AS you say 'from an English point of view' 1. This not about England there is no problem with England from Scots except from maybe a few nutters. 2 This is about Westminster governing. You do you realise what you are supporting? In the last 35 years the UK has gone from being one of the most equal countries in the developed world to the 4th most unequal, The 4th lowest pensions in Europe, an increasingly low wage economy. and so on, I'm sure I have said all this before. England needs to change Westminster as well and should a YES vote prevail there will be another country on your doorstop showing you an alternative way to run your affairs. Scotland is not an experiment it is a fully fledged country with a longer history than England. It will not fail as you put it and I just don't believe that the majority of English people want Scotland to fail. Perhaps you do not realise that 10% of Scotland's population IS English. Anybody that thinks this an up yours vote is just very badly informed. I repeat this is not about the English or any other of the nationalities of the British Isles it is about the LAND CALLED SCOTLAND running its own affairs. I find it hard to understand why people have such a problem understanding this when it is the NORMAL situation all over the world. Do you not realise that you ARE JUST SWALLOWING PROPGANDA dished up by the elite at Westminster eager to maintain their staus quo. THAT includes the Scottish MP's at Westminster who are just interested in keeping their nice lucrative jobs.
Scotland will not fail: [video=youtube;ZOPFvSWMtHA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZOPFvSWMtHA[/video] More facts from the YES side. The NO camp can offer NO facts NO hope. They have lost this argument and will in the end lose.
I'm only playing Devils advocate by pointing out opinion (albeit a fairly ignorant one) from a lot of English people on this, well certainly the feeling I get when I hear people talking about it. The last thing I will say on this is that while you say the No vote are blinkered you cannot tell me that there are no benefits whatsoever to staying part of the UK? That simply can't be true. I dont know all the facts and you both understandably feel very strongly and passionately about the issue so I really hope it does turn out well for you if you do get your way.
Benefits to staying in the UK? We get to be part of a 'BIG' important country. We get to stay with a 'world policeman'. We get the benefits of having 'The House of Lords'. We get to have Nuclear weapons, which makes us even more important. We have the benefit of Westminster inventing new taxes for us like the poll tax and the bedroom tax. We will have a nice new shiny private NHS. Can't think of any other 'benefits' crackerman!
Put my tuppence worth in. If I lived in Scotland, I would definitely vote Yes. Power should be devolved to the lowest possible level and Scotland would be an acceptably large aggregation of power. I would always want my political leaders to be as close as possible to my everyday experience. In England I would also want devolved power so that as many decisions are made locally as is possible. You can't split it too far, or things like defence, Utilities become impossible to run, but regional assemblies seem a good idea - as it weakens the power of politicians and that is always a good thing. Part of me however hopes for a No vote, as we in England and Wales will probably have to endure permanent Tory governments, but that is a selfish thought.
Does the UK offload the debt caused by the antics of the atrocious Scotch banks (HBOS, RBS) ?? If so, send me 10000 voting slips to mark "yes" .
Scottish in name only. Another misconception. For those who seem to know nothing about Scotland: It is a country of some 5.5million people and is part of the British Isles where it will remain. There are no plans AFAIK to float Scotland off into the Atlantic. At the present time it is governed in a colonial manner by Westminster in London, it is one of the last outposts of the British Empire but will soon become Independent. The only question is when not if.
"Scottish in name only. Another misconception." So where is the new national bank coming from ?? You know, the one that sets interest rates (domestic and international) , issues currency etc.
It will come from Scotland, where else, but as we have a balance of trade surplus our currency will be strong, (Whatever it is) It will of course also depend on the result of negotiations between the rUK and Scotland. It is not really an issuse RDBD. Extract from a letter in the Herald from Eamonn Butler Director of The Adam Smith Institute. (A right wing think tank) The NO camp fails again with their Project Fear. Each times this happens more people switch to YES.
"It will come from Scotland, where else, but as we have a balance of trade surplus our currency will be strong, (Whatever it is) It will of course also depend on the result of negotiations between the rUK and Scotland. It is not really an issuse" I am looking forward to GBP getting me as many Scotch pounds as possible (so I can load up on shortbread throughout the year) .
Dream on! Scottish shortbread is a premium product. Form a que! Anyone fancy a Whisky http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/dalwhinnie-15-year-old-whisky/
"Dream on!" Once GBP = 3 Scotch pounds, I will corner the shortbread market. Worse for you, how would you feel if Uncle Joe launches a Black Wednaesday attack on the Scotch pound in the near future ??
Ah yes, , HBOS & RBS. Are these possibly the same two banks that Salmond was lauding only a few short years ago as "two of the world's largest banks. Scotland has leaders in the world for today, tomorrow, and for the long term" ? the same RBS that he hailed as "a giant of The Celtic Lion economy"? He seems to have gone awfully quiet on that subject! Of course they are no longer Scottish banks. They are, by necessity, owned by the British Taxpayer.
As a friend Which really means its a once in a lifetime opportunity for Salmond to create history. Next TV debate is 25th August where its a chance to win the "don't know" voters, just to make the defeat more respectable for the Yes campaign.