OT- do you think Scotland will vote to be in or out of the union?

That figure is without any oil or gas revenue added though, but misses the point of what I was saying. The free prescriptions and free university education are about different priorities. My family are English, though we moved up there well over 30 years ago and I am now back. Because they live next to Faslane they also have a lot of English friends who are/were connected with the naval base but have settled in Scotland. Judging from what they are saying on their facebook posts most of them know that (in the short term at least) they will be financially worse off if they vote Yes, and also that the area will also risk being worse off if they vote Yes due to the Nuclear subs having to leave the base. That said, the vast majority of them are saying that they will still be voting Yes because they believe it will lead to a fairer society.

On the EU issue that is a major factor in the Yes campaign's success. The majority of people living in Scotland want to remain in the EU with UKIP support being a tiny fraction of what it is in England. They believe (wrongly I hope) that the UK will vote to leave the EU if there is a referendum. Scotland has always had much closer ties with mainland Europe historically. Spain and France have already publicly stated that Scotland is an entirely different situation to both the Basque and Catalan situations and that they would not see it as setting a precedent.

 

Let them go then rebuild Hadrian's Wall, keep it constantly garrisoned with Billmen and Longbowmen and occasionally send the odd murderous Border Reiver raid, spreading rampage and destruction for many a mile. If the Scots ever dare to retaliate, we will Hot Trod in force, possibly annexing all land as far as the Antonine Wall, which we will of course rebuild and allow a slow and steady rebuilding policy.

If the Inner Hebrides want Independence we will of course endorse it, letting them restore the Lordship of the Isles to their old glory. We may need an ally up there once we have subjugated the place by the point of the sword. The Orkneys and Shetlands will of course be sold back to Denmark, maybe even splitting them with Norway.

Sensible polices for a happier Britain.

 

You know, let them vote yes... We will see no difference in our lives!! but for them, God Help Them!! If they are so stupid to vote Yes them let them do it. I am sure they are all invoking the Mel Gibson "Braveheart" image in their minds.. The movie was a load of historical bollocks but when you are dealing with a populace who know **** all then it is a winning formula. Vote YES and F**k off. I have never like Glaswegians anyway so it may be a blessing!!!!!! And their football league is ****e!!!!

 

bahahahahaha

 

Did you know that they have a statue of Wallace and they sculpted it to look like Mel Gibson... honestly... couldn't make it up..

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To be fair that's their equivalent of the angel of the north, some people f***ing despise it.

I remember, as the only English kid in the history class, being forced to watch that piece of **** about eight million times while they all laughed in my face at every Englishman killed... Left me wondering what was supposed to be doing? Cheering the rape or execution scenes?! #banter

My favourite day of all time was when England won the Rugby World Cup, I went into School with the biggest smug look on my face and got such a f***ing beating... Good time

 

You chose to look like SMUG

 

That's below the belt ACS. Even for a twat like JPF.

 

You are right. If he did look like SMUG then all the kids at school would be scared of him as he is of course hard as nails and knows all the billionaires in the South Of France.... allegedly.....

 

The only problem here is that most of Newcastle will be North of the Wall...

 

If it's YES, for any of you working in UK there should be an upturn in work in:
IT (especially IT with all the changes required across lots of industries)
Submarine shipyards
Banking

If it's YES, for anyone wanting (or able to - visa's !) to work in Scotland there could be an upturn in work in:
IT - if there is a currency change, this will affect everything.
Banking - changes or bank moves
Insurance & other Finance - as above
New Tax system
New VAT system
Border Control
Local & National Gov
Loads more.....

Of course - where the money comes from to do all of this is another and totally massive question !!
I do think that Scotland has totally underestimated the size of the task they face . ... there's a lot to do, and no Bank of England to bail out any bank that ****s up this time.. !

 

I have absolutely no idea what the result from up Scotland will be nor do I know whether or not Scotland will be a strong unit outside of the UK but what I do know is that the UK will be a stronger unit with Scotland inside of it than it would be without.

 

Well that's something we shall have to remedy, isn't it?

(Abit of Braveheart there for any ****er who remembers that line)

 

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. If they want to go, let them go. I'd prefer they stayed as I believe in the union but hey ho.

Our government is taking a bit of stick from the outside about arrogance etc. Personally I see it on both sides. I think it is correct not to enter into any currency pact with Scotland. If the leave it is their choice and they need to make it work for themselves. Is that not part and parcel of independence? I don't think a currency pact is beneficial to either party and it just seems a stop gap to an independant Scotland. No thanks not against the current background of a weakening union, its foolhardy. If you want to stand on your own two feet, then do so.

Nobody can stop them using the pound though, that is bollocks on the part of Westminster. In the same way Panama or Ecuador use the US dollar. They can't set interest rates etc but its simply not true what Westminster say about them not being able to use the pound. Its a tradeable international currency. There are ways and means although their economy would be exposed to volatile markets.

The YES campaign may want a currency union and are using a background of veiled threats to say they'd get it (which are as empty as Westminsters assertion they could not retain the pound). All this talk about Scotland owning the pound as much as the UK is horses**t though. Being able to use it and owning it are two different things.

Basically they are both "at it" so to speak. Westminster are scaremongering about currency. Salmond is making claims he can't back up. He talks of a currency union as if its a given and the UK has too much to lose. Its bollocks. He talks about refusing to take their share of the debt, yeah ok you try that and see where you end up in the international market.

The one thing I would say is that an independant Scotland needs to get its s**t together and get its ducks in a row. It is a serious step and one which they need to be properly prepared for, I'm not convinced they are at present.

 

I personally think Cameron is purposefully becoming as much of an English sanctimonious turd as possible to make them vote yes to ensure Labour lose a f*** load of seats

Salmond is a pasty faced voyeur at a dogging site, waiting for a couple to start squabbling about contraceptive usage before he sticks his dick in the window.

 

He has a difficult balancing act to strike here doesn't he. The unionist history of the Conservative party against as you rightly point out, Labour losing a **** load of seats.

 

Actually Alistair Darling pretty straight about this in the debates.

He said that of course Scotland could use the pound, or the rouble or anything else it wanted. The consequences of that would be that it would have no monetary policy. It would also have no central bank. Countries that run like this (Guernsey, Panama, etc) have to run a surplus as deficit financing is almost impossible without a central bank. Scotland would therefore have to eliminate its deficit and build up a surplus before it severed ties with the union.

You think you've seen cuts so far ? Try turning a deficit into a surplus in 18 months

 

Salmond is to Scotland what Pardew is to tha Toon.

 

Darling has indeed been open about this. However the amount of scaremongering by Westminster through the press is a different story! If I had a pound for every "Scotland can't keep the pound" headline, I'd be long retired. It is of course all just political posturing. The reality is both sides will need to sit down and analyse the good and the bad of the various issues which will need negoiated. I do think though that Scottish independence carries significant risk, not least the one you mention.