to ask where indyref Part 5 is?

[grovel]

Well?

According to www.salarygraph.co.uk 80,000 is higher than over 90% of the population. The median wage in Scotland is about £26,500.

Reality for us is over 80k. So what? Are we only supposed to aspire to a council house and no more?

Of course not, but your reality is in no way representative of the population.

£26,500 you say Iagtbf mere loose change for a bankers wife I would imagine.

£80k is not a representative salary in Scotland for most families. Thanks for getting that link on to the thread Itsall.

IrnBru "Someone is buying them!" You're right Chelsy, and it ain't locals!

Judging by the phone numbers on their vans, their accents, and what the tradesmen I use tell me, it is absolutely locals who are buying the 1/3 million pound new builds. I don't know if you've noticed, but finance sector types don't tend to buy new builds.

Do you ever get anything right?

This thread is turning into a Facebook rant.

Lady again, you're twisting my words. I don't have a hatred for English people at all. I do not know anyone who can easily afford to buy property in Edinburgh at the prices you've mentioned upthread. That was the point I have been trying to make all along. It shows how out of touch you are if you think £80k is an pretty average salary and buying houses in excess of £265k is just pretty common for most people in Scotland. It's not.

*1/2 million. Actually I think the purchase prices were between £585,000 and £695,000. But there are similar developments for similar values all over central Scotland.

I'm quite amused at the worry over defence in Scotland, tbh. Who are we supposed to be shitting bricks about?

You're going to be a peaceful neutral country, not involved in any foreign wars, so you don't need to worry about defence or intelligence. No one is going to attack you.

You can be like that other peaceful neutral country, Switzerland. Never been in a major war. I wonder what sort of defence force they need?

Ooer! 5 billion a year, and compulsory conscription!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Switzerland

Of course there will be some locals buying houses in the New Town, or in Edinburgh developments for these prices you've mentioned, but there will also be as many moving into the Edinburgh area from down south. People do realise that they get more house for their money in Scotland.

fgs even a very brief scroll on the internet tells you that new builds are being sold for £415,000 plus by Cala in East Kilbride, Dunsmuir Park in Kilmarnock starts at nearly 200k for a 4 bed new build detached. Who do you think is buying those?

You are getting left behind. Scotland is moving on. Don't blame people for earning high salaries, blame tradesmen for not paying their tax, and councils for giving planning permission for such high value developments.

£80k is not a representative salary in Scotland for most families

I don't think anybody said it was. Just that it wasn't super rich. Super rich to me is your footballers, million pound bonus investment bankers etc - the folk who never really have to think about whether they can afford something. £80k is certainly comfortable but it's not super rich. But regardless of that - it's a salary LadyC has built up to, done qualifications for, worked her ass off for. Why should she be ashamed of it?Why is it being thrown at her to invalidate her opinions.

I've still not received an answer as to what you have to earn for your opinion to no longer count.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

Switzerland ranked 38 in the world spending wise, 0.7% GDP
UK ranked 4 in the world, 2.4% GDP

Switzerland sounds good, apart from the compulsory service.

You stand accused of working hard and earning 80k LadyCordelia.

They are almost as obsessed with attacking you with this as over me and my username.

Its really odd. They seem to think this will help their cause.

Why band what you earn about on a discussion forum though?? Is it really relevant?

You don't think £80k is classed as super rich, but others like myself do. It's all relative.

If you earn around £18-20k, £80k is a substantial amount of money.

80K is a nice salary which I'm sure goes a long way in Scotland but it's in no way 'super rich'.

Russian oligarchs are super rich. Their housekeepers probably earn 80K!

The pair of you do seem incredibly unfamiliar with successful women. Almost as if you have never actually encountered one.

I thought one of the reasons for independence was that Scotland was already a rich country, able to go it alone. How do you propose to do that without high earners?

(although how this fits in with the point that Scotland is more able to fund pensions because Scots die younger than the English I was never able to fathom).

Yes. It is. But why are you so keen to shut down the opinions of a successful woman just because she has done well?

Christ are you obsessed or whit Chelsy?
"weatherall writes off half of Edinburgh, while IrnBru dismisses the Scottish finance sector. Meanwhile, FannyFifer is still missing in action, possibly on the campaign trail or manning the stumps at the local community café."

I'm a nurse, I work shifts, I've been out my house since 0700 & that's me just home 20 mins ago. Same tomorrow & Sunday , perhaps you would like to see my time sheet as I didn't realise I needed to clock in & out of this thread.

£80,000 pound is a wage I could only dream about, I don't know many people earning that, a few but they are the exception.

Again though, it's relative to what you're used to. This kind of divide is one of many reasons I'm voting Yes.

"How do you propose to do that without high earners?"

What planet are you on?? How out of touch are you? It's the poorest in society that are taxed too much and suffering, not even earning a living wage. That's why there are food banks for these families who work.

You're voting Yes to stop people earning 80K?

Switzerland sounds good, apart from the compulsory service.

The reason they can get away with only 5 billion in annual defence expenditure is that every adult male is conscripted and trained, and keeps their weapons at home ready to be called up to fight. It saves having a much larger and more expensive permanent army.

I don't want to derail the discussion, just wanted to show why even the most peaceful country needs to maintain its security.