Independence for Scotland?

Does anyone know a solution to the keyboard problem? Is there some paint or tippex or something that doesn't get wiped out?

LemonDifficult, I don't mind if the Scottish people believe that "we have only 50 days to save the planet" and follow green policies. I think greens will probably never run the government. But they don't have to. Gordon Brown and all the main parties follow and really lead the green agenda.

green pied pipers, sorry my keyboard letters have been wiped off the keyboard

Back to OP's point - Scottish nationalism is very clearly civic, and not ethnic nationalism, and there is a big difference.
To those who think we are a drain on the rest of the UK (by which they mean SE England) I would ask if this were the case, why have you not got rid of us before now
As you may guess, I am in favour of independence for Scotland.

If Scotland goes independent, then it will probably vote for green poed popers and socialists like that. Then we will see what happens to Scotland. The people will soon realise their mistake and will vote for different policies.

What will be will be. But in the end, I think the dynamic Scottish people will reject those stultifying policies.

Is your concern that an Independent Scotland would be too environmentally focussed? Wouldn't smaller ideas be better heard in a small country?

How do you think the Scottish political landscape would be different if you removed Green politics? They don't seem to be THAT strong a force.

LemonDifficult, lots of 'the people' are influenced by what they see on TV and by Gordon Brown's statements that "we have 50 days to save the planet".

read the history of the Green Party. You will see that it grew out of the People party, heavily influenced by ex-Tory activists and rich people. Not the swampy types we see on TV, who think they are challenging the system. They believe what Gordon Brown tells them "we have 50 days left to save the planet".

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Green_Party_of_England_and_Wales

It's a long, slow march for them. Rome wasn't built in one day. Sir Jonathon Porritt, a green guru, tells us that one day it will be seen as irresponsible to have more than two children. It's about "sustainaboloty", they say, the same words used by the People party way back then.

Lots of 'the people' want to be green, though.

No airports, no new housing developments, no industry without green taxes, more gloabl warming taxes. They are the establishment. They are against progress. They want the people kept down.

I think people are being conned by the greens. They really carry out the wishes of the establishment i.e. no new development for people, just leaving green fields for rich landowners. They are against development and harm the interests of ordinary people. That's why Brown and Blair and all the rest are all green now. If the bankers wanted to develop land then of course they would be able to, just as they were able to be bailed out by Brown.

If Scotland went independent, the people would probably soon realise that they have been conned, and may even change their voting behaviour.

Fortunately the number of people here in Scotland who want independence is now very low - 23% at the last survey in 2010. I can't think of anything worse than independence, and have only met a tiny handful of people who are in favour of separation.

I don't think we should go towards independence, at least not now.

The creative sector in Scotland isn't strong enough and the financial services sector would take fright at the further left politics and anticipate unfavorable taxes. Therefore, I think there'd be quite an exodus of money and talent in the early years that might be hard to come back from.

Also, when Scots talk about independence they nearly always seem to do it with a generalised anti-Englishness, which doesn't fill me with confidence.

yup. wave them goodbye. the rest of the uk will be richer and we won't have to listen to alex salmons ever again...

That is a possible negative. But it wouldn't be for long; the Scots would soon wake up and start voting Tory.

I think it is up to the Scottish people. If I was Scottish, I think I would want independence. I don't believe the propaganda that Scotland can't survive on its own. The Scots have given the world so many inventions that I am sure they would be very successful. Democracy is about people having power to make their own decisions. The Scots could choose what they want and the English could choose what they want. We know that the Scots don't vote much for Tories, but the English like them. Everybody would get what they want, except the Labour party.

I voted Tory, and remember on election night feeling that Scotland may deliver us more years of Labour rule and more erosion of civil liberties. Fortunately, enough english people voted Tory and LibDem.