http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-25061445 Stand on the quayside at Aberdeen and you are closer, geographically, to Stavanger and Oslo than you are to London. In the centuries when travel was easier by sea than by land, the Norsemen came south to plunder, conquer and settle. Many of the place-names of Scotland are the legacy of a time Nordic Europe drew the lands bordering the North Sea around it and bound them into one ocean-going community of peoples. Sutherland is so called because it was once one of the southern parts of that community. Does anything survive of that distant time? Does the North Sea separate us from, or connect us to, our Nordic neighbours? One of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions is the 17th Century warship Vasa. Its hull is 70 metres long and decorated with oak carvings of mermaids, wild men and sea monsters - which are designed to celebrate the might of Imperial Sweden and to intimidate its enemies. It is a visually stunning reminder that Sweden once dominated the northern tier of Europe, drawing many of its Baltic neighbours into its orbit. Both Norway and Finland have, at different periods in their history, been joined to Sweden in a union. All three of these nations are broadly comparable to Scotland, whose people will take part next year in an independence referendum. At first glace all of these countries have; Small populations spread across large territories Long coast lines (the word Norwegian 'fjord' is surely derived from the same root as the Scots 'firth') A traditional dependence on maritime activities, including fishing and shipbuilding And Norway has an oil industry that has helped turn one of the poorest countries of Europe into one of the richest in the world They have also evolved a way of living, and of governing, which is the envy of much of Europe. They're often held up as an example of what Scotland could aspire to become - benign, non-belligerent, socially harmonious and prosperous social democracies. This reading appeals particularly to the pro-independence left in Scotland. The Nordic model is "a high wage economy, based on highly productive enterprise," says Robin MacAlpine of the Jimmy Reid Foundation. He explains: "You use the money that generates through tax, to create extremely strong public services. "You have this chain - good economy, good jobs, good wages, good taxes, good public services, and high social cohesion." Finland illustrates well both the strengths and weaknesses of small independent nations on the periphery of Europe. For decades after WW2, it was almost entirely dependent on trade with the Soviet Union. And it thrived. In fact it over-reached itself. In the late 1980s it deregulated its banking sector and entered a period that came to be known as the "casino years". Full article beaks down each country. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-25061445
ST's new signature is an eye-opener to the agenda that some folk are peddling for the new Scotland. To be honest, it's nudged me back towards the UKOK camp. Left wing fundamentalists, wanting a "fairer" society, basically, punish the rich for the idleness of the poor.
I can agree with what you are saying but you do realise that Norway is taxed to the hilt. As Edge says it will bo down to those of us who earn that will punished to the hilt to look after workshy malingerers and benefit scroungers and immigrants. Which would leave most of us no better off at all and singnificantly worse actually. Why would that motivate people?
^^^ Dangerous logic from a weak and feeble man who earns a crust sucking off the teat of the state. ^^^
^^^ Typical Tory, only interested in what's in it for himself. The reason the world is in such a ****ed up state.
The "world" is not in a ****ed up state any more than it normally is. Do-good tree huggers like you and the rest of the left don't know proper hardship. We've never had it so good. Food and drink is plentiful and diverse, we live in cities that have been transformed from polluted industrial slums to good places to live. I want to live in a 'fair' society too, where the State keeps their nose out of my trough and rewards people who work hard and doesn't reward people who don't work hard. The only "****ed up" part of our society is that people are better off not working than they are for working.
Got it in one Edge. **** will still try to argue black is white though. I mean what do twats like Tarquin bring to the economy. Absolutely **** all that's what.
Aye, very good Peter Hitchins. Any more hoary old cliches? A fair society with little or no government intervention can be highlighted by what happened with the banks and oh, that's right, it went tits up because greedy people made the system corrupt. The world isn't ****ed up?
