To think Scotland has a better future than England

[hadenough]

The state of the UK today makes me utterly depressed. A Brexit voted for on the basis of lies, an anti-immigrant rhetoric, and a general attitude of unwelcome.

But yet, in Scotland, the message is very different - a focus on welcoming people to the country, an opposition to Brexit, and a real debate about the future.

It genuinely saddens me to be part of a wider country that appears intent on going back, but never forward.

You might need to check your facts speakout

"Since 2013, NHS contracts worth £16bn have been put out to tender, with private companies winning about £5.5bn of business."

From this article www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-health-service-healthcare-privatisation-a7160771.html There are plenty others if you

I live in a rural area of Scotland (I'm not British) and health and social care services are cut to bits.

In 2014 Scotland had an immigrant population of 7% compared to England's immigrant population of 14%.

In 2018 Scotland had 67.2 people per square km and England had 407.

Scotland 'needs' inward migration to replace outward migration. And it needs inward migration for economic reasons.
And yet in surveys, the Scottish attitude to immigrants is not hugely different to the English attitude.

So no, I wouldn't say Scots are more welcoming.

Health services in rural areas of scotland are deplorable. Eg, pregnant women who live in the Highlands often have to travel more than 100 miles along the only road while in labour to deliver their babies. It's horrific. For years the local dentist was 50 miles from my ILs who live in a small town.

Scottish education in secondary schools is becoming a joke quite frankly. The difference between A levels and scottish highers and advanced highers is huge.

Uni fees are free only to students studying in scotland. They pay the full fees if they choose to study in England. Scottish universities are suffering from lack of funding and FE has had its funding cut drastically.

The government perpetuates the impression that scottish people are friendly and inclusive but there is no evidence of this. Rates of immigration into scotland are lower than in England.

The population of scotland is fatter and unhealthier than in r UK. There is a bigger problem with alcoholism.

The weather in England is generally better too. Milder winters.

The only reason Scotland gets all these lovely free things is because it is subsidised by the U.K. taxpayers.

If wee Jimmie Krankie opens the doors to immigrants they will all just head to London, like most of the others do ..

The U.K. is doing fine, we just need to stop importing people who take low skilled jobs and end up costing tax payers money - why do we need pizza delivery on bikes, so many takeaways?

^Since 2013, NHS contracts worth £16bn have been put out to tender, with private companies winning about £5.5bn of business*

Igneococcus you might need to check your facts.

THese are UK figures not Scottish ones.

And as a not Brit I am sure you enjoy your free NHS care.

I don't get too hung up on politics to be honest.

The difference between A levels and scottish highers and advanced highers is huge.

I don't even know where to begin with that.

Health services in rural areas of scotland are deplorable. Eg, pregnant women who live in the Highlands often have to travel more than 100 miles along the only road while in labour to deliver their babies. It's horrific. For years the local dentist was 50 miles from my ILs who live in a small town.

Not only pregnant women have to travel. I had 11 appointments for a thyroid issue over about 12 months which were all in Glasgow which is a 3 hours train journey each way for me. I could drive of course but going by train at least gives me the chance to do some work while I'm on the train. That is an entire day spend on ~10 min specialist appointment, luckily I have a very relaxed boss. At least I'm on the mainland, even more tricky for people on an island.

The national treatment rate for NHS-funded elective primary hip arthroplasties in Scotland fell from 143.8 per 100,000 in 2006/07 to 137.8 per 100,000.
And the paper added: “By 2012/13, territorial NHS boards had not recovered 2006/07 levels of provision. This was most marked for NHS boards with the greatest use of private sector, namely Fife, Grampian and Lothian.

Two sentences up form that article, clearly talking about Scotland.

So no real answers to the questions then, Speakout? Just saying it's "embarrassing" that people who aren't Scottish have a perception of Scotland is daft. That's the whole bloody point of my question - if that's how you are seen, and it's a very attractive image, how do you promote everything else you do? And if you become independent, why would people who aren't investing in Scotland as part of the uk start to invest in an independent Scotland?

I think I'm coming down on the side of the OP being U, as the posters who disagree with her are more convincing so far!

I see a lot of poverty in Scotland when we stay there.

Drugs and drinking and a whole layer of society wasting away. The education system is doing very badly, and this hinder the next generation. I don't think the general scot on the street is more 'welcoming' and some could do with learning some manners.

England and Scotland are both beautiful, with incredible history and the both have the possibility of moving onto great things in the future and making the most of their assets. It will be interesting to see what happens.

that people who aren't Scottish have a perception of Scotland

You may have a "perception of Scotland" from your own feed, but don't extend that to other sectors of business and industry,

And yes you embarrass yourself.

But yet, in Scotland, the message is very different - a focus on welcoming people to the country, an opposition to Brexit, and a real debate about the future.

Apart from to the English eh? Scots hate them.

I’ve never understood how Scotland can be celebrated for its anti-English stance, with a government that believes in independence, yet be so vocal about remaining is the EU. Surely this is a huge contradiction in their politics? How do they hope to achieve independence that way?

Nasty Nicola creates a lot of anti-English sentiment and seeks to make the divide bigger by using Brexit as a pawn. Let’s face it Scotland will simply go where the money is

funding vs what is paid to Scotland

Oh and “wee Jimmy Krankie”? Grow up. It’s ridiculous when anyone resorts to petty insults.

I’ve never understood how Scotland can be celebrated for its anti-English stance, with a government that believes in independence, yet be so vocal about remaining is the EU. Surely this is a huge contradiction in their politics?

No. EU is a framework that allows small countries to blossom.

Apart from to the English eh? Scots hate them.

Says who? Because there are whole groups of English people campaigning for independence, nobody says we hate England, it’s bullshit made up by the MSM to cause problems.

The independence movement isn’t anti English. Of course there will be some arseholes who are anti English, but they usually get shouted down by the rest of us because it is absolutely not what independence is about.

But then, there are twats on all sides, as an above post proves.

It’s anti Westminster, NOT anti English.

Nasty Nicola creates a lot of anti-English sentiment and seeks to make the divide bigger by using Brexit as a pawn.

Again with the name calling

Anti Westminster, not anti English. You’re making stuff up now.

Unless of course you can give me one single piece of evidence that anyone in power has actively encouraged anti English feeling? I won’t hold my breath though.

I've lived in both.
I thought the Scots were pretty feisty, capable people but the SNP Gov don't think we can care for our own children and introduced the Named Person system, we might drink and drive so introduced the 0 alcohol breath test, we can't control our drinking so upped the price of high alcohol drinks, baby boxes, need I say more, and Gaelic on ALL signs so they are cluttered and harder to read. Imv they've sold us out to the wind farm builders. Planners don't allow building of turbines everywhere in England, strict laws, not so here they are covering the hills. We cannot get doctors or consultants here in the countryside - imv because there is no work for the spouse and poor schools for their children. Why would a young doctor come to this area.
Now I'll list all the good things SNP Gov has done to develop this country errrrrr........... ok we have free prescriptions, (crazy imv, should be means tested) but if you need any cancer treatment you travel 2 hours to the big toons. I would agree that tourism is the main industry, certainly in this area, plastering wind farms everywhere is going to affect that though, errrrrr........ still thinking, no can't come up with anything really.

Nasty Nicola creates a lot of anti-English sentiment

No. We value ourselves as a nation.

Have heard from Scottish friends that the schools need much more funding. Same as in England really.
I don’t know if it is accurate but if you don’t fund schools then you are storing up trouble for yourselves.

Oh, and welcoming foreigners? I can imagine the headlines in the local paper when someone from abroad is given a professional job over a local person. Thinking of the UK, USA, France, they welcome foreign workers to do the jobs the locals DON''T want not the ones they are desperate for.

*Scotland’s academics produce 1 per cent of all research publications in the world – ranking Scotland
third in the world for the number of research publications published per head of population. *

Yeah we have really crap education here.

www.visitscotland.org/pdf/btu-scottish_key_20_industries.pdf

1. named person was scrapped, it was a clumsy response to children on SS radar being harmed or killed. It was to give all agencies a central point. It wasn’t well thought out, but the intention was good.

2. Whether people care to admit it or not there IS a problem with alcohol in Scotland. Frankly making the drink drive limit 0 seems a ridiculous thing to get irritated with.

3. minimum pricing was necessary because clearly people CAN’T regulate their own drinking, given the strain on emergency services/the NHS. Unless you are a fan of cheap booze it really won’t affect you that much. Again, a very odd thing to get pissed off about.

4. Gaelic signs, in an area where Gaelic is still spoken. Not so daft. It’s not in the lowlands or central belt I’m presuming?

5. wind farms - either we generate our own energy and get whinged at, or we don’t and get whinged at. They cannot win. Renewable energy may not be pretty but it’s needed

6. I doubt many rural areas anywhere have an oncology department, my Mum had to travel for an hour and we live outside Glasgow.

I suspect that Nicola is biding her time in the hope that there is a lot of negative headlines as the Brexit date approaches, then she will announce a second referendum (she is going to say something about in October, not sure why we are waiting til then), and as it failed last time she will hope that Scots who are against Brexit will switch to vote for Independence and this time she will win. So Scots businesses will continue to be up a gum tree when trying to plan their future and future investments. As a company owner how long would you hang around with the possibility of Scottish Independence hanging over you.

Last Indy Ref Better Together’s key manifesto pledge was that a No vote was the only way to guarantee continued membership of the EU.