wind is shite compared to tidal. It won't create a huge number of jobs in reality but it will bring in huge finance. Consider there are about 5 million people living in Scotland when London on its own has about half as many again.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Anny Road

[mattyq]

Not disputing the potential, Anny, just pointing out that it was Salmond who came up with the Saudi Arabia quote.

Good article in the Economist about him

 

The independence debate in Scotland: Alex Salmond, little Englander | The Economist

[lifetime fan]

It's like Christmas every day on here.

[Jarvinja Ilnow]

Independent Scotland to blame cats

 

[Anubis]

Crying laughing at that Daily Mash article.

[Fugitive]

There is a lot wrong with Simon's preaching in this thread but its the fact that he is trying to educate people on independence despite the fact that he can't spell independence.

[Jarvinja Ilnow]

Crying laughing at that Daily Mash article.

 

I know - the killer line is

 

If a Yes vote is returned, the newly independent Scotland will immediately gather eleven cats and try to beat them at football.

[Anny Road]

There is certainly an element of truth in the idea that Scots blame the English for every ill that befalls them. As an Englishman living up here I've had my fair share of shit. Nothing too nasty but it's there.

However I would rather be described as not really English because I am from Liverpool by Scots than put up with being called a thieving scouse twat by Londoners.

[Champ]

Anny, there is no greater praise than being called 'not really English' by a Scot. They like you!

[DPW]

I think the UK should be given independence from London. That I would vote Yes for. Cut the fucker off and be done with it.

[zigackly]

I think the UK should be given independence from London. That I would vote Yes for. Cut the fucker off and be done with it.

 

That would be sound, we're fed up of propping the rest of you up.

[Champ]

Was chatting in work last night to my B****ford supporting mate, also English, about Nigel Farage's recent visit to Edinburgh and discussion turned to our changing views on Scottish independence in the light of the direction of policy at Westminster and the implications for the north of England, as Scotland before, being governed inperpetuity by an administration it hadnt voted for.

 

My mate said he had been reading about tentative talks taking place between the large metropolitan councils in the north about setting up a northern Parliament. He couldnt remember the source of his information and I wondered whether anyone on here knew any more about it

[Champ]

So, today is the day the SNP launches its proposals for Scottish independence. Clearly a yes vote will have massive implications for Scotland but have non Scottish residents given much thought to the impact it would have on the rest of the UK....besides from it no longer being the united kingdom?

[Trumo]

Won't somebody think of the price of whisky!

[Champ]

Won't somebody think of the price of whisky!

Well, it will be different, depending where you are in Britain. Only it wont be Britain any more.

 

And which currency are you paying with, sir?

[s(k)aturation]

Well, it will be different, depending where you are in Britain. Only it wont be Britain any more.

 

And which currency are you paying with, sir?

 

Ormskirk florins.