To think wealthy people will leave Scotland?

[Juniperberries25]

..if the YES side win a referendum? Surely a lot of successful businesses and people who are wealthy/ comfortable/ have paid into a pension will not want to risk all their assets becoming worthless? Or am I missing something? Higher taxes, unknown currency, economic uncertainty, hard border, national security concerns etc

It would cost BILLIONS to set up new Government bodies (eg DVLA, Passport office, MI5, MI6, Amy Navy, RAF to name a few) so surely taxes will be much, much higher than rest of the UK?

Just to clarify I am NOT a fan of Boris but surely he will be long gone by the time Scotland actually became independent after YES vote (probably at least 10 years, just look at the BREXIT timeline).

Please don't flame me, I am just wondering what people think as I genuinely don't get how the benefits outweigh the risks.

Clearly the financial services sector would not become unregulated overnight. Maybe your husband could make enough money guiding his clients through a changing regulatory regime to pay off your mortgage…

Where exactly is this overwhelming number who support the notion? The polls and elections have consistently shown that the overwhelming number don't support separating or separatist parties.

Anyway, imagine a work where you had to cross a border at England to go shopping, or to get a plane from Manchester, or deliver food and goods

Exactly this.

DS is 14 and wants to leave asap after the horrible nature of the last referendum which he remembers for getting abuse at primary school for ‘being English”

It’s unarguable that Scotland’s rate of drug use and drug deaths is a national disgrace, or that the top universities in the UK are in England.

@WouldBeGood have you lived anywhere abroad? I have. It is very common for people to cross country borders for shops or work. It is only because we are an island that it seems strange. In many countries, it is normal life.

Depends how you’re defining “best”. Top 2? Top 10? Top 20?

So what? It's not normal here, and until such time as both Govts can assure us that there will be no financial hit or obstacles as a result of these borders then what happens 'abroad' is moot.

I didn’t say that the majority support independence (although a majority of MSPs in Holyrood were elected on a mandate to hold a second referendum), what I said was that for a majority of those who DO support it it’s nothing to do with England, it’s to do with Scotland.

It’s unarguable that Scotland’s rate of drug use and drug deaths is a national disgrace, or that the top universities in the UK are in England

Being part of the UK isn't working for Scotland is it.

@antelopevalley yes, if you’re in an economic area with agreed immigration etc. Not if the neighbouring country is England , not in the EU or EFTA, and we want to be.

This lack of understanding of the fundamentals is why it’s so difficult to discuss the issue properly.

Re WFH, it depends what you do. Once any transition period ended there would be tax and legal considerations of having employees working remotely in another country for Scottish headquartered employers to consider.

She can all the votes she wants but Westminster can say no.

@antelopevalley interestingly my MIL has much better NHS care in England than my Dad does in Scotland. She has no trouble getting to see her GP, she has regular health checks, she rarely has to wait months for consultant appointments, she has been given much better / more modern hearing aids. Her prescription costs are capped with the voucher scheme and she has full access to all prescription drugs. In constrast dad went to ask about whether he could go on a particular medication and was told no, they don't prescribe it in Scotland. No point having 'free' prescriptions if you don't get access to the most effective drugs available.

Even Ms Sturgeon says trade with England would be ‘challenging”

NI is still part of the UK and they manage to cross border in/out of ROI on a daily basis, so it is very much the norm in the UK.

We were assured there would be no disruption to EU/UK border trade and movement.. an assurance not worth anything at all.

why would it cost scotland more to have its own DVLA, etc? It already pays for its share of the UK government administration, theres no reason to think it would cost any more in independence. In fact, Scotland will likely spend less on defence.

Income taxes are already slightly higher in Scotland but it doesn't seem to have caused any net migration.

Dear god, @Alexandra2001 have you not been following the news?

The arrangement for Northern Ireland are no longer working because of Brexit and this is liable to reignite the sectarian issues and destroy the Good Friday Agreement.

in fact, it’s a perfect example of how this could not work between England and Scotland

That's right, the majority don't support independence and never have.

True, and people should ask for what the reality will be before voting

think we're subsidised by English taxpayers

Ever heard of the Barnett Formula?

@MarshaBradyo any attempt to ask about the fundamentals is hopeless.

I’ve tried on numerous occasions to ask about all these things, but it’s all just swept aside.

Amd this thread once again shows how many supporters of independence just don’t understand how institutions work.

Yes, it's part of the UK - not abroad. What financial hit or obstacles do people crossing into ROI from NI face?

No, the ownership will be based on an extension of where the border meets the North Sea. Have a look at a map, and check which direction it’s running at that point.

Anti-English feeling in Northumberland? Northumberland is in England, we don’t have bad feelings about ourselves.

No different to me growing up in England with a Scots accent. If you think the abuse only goes one way you're naive. But having lived both sides of the border, my experience has been that the general attitude of the population to 'foreign' is very much better in Scotland.