to start yet another Indyref thread?

[FannyFifer]

Round 3 folks.

We should arrange an Indyref meet up at this stage.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

This is an interesting point (from one of the businesses supporting yes today)

"One surprising name backing the letter is Professor Nathu Puri, founder of Purico, a former Labour donor in the Midlands, backing Scottish independence as a mechanism for tackling the domination of the South East.

"The London-centricity of Britain's economy is unsustainable," he has said separately. "We must reindustrialise the nations and regions outside of South East England. We must rebalance the British economy by sector and geography to ensure sustainable economic growth.

"Scottish independence will be a major step forward towards that goal in the interests of not just Scots, but business and jobs in Wales, Northern Ireland, the Midlands and the north of England."
www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/politics/referendum-news/200-businesses-sign-up-to-say-yes-to-independence.25171171

[StatisticallyChallenged]

We must rebalance the British economy by sector and geography to ensure sustainable economic growth

I think independence would have the opposite impact. If FS jobs leave, their most likely destination is probably London. Scotland would be more oil heavy in terms of % of GDP than the UK is. Scotland has a higher proportion of public sector employees than the UK as a whole which would probably reduce at least in the short term - I don't see how we would fund a proportionally larger public sector than the UK. You'd end up with two less diverse economies.

I doubt it would make London less dominant.

[pettybetty]

I have no horse in this race at all - live in US at the moment, and unlikely to move back to UK for a number of years, so I claim no greater knowledge of the issues here except that I've been really interested and read both previous threads on mn.

Having done a bit of research, it does seem like in the event of independence, a currency union would be the better option for everyone, although I can understand the BT campaign using it as a scare tactic to get more votes.

Can anyone explain why it would not be in rUKs best interests to set a currency union up? I do think that it would be galling for a lot of people to be forced to be in a union, and would understand those feelings but surely when it comes to it, 'money talks' and big business would do what makes them the most money?

Not on either side here - just curious and hoping to be better informed.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

pettybetty, the main reason so far as I can gather is that the UK have seen what happened in the Eurozone where even with rules and regulations, some countries where able to get in to a really bad state and end up having to be bailed out to protect the currency. But Scotland wouldn't be big enough to bail out the rest of the UK, so it would be a one sided gamble for them.

[SantanaLopez]

This is the UK government analysis, if you want to read it all.

The only viable argument for a CU is geography, and even then it's not a great one. London-Glasgow and London-Paris is the same flight time, and the UK sends 40% of its trade to the Eurozone!

[wearenotinkansas]

I think Statistically is right. And I can't see any rUK politician attempting to sell a currency union with Scotland to their voters. It would be an election loser as the rUK will think that they might have to bail out Scotland, if there was ever any of the financial difficulties seen in the Eurozone. And also, a currency union would mean that Scotland would, in many senses, still be subject to the requirements of the Bank of England (who would set interest rates and still be the lender of last resort) and probably as a result Scotland would still be subject to many Westminster policy requirements. If Scotland does vote yes having its own currency would, IMHO, be a much better option.

[SantanaLopez]

Actually, I think Carney's speech is pretty good too- it's here.

[ChelsyHandy]

City of Edinburgh Council actually scares me. I don't think anyone has even scratched the surface of what has gone on there and is still being covered up, nor how far into the Establishment it has reached.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

There is a level of ineptitude that's horrifying in Edinburgh council. Our streets/roads are an utter disgrace - full of potholes, yet one junction I was at the other day had 4 no left turn signs. Schools are becoming a serious problem because they closed a bunch at the same time as spending a crapload on a tram system network line half a line. We're now getting bins collected fortnightly, apparently, when they can be arsed - but we live in the city centre so we don't actually have proper recycling bins/buckets/tubs etc. For which we pay the wonderful sum of £230 per month

[wearenotinkansas]

large parts of Glasgow are just the same. Pavements around here are lethal and there are plenty of areas in the city where rubbish just gets left to pile up. The bits on show during the games were tidied up but quite a lot of it is going back to being filthy again. It doesn't give me much confidence in an independent Scotland.

[OOAOML]

There was a story in the Edinburgh Evening News about a bin lorry that was spotted with a Yes sticker. Whilst I think that's inappropriate for either side, I was more shocked by the key issue that there was a bin lorry out collecting rubbish.

[wearenotinkansas]

at OOAOML

[OOAOML]

To be fair it was the Royal Mile, and they do make an effort to clean up the bits most tourists see. Not so much for the rest of us.

[weatherall]

It is a ludicrous suggestion to vote in the referendum based on Edinburgh city council's ineptitude!

Councils are responsible to their voters not the Scottish government.

How is a no vote going to improve Edinburgh city council? Does anyone have an answer to that?

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Sad but true!

[StatisticallyChallenged]

We're not saying it would weatherall - we're just bitching and whining! That ok with you?

[WildThong]

Or maybe we should go back to our secret Facebook coven...

[StatisticallyChallenged]

First rule of the secret facebook coven, we don't talk about the secret facebook coven. Go and put your dunce hat on!

[PacificDogwood]

Ah, a conspiracy

I knew it

[FannyFifer]

Quite happy with the cooncil in my part of Fife, well apart from closing schools.
But bins, streets etc I've no complaints, they were quick to come out for a blocked drain.

[OOAOML]

Actually I don't think anything will improve Edinburgh Council. Whatever combination of councillors, they roll along screwing the city up. I have a lot of respect for several individual councillors of various parties - but collectively it is a farce. And I don't base my vote in the referendum on that. Although as quite a few councillors seem to view it as a route to Holyrood maybe I should.

[OOAOML]

Hmm maybe if there is a No vote I should move to Fife. I was actually at a meeting with Edinburgh council people where they blamed school place shortages on a growing birth rate combined with the fact people were not moving to Fife in sufficient numbers in an almost angry tone as if we had done something wrong. They didn't mention the massive elephant in the room - closing schools at the same time as agreeing new housing in the same area. We had 5 primary schools in the cluster, now we have 3. Each with an expensive prefab "standalone extension".

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Actually I don't think anything will improve Edinburgh Council Taking them downstairs to Mary Kings Close and accidentally holding a historical reenactment of when it was bricked up?

They are properly inept. It's a bit of a problem actually, I think, in that it puts off a lot of decent people who might consider politics. Councillor is a kind of typical first step, but personally I would not want to sully myself by being part of Edinburgh Clowncil

[squoosh]

Here's a lovely photo of you all at the the last Secret Facebook Coven night out.

[ChelsyHandy]

Now to fair OOAML, you do occasionally see a bin lorry on a bank holiday or at Christmas, so they can claim their treble time. Obviously they cancel collections for months beforehand in preparation though.

Nice to see that the Scottish Government has used its existing powers so well in dealing effectively with City of Edinburgh Council...oh sorry, I must have dreamed that!