[QUOTE=dcalde78;36085958]It will if the referendum passes. The only thing Scotland really has as a major part of the economy is the oil industry. And we all know that's not gonna last forever.[/QUOTE]
Doesn't Scotland give more to the UK than it receives in terms of taxes and stuff? Why do you want Scotland to fail?
As the tories said themselves.
"You can take your lives ! But you'll never take yer' freedom !"
[QUOTE=mac338;36085883]That would make the Union Jack weird.
[editline]25th May 2012[/editline]
[IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/13/article-0-0F71B62B00000578-770_634x316.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Ah well this is actually the perfect opportunity to include the welsh flag into our flag.
It'd be pretty awesome to have a fucking dragon in the middle wouldn't it?
[QUOTE=Coffee;36087613]Ah well this is actually the perfect opportunity to include the welsh flag into our flag.
It'd be pretty awesome to have a fucking dragon in the middle wouldn't it?[/QUOTE]
I thought the red X represented Wales.
[QUOTE=markg06;36087635]I thought the red X represented Wales.[/QUOTE]
No that's northern Ireland.
[IMG]http://canarygeog.canaryzoo.com/Geog1/flag%20of%20northern%20ireland.png[/IMG]
I don't understand why they would want to. Surely in times like these we should be uniting together instead of going our separate ways.
[QUOTE=markg06;36087635]I thought the red X represented Wales.[/QUOTE]
No that's Northern Ireland.
I say that if they want it, they can have it, but if they fuck up in some way then they are in deeper shit than a sewer.
Go Scotland! For national independence!
[QUOTE=inconspicious;36085926]If they want it then there is no reason why they shouldn't have it.[/QUOTE]
But we don't want it.
Hope we don't go independent, the country will fail on its own, plus its nice being related to everyone else in Britain.
I honestly don't get how we would fail, I just don't see it, I've not checked out any figures on the subject so it's partially from ignorance, but we're doing quite well now that we have a fair few trade deals and a fair few countries are interested in our renewables tech.
I'm so ok with that, they're a drain on our economy.
How're you going to get uni for free now, scotland?
[QUOTE=Coffee;36087613]Ah well this is actually the perfect opportunity to include the welsh flag into our flag.
It'd be pretty awesome to have a fucking dragon in the middle wouldn't it?[/QUOTE]
Dragon in your flag, or vowels in your flag name, you choose
I think that unless you're Scottish you should have no say in whether or not Scotland becomes a independent or not.
Britain forever, Scotland never.
If they disband don't they take some of our deficit?
[QUOTE=ViralHatred;36086078]Personally I think they should take whatever shot at independence they've got.
Ever since they got their own parliament they've been doing better than England and Wales. They've got better schools, better transport, economy.
If they can maintain their growth in independence then why should we stop them? We can always welcome them back to the fold if they decide it isn't working out.[/QUOTE]
Guess where the money comes from. They use a lot more than they make.
[QUOTE=Earthen;36087119]Doesn't Scotland give more to the UK than it receives in terms of taxes and stuff? Why do you want Scotland to fail?[/QUOTE]
they pay back less than what is given to them.
Whether Scotland gives more to the union than it gets from it depends on whether or not you are including oil. If you are, then it provided 9.4% of UK GDP, and only received 9.2% of public spending, however, it is likely that they will not get it all, and may only get a small amount. If you do not include oil then it puts in 8.3% of UK GDP, meaning it benefits out of the union.
Then there is the matter of the debt. If its share is worked out as a percentage of GDP, then they will take just under £85 billion, if as a percentage of the UK population, just under £86 billion. The gap is not large because it has 8.3% of GDP, and 8.3% of population.
Additionally there is currency. The scots could continue to use the pound; either with permission or without, however if without permission they would not be able to use the BoE as a lender of last resort. With permission they will have no say over interest rates, and it is likely that Scotland would have to agree to a stability and growth pact. This would force Scotland to continue with the austerity measures, for it is unlikely that George Osborne would maintain austerity measures to maintain the AAA rating, whilst allowing a free for all north of the border. Alternatively, Scotland could create its own currency, either pegged to the pound or not. If it wished to join the Euro, unless it was given special dispensation, it is likely that it would need its own currency prior to this.
Finally, on defence issues, there are several options. One is for Scotland to make its own military, however this would be expensive and also difficult. Another is to break off RAF and army regiments in Scotland. This would likely prove unpopular in London, and the rest of the UK, and I doubt that the government would allow this. The final option would be to share the armed forces, and maintain the army in its current form, with the Scottish paying their share. Nuclear weapons would also be an issue, with the UK's entire nuclear arsenal based in Clyde, Scotland. If Scotland became independent, it is almost certain the remainder of the UK would retain control of them. They could either reach an agreement to keep them in Scotland, or they would be moved to another part of the UK.
Sources:
[url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/feb/28/can-scotland-be-independent-and-keep-sterling[/url]
[url]http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/334/uk-economy/uk-national-debt/[/url]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16477990[/url]
[url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/01/how-would-an-independent-scotland-defend-itself[/url]
The other amusing thing is how much Scottish nationalism has been invented.
Like Gaelic signs everywhere. Who the fuck thought that was a good idea? Gaelic isn't the main language of the Scots who make up the vast majority of the population. Barely 1% of the population even knows it, but we have all these stupid Gaelic signs everywhere. All the Gaelic speakers speak English too, so its an immensely foolish idea.
No, it's not foolish. It's native to Scotland.
[QUOTE=007JamesBond007;36085115]Fine then, get the fuck out of England[/QUOTE]
Why has no one pointed out this glaring stupidity in the OP?
They did it with dumb ratings. :)
I am scottish, and I completely disagree with the vote yes for independence shite, mainly because it would ruin the country and we would enter either a long recession or a depression, but everything is fine the way it is now, so why does Alex Salmond want to fuck everything up, my guess is he has been watching a little to much Braveheart. I will agree however that having independence would bring a sense of pride to a lot of scots.....for a little while, and yes that includes me, but in the long run, its just not going to work.
So for the good of my country/state/province (whatever all you politically correct bastarts want me to call it) and the residing ones, I will not be signing my name on the Declaration of Independence.
It's such a shame I don't know much about British politics. Could someone fill me in on [I]why[/I] Scotland wants to leave?
[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;36090555]It's such a shame I don't know much about British politics. Could someone fill me in on [I]why[/I] Scotland wants to leave?[/QUOTE]
Scotland doesn't want to leave. The SNP wants Scotland to leave. The SNP (Scottish National Party) seem to think that because they've managed to get a majority government, then the people of Scotland want independence. When in fact the voters voted for them because they, in all honestly, did a fairly good job during the last government.
The vast majority of Scottish people are happy with the Union. Sure, we're not represented in Westminster all that well, and many Scots, myself included, would refer to themselves as Scottish before British, but we've been in union for over 300 years, and things have been running fairly smoothly. Plus it's such a huge and expensive issue to deal with prior to independence, if the yes campaign wins, that it's not really worth it.
[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;36090555]It's such a shame I don't know much about British politics. Could someone fill me in on [I]why[/I] Scotland wants to leave?[/QUOTE]
We don't, but the guy we voted in as first minister (who was probably voted in because he said he wouldn't introduce tuition fees (I think)) wants to, probably out of nationalism and a belief that we'd actually do better off on our own.
[QUOTE=Hellsten;36089667]No, it's not foolish. It's native to Scotland.[/QUOTE]
Not to the Lowlands it isn't. The great majority of the people of Scotland, were born and bred in the Lowlands, and spoke English.
Today, nobody speaks it as a first language. Having signs for it is pointless because signs with foreign languages on them are generally used to help foreigners navigate.
The "Scottish Culture" you think of, was mostly invented in the past 2 centuries, particularly due to men like Walter Scott.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;36090678]The "Scottish Culture" you think of, was mostly invented in the past 2 centuries, particularly due to men like Walter Scott.[/QUOTE]
Kilts, haggis, bagpipes and clan tartan were all created outside of Scotland for example (iirc).
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