Scotland Watch

[vtsnowedin]

Now, now; let's not frighten the horses!

Actually, the Union is as good as saved! DC has played his trump card. The Saltire is billowing over Downing Street.

Bluker!!

[kenneal - lagger]

Now, now; let's not frighten the horses!

Actually, the Union is as good as saved! DC has played his trump card. The Saltire is billowing over Downing Street.

As I've been inferring, England is a colony of Scotland not the other way round and only now is the truth coming out.

[vtsnowedin]

Don't you just love a close race?
On the currency issue, Could the Scots form a currency union with the Canadian dollar? Both backed by oil and other resources and both former British Empire Territory.
For that matter the Scots could look to the Canadians for guidance on a number of things, health care system and pensions among them.
Is there any difference between Canada leaving the UK and Scotland leaving other then Scotland has a land border with England?

[kenneal - lagger]

Canada's economy was separate from the UK's and the Canadians have had their own currency for decades. The UK economy is very closely related across the separate countries. The two major Scottish banks, Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland are part of major UK banking conglomerates with the RBS group being 80% owned by the UK taxpayer.

If an independent Scotland wishes to join the EU, which has been a plank of Salmond's campaign, they will be required to join the Euro so they will inherit all the problems of a currency that is required to closely follow the requirements of its major economy, Germany. Scotland will be added to the list of PIGS countries, (so in future will they be the PIGSS?) the minor peripheral countries which have the problem of trying to control their economy while being unable to influence their interest rate or currency exchange value. I hope that they do better than the PIGS have done so far.

[vtsnowedin]

Canada's economy was separate from the UK's and the Canadians have had their own currency for decades. The UK economy is very closely related across the separate countries. The two major Scottish banks, Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland are part of major UK banking conglomerates with the RBS group being 80% owned by the UK taxpayer.

If an independent Scotland wishes to join the EU, which has been a plank of Salmond's campaign, they will be required to join the Euro so they will inherit all the problems of a currency that is required to closely follow the requirements of its major economy, Germany. Scotland will be added to the list of PIGS countries, (so in future will they be the PIGSS?) the minor peripheral countries which have the problem of trying to control their economy while being unable to influence their interest rate or currency exchange value. I hope that they do better than the PIGS have done so far.

So is it that Salmond wishes it or that the EU requires it? If it would be a burden on an independent Scotland why join? Better to join the EFTA or perhaps create a North Atlantic free trade association NOAFTA(Nafta was already taken) with Canada, Norway, Iceland, Denmark etc.
As long as they don't jump into protectionist trade wars over smoked kippers or exported Kilts why wouldn't all of the Western world keep trading with them on a competitive basis?

[biffvernon]

Did you see the film of them trying to hoist the Saltire when the rope broke.

[biffvernon]

Moonbat gets it. http://www.monbiot.com/2014/09/09/england-the-brave/

[boisdevie]

I wonder if Cameron, Clegg and Millipede going to Scotland will vote in a bigger Yes as the scots stick two fingers up to the Westminster machine? Bit like the UKIP vote not too long ago.
I'm just glad the Scots have the choice - I like democracy.

[Tarrel]

I wonder if Cameron, Clegg and Millipede going to Scotland will vote in a bigger Yes as the scots stick two fingers up to the Westminster machine? Bit like the UKIP vote not too long ago.
I'm just glad the Scots have the choice - I like democracy.

Nogel Farage of UKIP is also planning to come up on Saturday, to campaign for the union. This was planned before the Miliclegeron visit was announced.

None of them seem to have heard the expression; "When you're in a hole, stop digging!"

[Tarrel]

Moonbat gets it. http://www.monbiot.com/2014/09/09/england-the-brave/

A passionate, perceptive article, well worth reading IMO.

[Tarrel]

Canada's economy was separate from the UK's and the Canadians have had their own currency for decades. The UK economy is very closely related across the separate countries. The two major Scottish banks, Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland are part of major UK banking conglomerates with the RBS group being 80% owned by the UK taxpayer.

If an independent Scotland wishes to join the EU, which has been a plank of Salmond's campaign, they will be required to join the Euro so they will inherit all the problems of a currency that is required to closely follow the requirements of its major economy, Germany. Scotland will be added to the list of PIGS countries, (so in future will they be the PIGSS?) the minor peripheral countries which have the problem of trying to control their economy while being unable to influence their interest rate or currency exchange value. I hope that they do better than the PIGS have done so far.

I think it is unlikely that iScotland would become one of the PIGS. Compared to the PIGS countries, Scotland has greater natural resources, particularly energy potential, and the same kind of industrial heritage that the "powerhouse" economies have. I also doubt, despite the SNP's social democratic ambitions, that Scotland would embark on the sort of ill-considered spending binges that the PIGS undertook upon entering the Eurozone.

It's not just about size, as many of the more successful northern European EU members illustrate.

[emordnilap]

“A UK without Scotland would be much less likely to elect any government of a progressive hue”, the former Labour minister Brian Wilson claimed in the Guardian last week.

That is a rather interesting comment.

[biffvernon]

“A UK without Scotland would be much less likely to elect any government of a progressive hue”, the former Labour minister Brian Wilson claimed in the Guardian last week.

That is a rather interesting comment.

And it could be wrong. Some suggest that it could galvanise the progressive folk of the What's-left-of-UK. It could be more disastrous for the Tories than for the rest.

Er, what will What's-left-of-UK be called? With a new name it will be a new country so will need to apply to join the EU.

[Tarrel]

“A UK without Scotland would be much less likely to elect any government of a progressive hue”, the former Labour minister Brian Wilson claimed in the Guardian last week.

That is a rather interesting comment.

And it could be wrong. Some suggest that it could galvanise the progressive folk of the What's-left-of-UK. It could be more disastrous for the Tories than for the rest.

Er, what will What's-left-of-UK be called? With a new name it will be a new country so will need to apply to join the EU.

They were discussing this on the nightly referendum show on BBC2 Scotland last night. Possibilities:

"Former UK" - rejected on the basis of the acronym. (Probably accurate, but unacceptable - you work it out!)

"New Britain" - already taken by some place in the south pacific.

[emordnilap]

“A UK without Scotland would be much less likely to elect any government of a progressive hue”, the former Labour minister Brian Wilson claimed in the Guardian last week.

That is a rather interesting comment.

And it could be wrong.

I hope so... but the comment says much about Labour.

Really, what people need to vote for is a bunch who are extremely radical, way off the scale, Brand and beyond.

That way, when they get co-opted by the system - and they will, nowt no surer than that - they stand a chance of retaining a small amount of progressive thinking. The slightly socialist - the Tony Benns - are just subsumed.