Scottish Independence
- Thread starter Leo
- Start date
-
Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
-
I'm glad to hear it, no it's not the same as a country leaving because it's rare that a country gets this chance, but the reasons are exactly the same the people of my generation that are involved in this fight for Independence are very much motivated by the world changing Thatcher legacy that prompted the world wide acceptance of Milton Friedman Chicago school economics now generally known as neo-liberalism.
You asked me to answer your question, well you have answered it yourself....does he even attempt to answer one question? All he does is blame others including the media and uses selective comments....just another politician from the political elite.
I heard a guy on 5 Live this afternoon, apparently one of the wealthiest men in Scotland and a star of the Yes campaign - he was suggesting that in the event of a Yes vote, the new Scottish government could share activities with the UK such as Embassies and The Bank of England - what a deluded fool
What question did he not answer?
Co-operation is in the interests of both rUK and Scotland. Scotland is rUK largest export customer, just think about that.
Perhaps. No - not never. However did anyone consider asking the Scots what they wanted and then putting it to the UK as a whole as to whether they thought it was reasonable to allow the break up of the UK on the basis of one more Yes vote than No vote as could happen.
I suspect many in the UK whose lives could be dramatically affected by the end of the UK would feel far more sympathetic if they believed it was the strong and considered opinion of the Scottish people as a whole. Instead they are being led into a decision by a very effective active pressure group. You only have to look above to see Spurf's latest offering. He has not looked any of that up - it is an Off teh shelf iece from the political lobby that is the Yes campaign. The UK as a whole is going to pay the price.
What about the rights of the 61 million who did not vote for Independence?
The 61 million have not actually asked for Independence have they. The Welsh might, The Northern Irish might want to join the Republic, leaving England Independent by default. I am not saying this will happen but it is of course a possibility.
I want to see the rUK become a progressive society with a modern democratic system. If Scotland does get its YES vote it is my hope that seeing a successful Scotland go in a different direction will prompt a debate in rUK that does things like abolish the House of Lords or at least turn it into a democratic institution, change the first past the post system. Labour may become more interested in that for example. Land reform along the line of a universal land tax to replace rates. Just those 3 would really start to open the political process in the rUK and re engage the increasingly low turn outs for elections.
I want to see the rUK become a progressive society with a modern democratic system. If Scotland does get its YES vote it is my hope that seeing a successful Scotland go in a different direction will prompt a debate in rUK that does things like abolish the House of Lords or at least turn it into a democratic institution, change the first past the post system. Labour may become more interested in that for example. Land reform along the line of a universal land tax to replace rates. Just those 3 would really start to open the political process in the rUK and re engage the increasingly low turn outs for elections.
So why are you not fighting this for the whole rather than hiding away in Scotland encouraging them to leave a reasonably successful union?
Here is a report from the BBC that I think shows the figures http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-28916642
The source of course is the goverment figures which I assume in this case have been correctly trnascribed but you can always go to the source your self.
First because the Union is not just a success story there are immense tragedys for Scotland in having been in it. The Highland Clearances meaning the Highlands have a smaller population than they had 150 years ago that is unprecendented in Europe. The modern trauma came of course with Thatcher who decimated Scottish Industry, it has still not recovered from this.
Second because I see little chance of any change in the UK which is moving in it's neo liberal harmony in the opposite direction. The ONLY chance IMO is to support Scottish Independence for the reasons I said. The last hope for a major change came at the last election whan finally after years of trying the Liberals were in a position to go for PR. What did they do? gave it up at the first whiff of power. That was the final straw for many of us.
There are no guarantees in this, Scotland could just become a smaller UK type country but IMO that is extremely unlikely given what I know of the Scots and their modern voting track record
Maybe Spurf you could answer a question. Estate agents in Scotland are reporting a 50% drop in house sales over the past few months. Where they can get people to make an offer on a property they are inserting a clause that it is subject to a No vote. Mortgage brokers are saying that under the information that comes to them from the lending institutions they cannot see where they will get money from so that people can buy a home. These are not theories about what might be, but the nuts and bolts of everyday living for some people. So here is the question. What has your Yes campaign said that will change this situation now as it seems that your property market is in danger of collapse if you have your way?
What do you mean in danger?
In many areas it has already collapsed but there is a great deal of difference area to area. I am not an expert on housing french, I believe it's true that the referendum has blighted house sales, in my own village it is almost impossible to sell atm. I would wait until 18th September to see what happens and I think most people would. I expected the scare stories on mortgages but equally when you consider that only 30% of the austerity measures have been introduced I think mortgages are in danger in the UK. I go back to the base figures on the Scottish economy which look very healthy and suggest prospects look very much brighter in an Independent Scotland.
I speculate that in a few years houses in Scotalnd will rise dramatically as the economy forges ahead. Scotland needs more people it has plans to increase its population these are good signs.
It really does look from here that you don't have any blurb from your usual sources, so you you wash over the problems that people are having. You speculate about the future, but ignore the here and now.
Yes you are right about Scotland needing more people to pay for pensions. Switzerland has 60% employed to support those 40% who are not. Scotland has 40% employed to support 60% who are not. It will take many years to address that imbalance with the above average number of elderly in the population.
Yes you are right about Scotland needing more people to pay for pensions. Switzerland has 60% employed to support those 40% who are not. Scotland has 40% employed to support 60% who are not. It will take many years to address that imbalance with the above average number of elderly in the population.
The day after the scots vote no, the English MPs in parliament should start the process to establish that allows we the English a vote on whether we want to carry on with a union where we support the workshy sweaties, gaffs and paddies.
You should read it without your blue tinted specs on. Nowhere does it state that Scotland is the worlds biggest importer of goods and services from th UK. In any case it's just wooden pounds and something that some government lackey just tots up in Excel - it would include things like Tesco shpping lorry loads of beans across the border.
To answer your question regarding what King Alex did not answer - well he did not answer the question related to the concerns of the CEO of John Lewis. Well he just turned it into spin and an excuse to bash the twisted media. I listened to that same man on 5Live today and he expressed concerns that the trading conditions in an independent Scotland could be more difficult with a different fiscal and regulatory mechanisms that could impact their customer and partners. He was no hot-head anti independence stooge, he was a very successful man who had genuine concerns and JLP are a model employer.
Yes, King Alex has stated, that unlike in the racist anti-immigration England, Scotland will be welcoming immigrants in with open arms.
It might help out the Mayor in Calais if they came and collected the ones who are waiting to find their away across the channel.
Yes, no doubt they would make a very positive contribution to the Scottish economy. Perhaps one of the first contracts King Alex can agree is with the Mayor to take all his waifs and strays.
I didn't look tbh I don't think there is a definitive answer to this one. It is all speculation, I did try to give you an honest answer as I always do.
I don't expect you to agree.
I didn't look tbh I don't think there is a definitive answer to this one. It is all speculation, I did try to give you an honest answer as I always do.
I don't expect you to agree.
Dreams about a Utopia, but nothing about helping people to live a normal life. AS keeps spinning the same old stories, but he will come unstuck unless he can show that interest rates will not go up and prevent even more people owning homes. No politician can get away with airy-fairy suggestions for ever. Eventually people want to know about what is in store for them and their family budgets, so to say we will sort that out after you have voted for us will not wear too well these days.