Scottish independence
Out of context: Reply #43
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- Wolfboy0
This is my position on the independence and I'm an Northern English person but I prefer to think of myself as British and maybe that's why I've chosen to live in London (a bit more multicultural down here and all that).
My non-rational heart says the Union should stand. We're an island nation with many different places of local character all within a small area - for example I've lived for three years in Cornwall and I would say there is as much difference between the Cornish and the rest of the UK as there is between Scotland and the rest. I love the range of places and people in these islands and culturally it'll be a sadder place for losing some of them. I know Scotland is still there but it will be a foreign country and there'll be all the hassles of visiting any other country with a real border and different currency. Not a massive issue I guess, but again, we're not talking rationally are we?
From a rational point of view, I just don't see the positives of independence for anyone. I can't believe anyone trusts a word that comes out of Salmond’s mouth, he has no answers on any of the truly important questions. Currency, Europe; he just continually sidesteps the issues.
The risks are just too great - the Yes campaign want to keep a Sterling union and every political party down here says they can’t. But Salmond insists the UK will just cave in on this. Why would they cave in? Because he’s threatening not to take a fair share of the national debt with Scotland and I’m sure this would happen. But that has a knock on effect for the next point, the EU.
Salmond has already said Scotland would just stay in the EU like it is an automatic thing, but it’s far from automatic. For a start they’d have to wait for an official window for entry, just like every other Eastern European country who have entered over the past decade. Then every EU member has a right to veto their membership and many have very good reason to do so. Countries like Spain who already have smaller countries within their borders who also want independence can’t be seen to be backing break away countries elsewhere in Europe and maintain their stance at home. Also, this would be a country who’s first action would have been to default on a national debt! Why would any country in the EU trust them after all the bail outs during the recession?
In terms of a future economy there is so much propaganda and counter propaganda surrounding the oil fields that it strikes me as way too dangerous to base an economy on them and in terms of other business there already appears to be panic at the idea that independence might actually happen. Sterling took a hit yesterday and various CEOs have questioned staying in Scotland.
Also, I see the Scots moaning about their lot at the moment, but the current devolved powers (and if the No vote wins the further devolved powers) actually have given a great deal of autonomy with the safety net of being a part of the UK. So why remove that safety net? After all Salmond wants to keep Sterling so it’s almost a glorified devolution anyway.
(A side note on this subject: the MPs up there are already using those powers to sell off parts of the Scottish NHS to foreign investors at a rate that would even make the 'Etonian scum' down here embarrased - so much for the political utopia).
That’s all from the Scottish side of the potential split, but from the other side there would be a political unbalancing below the border that could take a generation to sort itself out. Who knows what that would do to the state of the UK. I would hate to be a in a country where someone like UKIP got a real foothold because of a change in the make up of Parliament. Or even if the country just became a Tory stronghold for the next decade. Urrgh the very thought.
Ah, fuck it. It’s not like I’ve got a vote. But hear this my Scotch friends, Andy Murray was British when he won Wimbeldon and that victory stays with us.
- agreed. i wouldn't trust salmond eitherlowimpakt
- The Spain EU vote point gets overlooked and its so obvious they will say no.sem
- Good pointsbabaganush