To think Scotland becoming independent wouldn't have any impact on the rest of the UK?

[lesley33]

Some in Scotland want it to become independent. I don't really understand why the coalition government is fighting against this happening. Will it really matter in the rest of the UK if scotland does become independent?

I don't know why Scotland wants independence, lets be honest London and the South-East subsidises the rest of England,Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland to varying extents so to cut off from this would seem a strange thing to do in my opinion.

China may well make whisky but I doubt they can produce a decent single malt.

It is hardly a strong argument then is it Abso. You don't go into a shop in Edinburgh and get charged a different amount depending on where you're from.

Regarding the currency, I'm not sure an independent Scotland would be permitted to retain the pound. Westminster may not want any country outside its control to be using the UK currency. The Scots could call their own currency the pound if they wanted, I guess. Hadn't even thought about whether they'd want the euro.

Serenity, there's a difference between the oil not having supported Scotland and it not being able to. There would be the option of belt tightening. And the oil isn't the only thing they have either, it's just the most significant.

(Abs, could you summarise the whole thing for me, not this thread, the whole indep thing. Cheers)

Scotland would be fine

Alex Salmond really isn't that good. Talented Scottish politicians - much like talented actors, bankers, writers, television executives - tend to gravitate to London or elsewhere. Alex Salmond looks OK given the local competition.

I worry that Scotland will get independence without understanding how tough it is to attract inward investment to a country like ours. Global businesses will not necessarily think Scotland that appealing.

Connections here aren't that good (although Edinburgh Airport is 20 mins from city centre) and the transport links around the country are not great at all, although high speed train between Edinburgh and Glasgow might improve things a little. The workforce is not highly trained or competitive and Scots health tends not to be great. In addition, the left-wing default will put off businesses who fear a more punitive tax regime than elsewhere.

I think scotland probably could support itself, although it would have to cut current expenditure.

But my gues is Alex Salmond actually wants increased devolution, not independence. Hence the argument about what the referendum actually asks.

Isn't the whole of the UK up to its ears in debt? Aren't we hanging on to any kind of hope for not entering a double dip recession by the most fragile ends of our well & truely bitten finger nails. Surely, an indendent Scotland would be in equally deep shit if it separated too?
The more I think about it, the more I think how mad it is to start making smaller economies at this somewhat challenging time.

the tuition fees thing cant be right. ds is going to go to Maastricht cos he will only have to pay £1k instead of £9K

ivykaty44 those figures have been gleened whilst Scotland are a member of the union and would be different if they weren't?

PostBB - that's it, exactly. Why, oh, why, would you want to go and start a nascent national economy at a time of serious financial uncertainty?

There seems to be no consensus on who subsidises who.
However once north sea reserves run out, I think an independent scotland would be struggling!

foglike - yes but how else do you get the figures? It is far better if the four countries of the union stick together and share the burdens and the costs and the profits.

Scotland probably wouldn't go under, they would be fine - with a lot of belt pulling.

TBH I think they would be mad to go there own way and they would live to regret their own votes. But as said further up the thread at least let them vote, but let us all vote for or against this union

Lots of the rest of the world don't understand the difference between England and the other countries in the UK. Its like we refer to the Dutch instead of Netherlanders.

ivykaty44 I agree completely.

Or a Canadian as American

oh do fuck off Poloi!

Maryz, I hardly think the English need 'diluting' by the other home nations. We have much more interesting options now that we are a multicultural society, and I don't think most of the rest of the world know the difference between an English and Welsh person anyway!

(says she with the Irish husband).

The tuition fee thing is because EU law states that students from other EU countries cannot be discriminated against and have to be charged the same as home students. And as England isn't a separate country they are charged.

AS has stated that he is unhappy about this and agrees it's unfair. I think it's being challenged.

Doesn't AS look like Shrek?

And please let the vote be a Yes/No vote. All that DevoMax stuff is just costly in terms of legislation and civil service carry-on.

I'm a bit english myself, never did me any harm.

Looks like the SNP will reduce the voting age to 16 for the referendum. Not really sure what that will do.

Scotland is a basketcase with an increasingly badly educated and unproductive workforce Charming

16 to 18 yeas old are highly in favour of independence. It's to get more yes votes.