I think London should form it’s own country, like the Vatican, and the Queen can be the Pope.

She sort of already is, isn’t she?

Can I vote for a re-establishment of Northumbria as a soveriegn state?

We’d get The County, The Moors, half of The Lakes, Glentress and Inners. It’d be top!

Independence for the south east of England!!!! Is there any way it could be physically separated and towed out to sea? I reckon the rest of us could bump along quite nicely then

You might not be aware that SE England is sinking into the sea:

Sadly, so is Bristol so it looks like it’s back to Lancashire for me…

The most anti-independence people I know are all Scottish!

I’d be seriously worried about my economic prospects if I were Scottish right now! I’d consider moving.

Ransos, I saw that map and wondered what kind of political statistic it could be possibly be portraying, til I read the post! 🙂

we should set charges along the borders, blow the conquered nations away and slowly float Englandshire further south so we can have a proper summer.

Sadly, so is Bristol so it looks like it’s back to Lancashire for me…

back to the County Palatine then for some “devo max”? 😉

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lancashire_1610_Speed_Hondius.jpg

I’d be seriously worried about my economic prospects if I were Scottish right now! I’d consider moving

I thought the expats were flocking home so they could vote YES! 😉

So.. I work in IT. How many big companies that needs lots of IT work are headquartered in Scotland? RBS is one of course, any others?

(Serious question, not trolling, wondering what the economic profile of Scotland would be like post independence)

I suspect most are head quartered in capital cities as that is where the most demand is and this is true for many/most industries.
I would imagine they are more likely to have a Scottish office, probably in Edinburgh, just like IBM have a British and European ones despite being head quartered in the US.

I doubt there will be an exodus or an influx but there may well be some change for some folk.

If Scotland votes to stay in the Union, shouldn’t we be able to vote to decide whether or not we want them to stay.

If they don’t get automatic entrance into the European Union does that mean we would have to erect temporary boarder crossings?

Also I believe we in the Midlands will now crack on with the official ‘Keep the buggers out’ fence build, ready for the inevitable sea level rise.

If Scotland votes to stay in the Union, shouldn’t we be able to vote to decide whether or not we want them to stay.

No that would be silly and if it were possible the SE would have been voted out by everyone else that make up these islands by now. However you are free to start your own independence movement.

the really surprising thing in all of this is that large group of English people recognising Scottish concerns about a distant and uncaring Westminster government as their own.

The problem is not the union, the problem is how the union is governed.

Spot on dmorts.

I’ve solved it.

Why don’t we split the Country up along our shared cultural identities the TV regions?

molgrips – Member
Please educate us Al.

See:

Chakaping – Member

Deliberately obtuse pub bore arguments like this are just a distraction from the issue.

I said educate us, Al. You’ve just quoted someone else not explaining what the issues really are.

As much as I applaud the plucky English desire for FREEEEDDOOOOMMM, I think that without the Scottish oil and gas resources they probably can’t afford it.

molgrips – Member

Divide up the UK on ethnic lines if you are going to at all. Saxons, Danes and Britons

Are you not going to end up having to give most of England to the Germans then? Makes sense, we have one as Queen after all.

molgrips – Member
I said educate us, Al. You’ve just quoted someone else not explaining what the issues really are.

The issue is middle English types thinking independence/devolution etc is a joke, effectively having the same opinion as richmtb, but not seeing it, and showing no empathy (or even attempt at such) as to how governance from Westminster has effected E, W & NI.

If the English can muster up enough votes to get the issue of English independence through parliament(what scotland did), no one is stopping you, go ahead have a vote.

Here btw, would you like this toy back? I think it fell out your pram.

dmorts – Member
The problem is not the union, the problem is how the union is governed.

Which shows no sign of changing.

Northwind – Member
As much as I applaud the plucky English desire for FREEEEDDOOOOMMM, I think that without the Scottish oil and gas resources they probably can’t afford it

The County Palatine of Lancashire can well afford “Devo Max” or “independence” as the Morecambe Bay gas field and shale gas reserves will easily keep the lights on 😉

The County Palatine of Lancashire can well afford “Devo Max” or “independence” as the Morecambe Bay gas field and shale gas reserves will easily keep the lights on

Comes ashore in Cumbria, pal. You’ll have to fight us for it!

We’ll just wait til Cumbria floods again, then knock down all the bridges 😛

Comes ashore in Cumbria, pal. You’ll have to fight us for it!

you need to check the boundaries of the County Palatine of Lancashire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lancashire_1610_Speed_Hondius.jpg

That’s as may be but it’s Cumbria now!

cynic-al – Member
The issue is middle English types thinking independence/devolution etc is a joke,

Judging by many of the 667 pages published this week, the SNP could be accused of the same offence?

teamhurtmore – Member

cynic-al – Member
The issue is middle English types thinking independence/devolution etc is a joke,

Judging by many of the 667 pages published this week, the SNP could be accused of the same offence?

et al

Here they come, rolling thunder, ready to pour p1ssboring, dour bickering all over everyones fun.

Why don’t you just open one thread where you can tear each other a new one in peace?

Point proven, if the SNP get pulled up for talking crap it’s negativity, and then folk can’t even take a wee joke about an English referendum. And you wonder why these threads flourish? There will be one about the offensive use of the term “Jock” next…..

Chill, it’s Friday afternoon.

Blimey, Scotland was the home of comedy geniuses like Connelly and other less comic ones such as Boyle. Where is the SOH?

So.. I work in IT. How many big companies that needs lots of IT work are headquartered in Scotland? RBS is one of course, any others?

(Serious question, not trolling, wondering what the economic profile of Scotland would be like post independence)

Well there are one or two rather large oil companies that have serious IT requirements and also has rather large offices in Scotland. Companies like Shell and bp. Then of course there are a load of other large companies that you will probably never have heard of like Slumberger, Subsea 7 and many many more. All of them with very large operations in Scotland.

Errrr…oh never mind

then folk can’t even take a wee joke about an English referendum.

Why is it a joke?
The reasons for Scottish independence are valid for England.

However you are free to start your own independence movement.

Well, Wessex was a genuine kingdom, the first major region, united under one King, rather than local warlords, so all we have to do is re-establish our original borders, which means that we can put border patrols on the M4 and A4 to keep the red trousered oiks from Islington in their Chelsea Tractors from heading west and spoiling our peace and quiet*.
We’ll use real tractors to form the first blockade. 😉
*see thread on moving to the countryside.

:(Slightly saddened by the whole thread and disappointed in the sentiments of the OP. Everyone here searching for the differences rather than common ground. We will end up broken down into parochial regions where the people of one town believing the inhabitants of the next town are a**e holes. I would not wish to see Cornwall or Orkney and Shetland for that matter to break away.

Agree. Unity is good.

If they vote yes I’ll blame Westminster though for not reaching out. This has been on the cards for years and nothing was done.

:(Slightly saddened by the whole thread and disappointed in the sentiments of the OP.

It was called a joke.

That’s ok mike. If a joke though, I worry it will bring those on board with a good riddance see you later attitude to the table. This is then used as ammunition by people keen to use the jubjugation of a nation line. I am sick fed up of the rhetoric of both.

What clout do you think Scotland will have with China or Russia?

Not much, on its own.

But that’s okay – it would be a small country on the edge of Europe. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to focus on running its own business instead if getting involved in everyone else’s.

mikewsmith – Member

It was called a joke.

After independence, those south of the border will no longer be able to use the Edinburgh Defence!

Aren’t the English trying to get their own referendum anyway? To get out of the union with Europe?

I think the United Kingdom would have been more cohesive if there had been a separate English parliament and a national govt based somewhere central to all concerned (eg Carlisle)

Instead the national parliament has become seen (rightly or wrongly) as primarily serving SE England’s interests and hence the dissatisfaction from the regions and other kingdoms.

Perhaps if the Thames barrage was removed and we all contributed a bit more to global warming the problem would just go away… 🙂