Independent Scotland?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by shiney, May 7, 2011.

  1. ClaraLou

    ClaraLou Total Gardener

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    I would really like to know how things honestly stack up. There are so many assertions doing the rounds but I for one feel really ill-informed - I simply don't know enough to hold a valid opinion. I did read recently that the UK government grants Scotland a subsidy of eight billion pounds each year, but I've no idea how that relates to oil revenues. There were also some interesting stats on Radio 4 recently. The health spend per person in Scotland is apparently 1.8 times as much as in England. We weren't told why this is the case, but I imagine it is due to fact that parts of Scotland still have comparatively high levels of deprivation. It would be a fairly hefty bill for an independent Scotland to foot, I would have thought.
     
  2. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    As I'm also curious about this I have put out a few feelers on the subject to people in the oil industry and hope I will get a response. :thumbsup:
     
  3. greencuisinequeen

    greencuisinequeen Gardener

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  4. ClaraLou

    ClaraLou Total Gardener

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    Ah yes. Those were the days, when one Australian in plaits could single-handedly save Scotland from tyranny :heehee:.

    (If my Uncle Hamish is reading this, I am only joking, Uncle, honest. I saw what your lot did to the would-be terrorists at Glasgow airport and I don't fancy my chances.)
     
  5. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    I've got my response from the oil industry about this one.

    "The median boundaries would not give all the oilfields to Scotland - a sizeable portion would lie in the English sector!"
     
  6. SausageFingers

    SausageFingers Gardener

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    We're a bunch of chain smoking alcoholics, and our version of healthy food is mushy peas with our fish supper!
    Our diet is poor, we binge drink, drop dead way before our time, we have the one of the highest Heroin addiction (per head) in Europe... A lot of our income would have to go into healthcare and drug rehabilitation programmes. We'd be skint after the first month!!!
     
  7. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    Fiscally, that's not too bad! The system doesn't have to support you anywhere near as long as us boring old southerners. :heehee:
     
  8. ClaraLou

    ClaraLou Total Gardener

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    Great minds think alike, Shiney! There must be a substantial saving on long term care. :heehee: I went to visit a former neighbour in a care home recently; many of the residents were ninety or more. 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' seemed to be playing on a continuous loop, as always. I mean, WW1 was a long time ago. I have a sudden vision of myself, a child of punk and new wave, a few years down the line. I am trapped in a wheelchair and that bl***y Tipperary song is still going round and round, while the young staff clap along, assuming that I am delighted by the experience. Pass the fags and the booze, SausageFingers.
     
  9. daitheplant

    daitheplant Total Gardener

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    I would assume funding would come through North Sea Oil revenue.:dbgrtmb:
     
  10. ARMANDII

    ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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    As always when you open a "door" to a discussion about something there's always several roads leading off in different directions to other subjects that are connected, and this discussion is no different.
    We started on Independence for Scotland and wander into chain smoking, alcoholics, heroin, mushy peas, Punk, Tipperary, old age and Mrs Thatcher!:love30: :mute: But they are all part of the picture behind an bid by the SNP for Independence, I guess:D
    Judging by the comments of the good folks living in Scotland there doesn't seem to be any desire by them, or people they know, for voting for Independence. So why is the SNP so convinced that [a] they can be financially secure after gaining Independence and that they can carry they vote from the Scottish public for Independence.:scratch:
     
  11. Sheal

    Sheal Total Gardener

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    Okay, I've been keeping an eye on this thread.

    I'm English, living on the Isle of Man (which has been owned by all neighbouring countries at one time or another) and have my own special leaning towards Scotland aswell. Piggy in the middle I think!

    This little island of ours has raised the question of it's own independence on more than one occasion. The last occasion, not so long ago, when Gordon Brown was doing his worst.

    We have our own government (Tynwald) that in the eyes of the world is one of the best. The ups and downs of the UK has barely touched us at all, even through your recession, the island has remained pretty much stable.

    Yes, I hear a lot of you saying tax haven etc. Not any more, the people of this island have to work damned hard, like anyone else to earn a crust.

    Although we are semi-independent, if Westminster was to stop putting hurdles in our way there is no reason why the island couldn't become fully independent. Our finance sector here is pretty buoyant and believe it or not the island leads the way in a lot of modern technology, developed here, 'shipped' to the UK and it's origins forgotten.

    Scotland had it's independence taken away by the English, perhaps it's time to let them have it back and like the island, see what they can build on!
     
  12. ARMANDII

    ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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    You're right of course, Sheal, but do you get free subscriptions, university fees paid for your students etc, etc??? Your island has a small stable community and none of the social. political problems that the 3 nations in the UK have and therefore is easier to govern.
    Judging from the contents of the posts in this thread there doesn't seem to be a desire for Independence, rather for Devolution. Like I said, the SNP seems to be thinking that they can fund the Independence with the Oil revenue and that has only a possible life of around 40 years. How can you be Independent when you're Dependent on a short term funding.?
    As I asked before what other industries are there in Scotland that can support and develop the running of an Independent Scotland??
     
  13. Sheal

    Sheal Total Gardener

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    No, nothing is free for us here, and the cost of living here is higher than the UK whilst wages are lower. Housing is also more expensive.

    Yes, I suppose you are right about Scotland being dependent on oil, but if they were to develop their industry further, they could then possibly look at independence in the future.

    On another note, how I hate the title United Kingdom, it is not the name of our country, we live in Great Britain, the Great might be disintegrating, but this is where we live! Added to that, the Isle of Man is not part of the 'UK', but is addressed British Isles. It really annoys me when the mainland assumes we are part of the UK! :mad:
     
  14. SausageFingers

    SausageFingers Gardener

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    We're sorted... The Tories made a boo-boo and gave us the Stone of Destiny back in 1995/6. All we need to do, is make some poor fool King of Scotland, have a great big party and get totally blootered :) Then we can blame him when it all goes t*ts up ;)
    On a serious note, if we did become an independent Scotland, I would be worried about the bigots and fanatics who would come climbing out the woodwork and try to force 'foreign' nationals out of the country - a real problem that blights our nation (especially in football recently)
    But we won't be independent anyway - Westminster needs a testbed to try all the stupid laws & taxes MPs invent, the gave it a name - 'the north'!
     
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    • shiney

      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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      Although there are these different distinctions (Great Britain, United Kingdom and British Isles), for the majority of the population the distinctions are unknown and they wouldn't care even if they did know.

      I'm not disparaging any of them but I'm pretty sure it is the fact. The only people that do care are some of the ones that live in areas that are determined by the differences.

      I'm pretty sure that a lot of our MP's wouldn't know the difference either.

      Most people only care for their parochial differences whether different counties, north south divide or other distinctions but when it comes to comparing us to other countries we are generally happy to group all of ourselves together (against the common enemy :heehee:).

      On a technical point, I think the Isle of Man is not only not part of the United Kingdom but not part of Great Britain either. It is part of the British Isles and is a self-governing Crown Dependency.

      I apologise if I'm wrong but I thought that Great Britain is just England, Scotland and Wales. United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland (used to be all of Ireland). The British Isles is a collection of islands that include the above plus the Republic of Ireland and all the (almost) 5,000 islands around them.

      It even includes Shineyland although we declared independence some years ago.
       
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