Independence

[kenny]

I have also fixed title spellings of Independence on both threads. It has 3 e's and no a's.

If we can't even spell it correctly what hope have we got.

[j2 lot]

Vote now.

http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/vie ... 13#p389829

I have also fixed title spellings of Independence on both threads. It has 3 e's and no a's.

cheers

Campbell

Ta, I wasn't sure and took my lead from the other thread ( honest )

[campbell]

Ta, I wasn't sure and took my lead from the other thread ( honest )

Spellcheck is all part of the service!

Tut and Robin both missed it, surprisingly...

[robin]

Spelling will be the least of New Scotland's worries ... been distracted of late.

Our new currency should be called "The Pint"; say it in the right kind of under-class Scottish accent and it sounds a bit like "The Pound". Has the advantage of being directly translatable to a barter system when the (inevitable) time comes; also makes beer inflation proof. That alone should be enough to make me the First Prime Minister of New Scotland 70/80 would be a bit like the Pound/Guinea thing from Austen's days, meaning we would need to change the primary numerical system from base 10 to base 9; handy for those with fewer than 10 digits to use So counting would go something like 70, 80, 2 pints ...

I tend to agree with the nay sayers, not because I am English (Katie and I worked out we've now spent more of our lives in Scotland than England - getting old!) but because I believe less government per head of population results in more-or-less the same value at lower cost. It's hard to see how we could have a smaller government than we currently do - they're not going to take independence and then fire 50% of the MSPs - more like it will grow to accommodate all the new services they must manage and provide. We may find that we still have 10% of the population (25% of the working population?) employed in the new public sector ....

So what if it could work on paper - why bother - realistically since the Poll Tax fiasco, what harm has the Westminster government really foisted on soley Scotland - sure they made some bad decisions and the odd good one, but that'll be the same afterwards - nobody has deliberately voted in duffers nor would they in any new scheme.

As to the PH article, I won't miss the financial service sector - England or Europe is welcome to it - though actually I suspect we have what we need to service our own needs, and if we don't we'll soon acquire it. It is a shame we don't have more industry than we do, but I think we have a lot of small industry (admittedly a lot to do with the oil industry) and with the right focus Scotland could become an exporter of high tech equipment/services. All of these things could also be true with Scotland in the UK.

The question we should be asking is not do we want independence but what are we going to make or do that the rest of the world wants to pay us for ....

Cheers,
Robin

[ruadh08]

but what are we going to make or do that the rest of the world wants to pay us for ?

Body worn Cameras, so get back to work and get the production going full tilt......................

[campbell]

The question we should be asking is not do we want independence but what are we going to make or do that the rest of the world wants to pay us for ....

Haggis, shortbread, bagpipes, Irn Bru. Sorted.

Unfortunately that question doesn't fit for a yes or no answer so is too complicated for too many people.

[campbell]

Body worn Cameras, so get back to work and get the production going full tilt......................

...to protect us from the SNP when they throw their toys out the pram after a No vote on St Salmond's Day in 2014?!

[BiggestNizzy]

I don't see any point to independance, The current system is a bit of a mess nobody really knows who t obalme when soemthing goes wrong. The parliment was never setup to have the SNP in charge Labour always expected that they would be the ruling party and set it up to ensure it.

I would devolve England so that English matters can be delt with by England that way Scottish Mp's can't vote on things that don't concern them.

For national matters we each parliment gets a % say. (and yes England will get a bigger % but in fairness their is 11 x as many people.

[Rich H]

From my not very well thought out simplistic point of view South of the border it all seems totally unessesary... lots of tub-thumping noise but little actual content.

I admit I am fairly immune to the news most of the time but apparently a lot more tax is spent per-capita in Scotland than down here, universities are free as are a few other services - can that be sustained?
Also reading above if 25% of the working population are civil servants, who is actually making the money to pay tax to pay them all? (Plus the benefits bill for all the sickies?)
75% can't generate enough tax revenue to pay another 25% a wage... can they?
Can Scotland suddently generate all the required cash to serve their portion of the national debit? Especially when the whiff of independance (Freedom!) is in the air and Shetland/Hebridies/Faroe buggers off with all the oil/gas...
Can it end in anything but tears?

I'm all for self determination but this seems madness... As for the 16 year olds voting....

[BiggestNizzy]

From my not very well thought out simplistic point of view South of the border it all seems totally unessesary... lots of tub-thumping noise but little actual content.

I admit I am fairly immune to the news most of the time but apparently a lot more tax is spent per-capita in Scotland than down here, universities are free as are a few other services - can that be sustained?s...

Scotlands per capita spending is less than London with similar populations but nobody mentions that

University should be free but there are far to many daft courses that let people in.

I never had a problem paying for the odd prescription.

It's probably not sustainable although from any numbers I have seen the cash is pretty much =/=

Polotics are pretty entrenched for example Many families will never vote for the Tory's "cause of what Thatcher did" (of course the 3 day week and constant strikes where that much better )

P.S. I am not a Tory

[kenny]

Free prescriptions, university places etc are all catered for in Scotlands budget allocation. All part of the devolution powers allowing Scots to decide what we spend our cash on
England can do the same if they wanted but they choose to send the money elsewhere, we don’t get an extra pot of gold that allows us to do this.

As to the tax spend per capita is hardly surprising given Scotlands large and remote rural communities that provision of basic amenities costs a bit more.

Some of the media down south have been perpetuating this myth that we only exist on English subsidies for a long time now and it’s stirring up a lot of anti-Scottish sentiment.

As Nizzy says if you get rid of Scotland on the basis of above average tax spend per capita then you also have to annex England pretty much everywhere north of Nottingham, Wales, Northern Ireland and most of London


The sums for independence still don't stack up but the anti-scottish rhetoric from down south boils my pee.

[Rich H]

Please note there is also no 'Get rid of Scotland' as we don't get to vote remember
We Englanders aren't being consulted at all if you can stay in - Self determination is perfectly OK with me.

The free uni/more tax spend stuff is all that really comes to mind, that and the trams... so what doesn't get funded to pay for them all? I not stirring I would like to know!

Most people here couldn't really give that much of a toss - I don't really care one way or the other TBH - I just want to understand 'the plan' for post-independance

[tut]

Tut and Robin both missed it, surprisingly...

I only point it out if it is Robin, GregR, or Pete, i.e. our intellectuals, it is too easy with the general riff raff.



tut

[j2 lot]

Tut and Robin both missed it, surprisingly...

I only point it out if it is Robin, GregR, or Pete, i.e. our intellectuals, it is too easy with the general riff raff.



tut

Oi old yin, who you calling riff-raff

realistically since the Poll Tax fiasco,

Going off topic here perhaps but with hindsight was the Poll Tax so wrong? I was paying about £3-400a year poll tax I now pay £2500 Council Tax and I get fcuk all extra for paying much more.
I have moved house so gone up the 'bands' but IIRC the top band was still much less than I pay now.

[dirkpitt]

The question we should be asking is not do we want independence but what are we going to make or do that the rest of the world wants to pay us for ....

Haggis, shortbread, bagpipes, Irn Bru. Sorted.

Unfortunately that question doesn't fit for a yes or no answer so is too complicated for too many people.

dont forget tartan paint.... ..wait. .f*&k, forgot i havent invented that yet ......i'll get my coat .....