Scotlands Referendum.....are we bothered?

[Quizzical Bob]

That's certainly been my understanding of it

true, but not quite what I meant to say. 'And a large number of the members of the Labour cabinet too' is what I meant to say.

that's what I took as your meaning, sir!

Good, I'm glad we cleared that up.

[davecttr]

How are they going to divide up the oil etc?

I think we should be fair and allow Scotland to have their share, based on their percentage of the UK population.

they should also take on their proportion of the national debt, if they refuse then no oil revenue.

Mmm, how long since the last Scots English war?

[Manoverboard]

Perhaps the solution is for the outlying Islands to declare Independence and then lay claim to all the oil ... thereafter to enter into a marriage of convenience with the rest of the UK.

How on earth can Scotland as a State simply take over the assets of an industry that they didn't directly fund in the first place, be it the infrastructure or the original exploration ?

[david63]

Out of interest - who do the oil companies have a contract/licence with? Is it the UK Government or the Scottish Government?

And presumably if the oil is in Scottish waters than the new Scottish nation's navy will protect said waters

[Quizzical Bob]

The oil fields are a jointly owned asset together with the gold reserves and the national debt. They cannot now be divided according to geographical considerations.

For the first time ever we drove up to Scotland in May and spent 8 days driving round, visiting Orkney, Lewis, Harris, Skye and Mull and I must say we were mightily impressed by the people and the scenery. No matter what you seen in books or films nothing compares to the real thing. The natives were very friendly too. I think they would be mad to risk what they have now.

[oldbluefox]

I am hoping for anything that gets rid of the odious Alex Salmond and his Lilliputian sidekick Nicola Sturgeon. What an obnoxious pair they are! To some extent I can understand why they feel as they do since successive governments have divorced themselves from any lands much north of Manchester. Certainly in Cumbria very little has been spent on infrastructure or the development of businesses so if the Scots did get independence I sometimes wonder if we would be better to throw our hat into the ring with them. I can understand their feelings of isolation from mainstream Britain (although vast amounts have been spent in Glasgow and Edinburgh recently).

However there is such a strong anti-English sentiment being bandied around (which is not what I have experienced when visiting Glasgow and Edinburgh when Scottish hospitality has been exceptional) that the other half of me says to go their own way and good riddance. A visit to the Scottish Parliament made me feel very uncomfortable, especially when one spectator at the end of business treated us all to an impassioned lecture outlining grievances going back 300 years!!!Time to move on methinks.

I hope Scotland does remain part of UK because despite what the Scottish nationalists say there are strong bonds between the nations which comprise UK. However any split would have to be complete and irreversible. I'm afraid Mr Salmond's idea of cherry-picking what suits him should be rebuffed. Personally I believe the Scottish people may have already seen him and Ms Sturgeon for what they are. Whatever they decide I hope it is the right one for them.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Personally I think we are stronger together and hope the majority of Scots agree. But if they don't there should be no mucking about. They should be left to get on with it.

The best result would be a resounding no, with Salmond consigned to history, the second best a strong yes, with Salmond trying to deliver his empty promises. A no by a close margin would mean Salmond trying to have another go later and would be a disaster.

When the Scots complain about the English they would do well to remember that Gordon Brown, representing a Scots constituency, was first the Chancellor and then the Prime Minister that got us into the mess we are currently struggling to get out of.

One of the most disastrous banks in the whole fiasco is based in Scotland and was bailed out by UK money.

Plus the Scots at least have a parliament of their own to deal with some matters, such as health, at a local level, whereas the English don't. We only have Westminster, with Scottish MPs allowed to vote in English only issues.

The reality listening to Salmond is that he has an ambition, but no actual plan.

On a per capita basis the Scots are over-represented at Westminster. No the SNP doesn't (surprise surprise) control the current Westminster administration - that's how democracy works. A lot of Scots did vote Conservative, a lot of English people didn't.

And the Scots have enjoyed higher spending per capita than the English for a long time. Good luck when they have to fund that themselves.

[Keechy]

...And the Scots have enjoyed higher spending per capita than the English for a long time. Good luck when they have to fund that themselves.

Would Scotland become a foreign country? If so they'll probably get millions of pounds in aid from England!

[Mervyn and Trish]

And probably be smuggling themselves into England to claim asylum!

[Manoverboard]

... and benefits

[Ian Perth]

So we call this a United Kingdom, reading some of these comments it doesn't sent seem like that to me. If I let go it will seem like a rant so I'm not going to do that, but I will throw a spanner in the works by saying so who's going to take trident? The current government could use some of the billions being spent on infer structure down south on rail and road to make the move although I don't think anyone will want this in their doorstep. Sorry couldn't hold back rant over.

[Dark Knight]

Ian
there are already plans to move Trident and at a lot less than originally planned and the time scale is within the 4 year window, given by AS
not a deal breaker

[brillo]

Trident Warheads could be stored for the for time that it takes to build a new storage facility at AWE Burghfield or AWE Aldermaston where they are built, the submarines could be moved to the existing facility at Plymouth, just a thought !!!

The program on BBC the other night was totally biased in favour of the Scottish nationalists.

[Quizzical Bob]

Just turn Holy Loch into a sovereign bad like Akrotiri and Dhakelia in Cyprus, or like Guantanamo Bay is to the Americans.

[gfwgfw]

The flag makers are all for it, together with currency bods

On a more serious note, make no mistake about that

[Not so ancient mariner]

The flag makers are all for it, together with currency bods

On a more serious note, make no mistake about that

While independence may well make little difference to those in London or (say) Aberdeen, it is likely to be a bl**dy nuisance to those living along the border - especially those working on the opposite side (whichever way you do it). There's a lot of farms whose land straddles the border. It could be a nightmare for them.

[gfwgfw]

United we stand - divided we fall

[oldbluefox]

Having sat through 1 1/2 hours of the debate last night I was left wishing the rest of UK had a vote and the opportunity to be rid of the smug Alex Salmond. Why did he feel the need to continually leave his pedestal, lower his voice and portray himself as a father figure to the audience. To me he just came over as creepy and not to be trusted.

[gfwgfw]

If Alex was a Staffy . . . he would be "seen too"

[david63]

Having sat through 1 1/2 hours of the debate last night I was left wishing the rest of UK had a vote and the opportunity to be rid of the smug Alex Salmond. Why did he feel the need to continually leave his pedestal, lower his voice and portray himself as a father figure to the audience. To me he just came over as creepy and not to be trusted.

If you managed the full 1 1/2 hours you deserve a medal - I managed about 20 minutes.

Whilst I cannot say that I am a particular fan of Alistair Darling I have to say that he had more restraint than I would have had in not "landing one" on Alex Salmond.

[oldbluefox]

Alistair Darling was dithering and allowed himself to be rattled. He was very unconvincing.

I have some semblance of sympathy for the Scots. At the end of the debate I was no better off than at the beginning. How you make a decision based on the (mis)information which has been put out I do not know.

[Frank Manning]

You would have to be a remarkable person to beat Alex Salmond in any kind of debate. He is a rabble rouser, and grinning at the thought of putting one over on the English is very popular in Scotland. I see Salmond has now started on cameron for not watching the debate. Why should he? Its the referendum that counts, not a media circus run by the left wing BBC politicos.

I have loads of Scots friends, and will be very sad to see them go, but if they vote yes, we must be very tough in negotiation. Being a wimp once that starts will ruin both countries PDQ. If they vote Yes, then let them go, and go it alone, totally alone. After all thats what they want, so give it to them.

[Silver_Shiney]

You would have to be a remarkable person to beat Alex Salmond in any kind of debate. He is a rabble rouser, and grinning at the thought of putting one over on the English is very popular in Scotland. I see Salmond has now started on cameron for not watching the debate. Why should he? Its the referendum that counts, not a media circus run by the left wing BBC politicos.

I have loads of Scots friends, and will be very sad to see them go, but if they vote yes, we must be very tough in negotiation. Being a wimp once that starts will ruin both countries PDQ. If they vote Yes, then let them go, and go it alone, totally alone. After all thats what they want, so give it to them.

I totally agree

[oldbluefox]

If they vote Yes, then let them go, and go it alone, totally alone. After all thats what they want, so give it to them.

100% agree although Salmond seems to think he will be able to cherry pick. I hope the rest of UK stand firm.

[Silver_Shiney]

Isn't putting "Salmond" and "think" in the same sentence something of an oxymoron?