Indyref8

[grovel]

ItsAllGoingToBeFine, but who will be Prime Minister? Pretty unsatisfactory changing halfway through. My suggestion was that maybe Cameron, Clegg, Miliband et al agree on a team and step back themselves. It would make the end result a joint enterprise and could prevent years of feuding in rUK.

Very democratic of you lovelyrita!

Evening All!

Hiya!

He doesn't have to persuade anyone of anything. He'll be ensuring iScotland gets its share of the assets it has contributed.

There's no begging for scraps here. Scotland has contributed, and will get it's share out. That's not up for dispute.

It's not undemocratic, it's fact.

Whatwould and Badar I was also trying to imagine what Alex Salmond is thinking right now. No politician in the land craves power like Alex Salmond.

sorry, why isn't Shetland entitled to independence if that's what the majority want?

If for some reason Shetland did become independent the oil doesn't become theirs anyway. It remains in Scottish waters.

There will be lots of jobs in a new idny Scotland. All in the legal and civil service as an army of pen pushers tears up and rewrites every contract under the sun at a vast price to Scottish tax payers. Setting up a new country isn't going to come cheap, or do the deluded YES voters think rUK will foot the bill?

Why shouldn't it? It has vast natural resources and a healthy oil fund, perhaps it wants local issues decided by local people rather than hundreds of miles away in HR.

Same argument, smaller scale.

I didn't say that they weren't entitled to independence. They have the same stake on independence as my street, fife, Skye, ecckefechrn or princes street.

As in they are a part of a country, an area. Not a country under someone else's control.

That clearer?

Lovely but on that argument, come a Yes vote, the oil will still be in UK waters

But anyway it's a moot point, as the Shetlanders aren't interested in independence at the moment

There will be lots of jobs in a new idny Scotland. All in the legal and civil service as an army of pen pushers tears up and rewrites every contract under the sun at a vast price to Scottish tax payers. Setting up a new country isn't going to come cheap, or do the deluded YES voters think rUK will foot the bill?

xpost, no dear, you're not making any more sense I'm afraid.

Whoops sorry didn't mean to just repost this question!

Scottish taxes will pay, just as they pay for all that just now through our taxes etc.

We're not starting from scratch. Contrary to popular belief Scotland raises money and pays it's own way already.

Well just be cutting out the middle man.

Scotland is a country.

Shetland isn't.

That better?

I agree, but am interested to see the response that they couldn't claim independence...

It's true. Us islanders from Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles have a campaign for more powers in the event of a Yes vote.

It's called "Our Islands, Our Future"

Here's a link:

www.orkney.gov.uk/Council/C/our-islands-our-future---faq.htm

OOOFT I'm pooped! Heavy night of canvassing in an area plastered with Yes posters. Shouted at by a guy in a van, accosted on a street corner and yelled at about nukes, tories...told that "scots think x"..."I'm Scottish"...

Still actually got 50% No, 37.5% Yes, 12.5% undecided. Which was surprising!

I didn't say they weren't entitled to it.

Catalonia isn't a country yet it has a very large independence campaign! Why do you think Spain isn't keen on letting Scotland in the EU?

Lovley can you perhaps try not to sound so patronising?

There is no fundamental law that states you have to be a country before demanding independence.

Some in Cornwall might want independence. They have as much right to it as Scotland, if there's a majority in favour.

You said they were as entitled as your wee street!

Cambioenodbre In the case of a yes vote does this give credence to any claim Shetland has for independence (replace WM with Edinburgh and you have a similar argument) if so what effect does this have on the economy given a some of the laggers future oil development are near Shetland? There was a petition for them to hold their own referendum a week after main vote that Holyrood turned down due to lack of time to organise (6m time scale I think)

Don't listen to Rita, her remarks about Shetland are highly offensive. I have relatives there, and there is a movement for Shetland independence. I have to say my relatives are actually kind of rabid anti-Scots are would rather be Norwegian, and refer to the Scots as "foreigners" or worse, ahem probably not representative, but I have a couple of very outspoken aunts.

Anyway, the word is that Cameron was in Shetland recently holding talks for Shetland voting to stay in the UK in the event of independence, and most people there are waiting to see the outcome of the Scottish Referendum first.

Of course Shetland would have territorial waters if it remained part of the UK. These would not be Scottish but British waters, and may include existing and potential oil fields. It would also provide a northerly base for the UK oil industry, closer to many oil and gas fields and the Norwegian sector than Aberdeen is.

The Yes voters are terrified of the Shetland question and prefer to dismiss it or pretend it doesn't exist.

Healthy oil fund? Are you sure?