An independent Scotland?

[Jason]

Anarchy in the UK!

[Svartalf]

Aren't the chavs and capitalists already doing that?

[JimC]

Will it make whisky cheaper to buy in Oz?

Let's deal with the important stuff...

[Cormac]

Will it make whisky cheaper to buy in Oz?

Let's deal with the important stuff...

Why drink that pish when you could have whiskey?

[JimC]

Will it make whisky cheaper to buy in Oz?

Let's deal with the important stuff...

Why drink that pish when you could have whiskey?

I quite like a drop of the Irish from time to time...

What's your pick?

[Cormac]

Will it make whisky cheaper to buy in Oz?

Let's deal with the important stuff...

Why drink that pish when you could have whiskey?

I quite like a drop of the Irish from time to time...

What's your pick?

Unfortunately, I am not able to enjoy it any more, but when I was younger I was a true expert in whiskey. Line all the Irish whiskeys up in shot glasses, and without smelling or tasting them I could tell you which was which.

But I liked Middleton (of course but V expensive), and I also liked Jameson 12 year old, Black Bush, and Tullamore Dew.

[Svartalf]

Will it make whisky cheaper to buy in Oz?

Let's deal with the important stuff...

Why drink that pish when you could have whiskey?

Because some actually prefer Scotch to the peatless stuff made West.

Not that Irish stuff is bad, but I'll still have rather an Islay or Orkney malt any day.

[Tyrannical]

If the Scottish and English can't get along in a single country, the hope for multiculturalism is doomed.

[Red Celt]

If the Scottish and English can't get along in a single country, the hope for multiculturalism is doomed.

It is much more about self-determinism than it is about animosity. The same is true within England, itself. The Southern Counties and London receive far more investment and interest than other parts of England. The further away from London that you are, the less you are cared about by Westminster. Scotland has suffered to the same degree that the north of England has suffered... which is exacerbated by the fact that Scotland is a country in and of its own right. Independence means that Scotland can concentrate local resources on improving local infrastructure; something which Westminster has little-to-no interest in achieving.

Personally, I'm not even remotely anti-English. I'm anti-anti-Scots, and (as with any country) you'll find bigotry among the hard-of-thinking... and the call for independence has brought them out in force - strengthened by the falsehoods perpetrated by the pro-union media.

[Tyrannical]

So, the Scottish independents are most interested in controlling taxes and spending in Scotland?

[Red Celt]

So, the Scottish independents are most interested in controlling taxes and spending in Scotland?

More than that.

Imagine the USA still being the possession of the UK, except the USA controlled the acquisition and spending of taxes. Everything else was under the control of the UK. Does that sounds like a satisfactory proposition? I'd be very surprised if you said anything other than "no".

There's more to self-determinism than tax-control.

[ronmcd]

If the Scottish and English can't get along in a single country, the hope for multiculturalism is doomed.

As Red Celt said, there is much more to it than animosity. Frankly, there is no more or less friction between Scotland and England or the Scots and English than in the past. It's just about where decisions are best taken. Also, the pro independence parties and campaign isn't in ANY WAY about the Scots in an ethnic sense. It's about political decision making by the people who live in Scotland.

Scottish and English DID get along fine in a single state, pre devolution in 1999. Scottish and English DO get along fine today with devolution of some powers. And Scottish and English WOULD get along fine after independence, no doubt.

[ronmcd]

It's also worth noting the Lib Dems have come up with a federal (ish) proposal this week, an attempt to provide some plan for what might happen IF people voted no to independence. The problem is:

a) why the fuck haven't they been pushing this before? One of the parties who repeatedly tried to prevent a referendum ever happening, now suddenly come up with a plan to address it, and we are supposed to take it seriously.
b) why does it actually contain LESS devolved powers than the last Lib Dem commission, from Lord Steel? Steel's plan was ignored by the Lib Dems who instead came up with the much less significant powers now being implemented in the Scotland Act.
c) it cannot be implemented anyway, as Lib Dems are going to get wiped out in the next election, and the Tories will never agree to a federal UK. I suppose a coalition between Lib Dems and Labour at Westminister in 2015 might see something happen, but what are Labour's plans? Who knows. They seem to want to wait until after the referendum to tell us.

Sad, because a federal system might just work, in theory.


edit: Iain MacWhirter in his opinion column in today's Herald newspaper makes some great points about the Lib Dem federal proposals: the English don't want federalism (rejecting Prescott's regional parliaments), and more importantly they are totally lacking in credibility. They have refused to consider putting more powers on the referendum in 2014, even though it's really their policy, and now they are saying they dont think their "federal" proposals need any kind of referendum either, just a manifesto commitment! Bizarre. Happy to have an AV referendum nobody wanted (including them) but not federalism, one of their core constitutional policies for decades.

Of course, if they dont have a referendum on it, its easier to do absolutely NOTHING about the policy in the future.

[MrJonno]

Federalism only really works when most values across the border are the same, something like free university education one side of the order and £27k the other is not sustainable. Scotland is just so much community /left wing orientated than England is.

We aren't talking about relatively minor things like 2% extra sales tax or the death penalty changing across the border this is far more fundamental. Scotland having free education is fine if you have open borders for people to go and get it but I suspect that wouldnt be affordable

[Cormac]

Will it make whisky cheaper to buy in Oz?

Let's deal with the important stuff...

Why drink that pish when you could have whiskey?

Because some actually prefer Scotch to the peatless stuff made West.

Not that Irish stuff is bad, but I'll still have rather an Islay or Orkney malt any day.

Weirdo.