Osbourne says no to currency union.

We’ve moved on a little from the clan system and absolute monarchies of the 16/1700s! ffs, you serious?

Would the Scots here mind sharing what region of Scotland you are from, out of interest?

molgrips – Member
I wouldn’t take that leap without the next step being in place..

Give it 10 years.

molgrips – Member
Would the Scots here mind sharing what region of Scotland you are from, out of interest?

No way, you’re not getting an inch of it!

Oh, I see what you mean – Highlands and Islands. 🙂

I think Scotland and certainly Wales would benefit from more support than the EU currently provides.. perhaps an ex-UK organisation of some kind. But this goes beyond my knowledge of international economics.

Give it 10 years.

If such a collaboration were to arise between Scotland and rUK, then Wales and NI would have a lot to think about I reckon.

Does Ireland have special arrangements with the UK, btw? I know you don’t need a passport but that’s about all I know.

Would the Scots here mind sharing what region of Scotland you are from, out of interest?

Glasgow. Not one of the posh bits.

molgrips – Member
Would the Scots here mind sharing what region of Scotland you are from, out of interest?

Glasgow, south side(govanhill), originally from the Rutherglen/Castlemilk border lands. 😆

perhaps an ex-UK organisation of some kind

Some kind of Commonwealth kind of thing, you mean? 😉

I’m not seriously suggesting that we would return to claymores and battlefields. At the moment we feel we’re ignored by parliament as we’re far removed from Westminster. Is the sentiment going to continue in iS? Can a Scottish Parliament address the concerns of everyone – of course not. We then find ourselves infighting and blaming each other on who wanted / didn’t want independence.

Border between Aberdeenshire and Kincardinshire

I’m not seriously suggesting that we would return to claymores and battlefields

Around here, Samurai swords are more popular.

And I do have my scythe.

12 bore and throwing axes here,oh and the wife is an expert archer.

http://www.viralforest.com/watch-1000-years-european-borders-change/

So.. If you are from H&I, do you not feel allied with rural upland communities in Wales, NI, NE England etc? They generally feel under represented.

We’ve done this before. Scotland runs a deficit,

Ben, I’m glad you agree, as it serves only to show that the claim

Scotland pays more in taxation to the Treasury than it gets back in funding.

In the letter that you posted is untrue, as I said!

molgrips – Member
http://www.viralforest.com/watch-1000-years-european-borders-change/

Cheers for that, I’ve always been fascinated by old borders through the centuries, never seen it represented like that, fantastic! 🙂

Do small countries work very well when it all goes tits up and you are in a world of big bullying powers. Russia for example. I can see loads of benifits of IS but this is seen through the eyes of a very stable period of European history. Now things are starting to look a bit worse and dangerous.

I think most people feel under represented, whether you’re inner city, country, islands etc. Is an iS going to improve the situation or will communities feel deserted by the government and ideology that they were promised?

GEDA – Member
Do small countries work very well when it all goes tits up and you are in a world of big bullying powers. Russia for example. I can see loads of benifits of IS but this is seen through the eyes of a very stable period of European history. Now things are starting to look a bit worse and dangerous.

Yes. The Switzerland option has appeal.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-29038296

TV debate

Posted at 12:21
The SNP’s Angus Robertson says a former British civil servant and Nato ambassador Marion Leslie has endorsed independence and asks why the prime minister has refused to debate Alex Salmond. Mr Cameron says that he offered to debate the first minister but he had “run away” from the idea.

What the f? That’s just lies. Salmond get it sorted immediately.

One thing i picked up on last night

Has patrick harvie been following current events or does he live in a chinese pipe ?

The Switzerland option has appeal.

I’m sure it does, however Swizerland only seems to work because

i) They’ve all got guns
ii) They’ve got everyone else’s money

The more pertinent real world example is where small independent countries with big finance (as Alex proposes for Scotland) like Iceland get pushed around when a bigger bully seizes their assets using anti terrorism powers… like we did. or steals their fishing grounds like, er, we did 😳

From Ayr,though my mums family are from the highlands where I have lived for 35 years

Fair to say Robertson didn’t believe his answer

😆

In the letter that you posted is untrue, as I said!

Is 9.9% more or less than 9.3%?

Dont panic Seosamh I watched PMQs there was no mention of a debate between Alex Salmond and Cameron. There was a reference to Cameron agreeing to a live tv debate with undecided voters. Cameron said he gave STV a date but they never got back to him about it.

Ben, as you well know – 9.9% of taxation is £12 billion less than 9.3% of spending

Once again, the claim was:

Scotland pays more in taxation to the Treasury than it gets back in funding.

Which remains untrue to the tune of 12 billion quid!

I know you’d like to wiggle around saying ‘ah, yeah but, no but’ because you posted it and you think its ace, but it doesn’t get away from the fact that its not true – Scotland remains a subsidy junkie (so does England, but its right wing nutters like me that would like to see that changed rather than continue like the utopians)

Just another example of poor journalism from the BBC

Which remains untrue

Only if you insist on looking at absolute not relative figures – and it’s relative figures which matter here because the issue was whether the rUK subsidises Scotland.

Which, since 9.9% is larger than 9.3%, it doesn’t.

Is 9.9% more or less than 9.3%?

Are the figures correct, you should be asking.

And how are they calculated? It’s easy to chuck them around cos you read them somewhere, but it would seem to me to be next to impossible to calculate the actual amount of money received and spend by Scotland…

I can see loads of benifits of IS

@GEDA is that Islamic State (IS) or Independent Scotland (iS) 😉

Are the figures correct, you should be asking.

And how are they calculated?

They come from GERS: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/03/1859

The Switzerland option has appeal.

@epic, another country highly reliant on financial services and it has its own strong currency too 8)

I don’t know how Luxembourg votes but the Swiss are to the right of the Tories. The Scots on here despite protestations of UK Labour not being left enough seek to emulate successful right wing countries.

The Scots on here despite protestations of UK Labour not being left enough seek to emulate successful right wing countries.

Again, that’s confusing independence with SNP policies. A vote for independence is not a vote for SNP policies.

well it’s a known fact that Yorkshire funds the rest of England, Scotland, Wales and NI. Our Mattress based domestic central bank contains all the funds need to maintain a stable economy.

Only if you insist on looking at absolute not relative figures – and it’s relative figures which matter here because the issue was whether the rUK subsidises Scotland.

Which, since 9.9% is larger than 9.3%, it doesn’t.

Well, it must be subsidising you, because as you’ve previously pointed out on numerous occasions, the Debt built up paying the difference belongs to the UK, not Scotland…. 😉

ninfan – Member
Only if you insist on looking at absolute not relative figures – and it’s relative figures which matter here because the issue was whether the rUK subsidises Scotland.
Which, since 9.9% is larger than 9.3%, it doesn’t.
Well, it must be subsidising you, because as you’ve previously pointed out on numerous occasions, the Debt built up paying the difference belongs to the UK, not Scotland….

here comes the prophet of doom!! Anyone else think we should change ninfans name to nostradamus? 😆

Do small countries work very well when it all goes tits up and you are in a world of big bullying powers. Russia for example.

Russia is a good example of a big crappy country that is crappy partly because it is big.

I wish this thread would get locked!

Would the Scots here mind sharing what region of Scotland you are from, out of interest?

Highlands & islands. Which apparently is likely to split from Scotland if it goes independent, whatever that means.