to ask why the Yes campaign in Scotland wants to keep the pound?

[grovel]

That's it really. Surely an independent Scotland would want its own Central Bank setting interest rates etc?

[Eastwiththem]

dinosaurs Great Britain is the piece of land that contains Scotland, England and Wales, so Great Britain will continue to exist as a geographical term no matter what.

The United Kingdom refers to the thrones of Wales, England and Scotland which have been united to be under one monarchy.

Northern Ireland gets tacked on the end as it's not a full kingdom and it's not part of Great Britain.

rUK would have to drop the Great Britain part of the name but could still call themselves the United Kingdom.

[grovel]

And that is why we need independence- because the UK gov do not work in Scotland's best interests. Not now. Not in the past. Not ever.

Well, since 1707 we've seen off Napoleon, the Kaiser and Hitler together. We have jointly built the 6th largest economy in the world on a small island on the fringes of Northern Europe. We've jointly built a functioning democracy without a revolution. We've jointly built judicial systems on similar principles. We've jointly built a Welfare State. Etc. I can understand the Independence movement but don't think rubbishing our common achievements in such broad terms is helpful.

[SantanaLopez]

Some of the claims on here are mental!

Scotland is not the rUK's second biggest trade partner.
40% of rUK exports go to the Eurozone.
20% of rUK exports go to the USA.
10% go to Scotland.

In the event of the yes vote winning, who gets to negotiate on behalf of Scotland then?

The SNP have promised to create a cross-party negotiation team.

In the Irish/British split (admittedly in 1921) plenipotentiaries were appointed by both Governments to negotiate, they then reported back and both parliaments had to vote on the treaty they agreed.

[Roseformeplease]

My sources.....

Actually, I can't be bothered.

I am totally sick of the "Yes" people and their pseudo-economics and their anti-English, anti-Westminster nonsense.

Salmond was a Westminster MP for a long time, including some years when he was first Minister, claiming his supermarket shop on the taxpayer along with everyone else while shouting loudly about "Westminster" and corruption.

Why did he lie about getting advice on European membership? Why is he currently fighting to hide his hotel bills? Why have so many huge businesses said that they will leave? Economically, it will be a disaster. Even the most cautious of economists have said only that it "might" work after 10 years of hardship.

Why did Salmond produce a White Paper saying everyone currently living in Scotland would be a Scot -ie he was determining MY nationality for me.

I am British, first, foremost and forever.

Anyone asking you to vote Yes is living in a dreamworld where they believe someone's claims because he says so, without any evidence at all.

[withextradinosaurs]

Thanks, East...I thought Wales was a Principality rather than a Kingdom?

[withextradinosaurs]

I don't believe Westminster governs in Scotland's best interests. Most English people have no idea that Scotland has its own laws and its own education system, with a four year degree course leading to a Masters.

But I don't think Westminster governs in the interests of the north, either. If it did, perhaps we would still have a steel industry, a shipbuilding industry and successful coalmines.

[SantanaLopez]

Why is he currently fighting to hide his hotel bills

The Telegraph dug them out at the weekend!

[Eastwiththem]

Hmmm, I think a principality is the same as a kingdom but with a Prince rather than a King? I did know all this at uni but that was some years ago now!

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Under international law, debts and assets have to be shared

Only if Scotland is considered a continuing country along with rUK. In this scenario iScotland would also carry on with all treaties etc that the UK was signatory to (except where the specifics of the split preclude this)

If Scotland is considered a successor state it is a clean slate. IScotland takes no share of UK assets or UK debts. This is not defaulting on the debt - it simly would have nothing to do with iScotland which would be a brand new country.

[BumPotato]

I'm a Yes person, and strongly object to being described as anti-English. It's about Scotland taking control of her own affairs. It is about the people of Scotland getting a government they vote for (the Scottish vote makes no difference to who governs in Westminster, ever).

[BigBoobiedBertha]

Thanks Santana. The yes voters keep saying that the yes vote isn't a vote for Salmond and I fully understand that the referendum is on the yes/no question and nothing else.

However I presume the team will be weighted according to the seats held in the Scottish parliament, so the wishes of party with the most seats will prevail in negotiations and therefore, in a sense, it does matter who is in charge surely? Salmond will be leading the negotiations, won't he? I am just a bit confused about why some people are saying this isn't about personalities when they seem to be very relevant to me.

I am just an interested bystander being mostly English, btw. I have no say in any of this despite the fact that the future of the union in which I live is being decided by a small percentage of its population. Perhaps the rest of us would be justified in saying whether we think Scotland should stay or go too since it affects us all.

[RoxyRobin]

Nothing to do with the serious point at issue but I had to laugh when I saw that someone in the Telegraph's comments section referred to Salmond as 'The Clootie Dumpling of Doom.'

Sorry to lower the tone.

[BigBoobiedBertha]

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

Bertha, the negotiating team for iScotland will be made up of relevant economic, legal etc experts, with maybe a politician or two chucked in, it won't be party-political. These issues are far too important.

[PigletJohn]

weatherall Mon 14-Apr-14 18:35:02
Sally- during the negotiation period between 19th September 2014 and Independence Day on 26th march 2016 Scotland will be as much a part of the UK as at the moment.

We will not be a 'foreign country' during the negotiations.

And during that period, you will be a part of the UK, so will have the protection of the Pound Sterling. If a Scottish bank goes bust, the BoE will guarantee to bail it out.

Once (if) you become an independent, foreign country, that stops.

[grovel]

BumPotato, you won't be taking control of your affairs with a currency union.

[luckypeach]

To the PP who said that the referendum is not about voting for or against AS. You have got to be joking?! This man doesn't care what policies are in place as long as the end result is the breaking up of the UK. It very much is all about him. Why not have more devolution rather than 'independence' then?

It wasn't that long ago that AS stated 'the pound was an albatross around (Scotland's) neck'. So he'll clutch at straws, saying whatever people want to hear. It is sadly a dangerous and divisive debate, not just for Scotland but for the UK as a whole.

[BigBoobiedBertha]

Thanks OldLady - Well that is a bit more encouraging. I shudder to think what it would be like with the politicians in charge but then I am feeling cynical about politicians at the moment given that I have Maria Miller as my MP.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Why not have more devolution rather than 'independence' then?

Because WM shows no appetite for further devolution, and insisted that the "devo-max" option was removed from the referendum ballot paper.

[caroldecker]

bumpotato Scotland gave us the current coalition - without Scotland's 59 (Labour) seats, the conservatives would have won 306 out of 591 seats, so held a majority.

[ithaka]

In our hoose we refer to Salmond as 'the hypnotoad' - if you watch Futurama, you will know how apt it is.

Has to be said in special 'hypnotoad' voice.

[BumPotato]

That's an interesting twist on it carol

[PeachandRaspberry]

Clootie dumpling of doom

Beautiful!

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

It's not about Eck at all. The question is, should Scotland be an independent country? It's not, do you want an SNP gvt in perpetuity, with Eck installed as President for life?

Sheesh.

[PeachandRaspberry]

If it isn't about Salmond, then it's not about the Tories and that's all the Yes Campaign ever squeal about.