to ask how you feel about Scottish Independence?

[PierreBourdieu]

Particularly looking for opinions from South of the Border, but all opinions welcome. My FB is awash with Independence fever after the rally in Edinburgh yesterday. As a Scotwoman I am always interested to hear the views of the English and get that perspective. I'll not disclose whether I'm pro or anti as I suppose it's not relevant here, also not looking for a bunfight! Care to share?

Honeytea, I live in N.I (U.K) and have 2 passports for the same country, one British and the other Irish. Strange but true and could work for Scotland as well. I also use both the pound and the Euro as most larger shops/stores accept both as do services such as the payphones.

(Tongue in cheek) Can we float off an independent Scotland to a warmer latitude. I reckon moor it off the coast of Tenerife or something.

That'd be great! Thats a vote winner all righty!

;-)

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nhs-boards-increase-waiting-times-1338876

I honestly am failed to be convinced what an independent Scotland would offer me, as a young(ish) professional female. I am part Scottish part another European race, educated partly in Scotland, and as a result I'm always able to compare Scotland with another 3 1/2 times larger nation state. And tbh I would not choose to stay in Scotland if it becomes independent, its only its membership of the UK that makes it just about bearable.

Why? Because its really hard to have a good standard of living and a nice life as a professional female here. Yes, you get the jobs, but you will never earn as much money or have as easy a life through the really high paid jobs in QUANGOS and local government, which aren't accessible to all. Its true there are some good jobs in banking, but they aren't really recruiting any more, and in the oil and gas industry (almost impossible to get into unless you know someone and incredibly misogynistic/sexist). Such a set up is only sustainable from such a small population by making the lives of those who do produce tax revenue utterly miserable.

So you end up with the situation of the most clever people almost sidelined, told that their views don't count, and expected to put up and shut up.

I also don't partcularly want to live in tiny country with a tiny population, but that pales in comparison to the ordeal of having to listen to the "I'm so special, I'm Scottish and there are only 5 point something million of us" drivel that is constantly shoved down your throat living here. So, so sick of hearing it. If only they could get on with putting their heads down and simply working hard and not making a big fuss all the time about being "special".

And personally, I found the education system dreadful. I was actually unable to study a mainstream Higher that I needed to get into university because it simply wasn't able in the schools in my area, and was lucky to get into Dentistry with only 5 As. My headmaster told my mother that he "didn't expect pupils from this school to go onto university". I was told by a careers advisor not to aim so high and perhaps consider librarianship. I had a very strong feelingt that it was an education to make you fit in, not stand out through excellence or achievement. Hence, I'm not surprised now by the sheer ignorance and misinformation in the political "debate".

I particularly object to the SNP doublespeak and being told what to think by people not as intelligent as myself. Harsh but true.

Narked, what is your point with that article?

But will Scotland still be part of the UK?

If Scotland is going to join the canary islands I'm moving back.. Just need to save up to afford the vast amount of suncream I will need to bring fir myself.

(the Scotsman one)

"being told what to think by people not as intelligent as myself"

That is about the most arrogant thing I have ever read.

Just out of interest, what sort of country do those that seek independence imagine Scotland will be? I know a few years back Salmond was saying it was great and you would be like Iceland or Ireland, I presume that's not what your aiming for now? So what sort of country do you think you would be like?

That is about the most arrogant thing I have ever read.

fanjo, I don't think so. It's only what a lot of people think about their boss, for example. Geegee was just being candid.

Fanjo - why is it arrogant, given that geegee qualified as a dentist I don't doubt she is more intelligent than many politicians!

hmm i work for a dentist, I will take the 5th on that one

Yes, as I said, in Scotland, you're supposed to put up and shut up. Or you get insulted. But they'll quite happily take your money. Eveyone's supposedly equal, except that some pay more tax than others. Thank goodness there are plenty of nice countries out there to move to.

I'll say it again, as a professional person. I'm not happy to be told what to think by people less intelligent than myself.

ariel it is purely up to the people of Scotland.

To copy everyone else's analogy:

Imagine the Union as a marriage. If one party wants to leave that marriage then they should be able to, with a negotiated divvying up of assets.

Bothe articles show the cost of maintaining free prescriptions. The numbers don't add up.

My Scottish family have always described Scottish politics (and business life) as being incredibly nepotistic and parochial. The kind of set up you'd expect in a village on a national scale. Who you know is more important than what you know.

Hmm, not really changing my mind on the arrogance thing here.

But as I said earlier, they've already left in anticipation of independence.

Ireland and Iceland being two of the countries who struggled with the banking crisis, unlike the UK, I suppose being your point? Londone, you should maybe read up about how those two countries are getting on now. Iceland punished its bankers for the crisis rather than punishing its citizens, like the Tories have done in the UK, and are back on track. Ireland too have dealt with their crisis rather well www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/1230/1224309616141.html. Other countries mentioned by Salmond at the time were Norway, Denmark and Luxembourg, who seem to be doing fine.

Londonone the rhetoric now from the SNP is that Scotland is now meant to be like Scandinavia (ie not Ireland or Iceland any more). Norway is still in favour. Norway of course isn't a predominately Celtic country, but this is conveniently not mentioned. I guess if the Norwegian economy takes a downturn, the comparator in vogue could become Finland or Sweden perhaps, or maybe somewhere else. Holland's just voted two rightish wing parties into a coalition power share, so I guess its out.

Interesting with geegee perhaps showing a more right wing perspective. Those who sqy thatScotland is more left leaning, I wonder if that will continue to be the case once they have tax raising powers. If there are many with a view like geegee there may not be enough rich to take the tax from. After all socialist governments love to raise tax and I suppose in recent years the has been a left leaning government but without tax raising powers so in some ways the best of both worlds.

Something I?m really confused about is branch offices and retail. I work for a company with many retail outlets across the country. What would happen to the ones in Scotland? How are taxes going to work? How are we going to get goods from the warehouse across the border, will we have to pay import duties on them? How are we going to be paying staff?

Most retail is on a shoestring at the moment in terms of profit, and people are having to be absolutely ruthless with store closure already. Is it not likely that a lot of companies like mine will make the profitability calculation and pull out of Scotland? What would happen to all the jobs? Is this not going to send the cost of living skyrocketing for Scots, if mail order/food production/etc companies are suddenly going to be hit with delivery and import costs which we wouldn?t previously have had to pay, which we would pass on to the Scottish consumer?

I?m just really curious as to how all these kind of technicalities would work, since no one talks about any business except the oil.

Seriously? Have you looked at the Irish economy lately? The job market is bloody awful.

ariel it is purely up to the people of Scotland

You and I disagree. I think it is up to me as well. A political union is not the same as a marriage. I hate the thought of England-and-Wales as a country without Scotland.

As I said, we disagree :)

The problem with the whole NHS funding issue in Scotland is indirectly linked to the earlier discussion about the disparity in what is taken in tax and what is given back, not forgetting the revenues never calculated from oil.

Healthcare is a problem area, there's no point in saying it isn't, but with different choices, and with more funding likely for it in an Independent Scotland than the cutbacks being proposed now, its a no brainer.

I refer myself to my JFK quote earlier...

Re the articles about the NHS, funding has been cut overall, thank god our NHS is being protected from privatisation unlike England.