General Chat

I never said they were failed states though they bring precious little to the table, but I'm sure you'll now tell me how they hold everything together for the benefit of the whole country.

Just because I don't agree with you Rollo doesn't mean you should resort to your usual comment that I must be extreme right wing or similar.....

If the Scots get independence will we be able to make them pay for a nice new big wall? :-D

The English took the Scottish oil for 40 years they can pay for a new one if they want. Prob not as they are looking for wriggle room re the Irish border.

Although it could take Scotland 5 years to become a voting member of the EU it could join the Single Market and Customs Union in short order.

the Labour party in Scotland is a busted flush guilty of being little more than a sack of votes for Labour south of the border since 1964. Kez Dugdale will have to cut her links with English Labour to be seen as anything but a quisling.

The Scots Tories do not have enough representation at any level to make valid comment.

small countries stuck onto the arse of large ones never fulfil their potential. Out of the UK into Europe the Scots have every chance of doing so. the bonniest Road that a Scotsman ever sees could be the Great North Road to Edinburgh.

Go away Nicoa Sturgeon..you tried this once before and failed. Time to get your head around the fact that the EU don't care and don't want to know, .in fact most Scots don't care what you think...and I like the reference to the wall ;-)

Really what is their potential then ? What are they suddenly going to be able to live off once they're allowed to release themselves of the anchor of the UK that is it seems weighing them down.

As for the English took the Scottish oil....oh please.....not that old egg again........do we really need to discuss that ?

Lets not forget joining NATO.....now how would they pay enough to be a member of that...and if not who would protect them ?

small countries stuck onto the arse of large ones never fulfil their potential.

But glean the benefits of being part of the bigger picture.
.Sometimes receiving better benefits than those who belong to the larger one.?

Sometimes better benefits....I think always would be the case......free education.....free health care....free seniors homes.....do we need to go on?

WOW not feeling the love here people.

NS does not speak for all Scots, I for one voted
to stay in the Union, would rather be ruled by
Westminster than the EU.

If she does get the go ahead for another referendum
and looses she will be out of a job, not that she was
voted in, in the first place.

We are working from the same page here ;-) Why does Scotland get these benefits now ? They are still part of the UK as far as I am aware?
Perhaps if they become independent the money spent will be redirected to the others who are subsidising this at the moment? Not everyone in Scotland thinks Nicola is right .. in fact as someone said ...if she pushes this she will be history if she loses again.
Believe me ..the EU do not care about Scotland and their independence..

Without the Rbs mess - created by London bankers - Scotland's deficit would be markedly lower. 9% is far too high. Oil is in any case on the way out. Scotland has a rapidly growing wind power industry which can only expand as grid storage tech goes through a revolution. Whiskey and tourism cannot prosper undet WTO rules while May's immigration changes would clobber both tourism and education. BREXIT would also clobber Scots agriculture eg beef and fish farming.

within the EU Scotland could expect to expand its banking and of course mfg esp autos.

Scotland has already undertaken to match NATO 2% spending and provides much more muscle than the Baltics even as a unit. There are already Scots in the armed forces in greater proportion than the English. However a lease on Holy Loch would no doubt be expensive.

If the Scots leave we will have ms Mayhem to blame not Bute House.

So they'd pay for everything by hoping they'd get jobs building cars etc....by hoping the cost of wind power comes down and they can sell it for a profit...by hoping people will visit and spend lots of money...would that be the pound they're hoping to keep on using or the Euro they're hoping they can join.......they're hoping to pay 2% for NATO from what selling heather ??

RBS is the Royal Bank of SCOTLAND....but it's all London fault...of course it is :-)

FOI request reply re the number of recruits from Scotland.... between 6 and 10% if I am reading it right.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/105452/response/258145/attach
/html/3/20120223%20FOI%2013%2002%202012%20121523%20005%
20Bryan%20Final.pdf.html

You have to C & P the complete URL

Caroline, you are just scaremongering, the Scots will do just as well after independence as the UK will when it breaks from the EU. Probably.

Sky data poll just reported only 30% of Scots want a second referendum - dead in water I would say.

Seriously Kense I'm scaremongering :-) :-)

How so....I'm pointing out there's no facts or figures please educate me.......

Don't forget dear NS isn't an elected figure is she ??

Sky data poll just reported only 30% of Scots want a second referendum - dead in water I would say.

Says it all really SC XXX

Only elected by the SNP.

The whole thing worries me as we are a whole country
what would happen if Wales wanted Independence,
if the North of England wanted Independence from London?

Never going to happen you say, I hope not.

Wind and solar are far cheaper than new build nuclear and will be cheapest overall within 5-10 years except where govts distort the price eg UK. Scotland is windy as any kilt wearer will testify.

What scares the sh-t out of the Brexiters is not Scotland leaving the union. Few Scots share the Liam Fox / Rees-Mogg philosophy so in one way Scotland is a nuisance and expendable.

What scares them is a Scotland doing fine inside the CU and SM working towards full membership while England goes through the uber painful trials of Brexit. It would completely take away the rug.

Due to the way interbank finance works the UK could not prevent Scotland continuing with the £ until Scotland joined the euro in, say, 2025. attempting to do so would cause a massive loss to the BOfE. post Scottish euro BOfE could make a tidy profit. The Scots would not get any say though.

Of course Mayhem might get a deal roughly as good as SM + CU in which case there would be no 2nd ref. Or she might not...