Haven't been back in a while but maybe those who a re more enlightened can help. For "some" Scots there seems to be a a push for independence , special treatment (Llloyds HBOS merger looks like Scotish jobs will be "safer" ) , and not accepting they are being subsidised by the rest of the country (see text)...which sounds very familiar in Canada

Don't want this to be a flame war so if we can debate civilly please

This may be a tin of worms you wish you never opened
I personally dont give a dam about Scotland or England, as I am off to New Scotland by the end of October
It is only little politicains that want things like independents as at the moment they are little fish in a big pond. If they can get enough sheep following them they gain stature in their own eyes.
You see it everywhere be it politics, religion or in the locale council, they are just a load of rabble risers, which I, as always try my hardest to ignore.

Are you suggesting that "some" Canadians are as arrogantly dismissive of Quebec as "some" English are of Scotland?

AFAIK, the concern regards the safety of Scottish jobs in the Lloyds/HBOS merger relates to the concern over Bank Of Scotlands future within the group and whether it would disappear entirely - given that it is such a large employer in Scotland. At the end of the day, up to 6000 jobs in BRITAIN are at risk and I don't think thats anything that should be taken lightly.

In terms of who subsidises who, you could also look at the funding for the London Olympics versus the funding for the Glasgow Commonwealth games and ask yourself who's losing out big style there....

this probably is a can of worms you don't want to open, because as far as us Scots are concerned England has been bleeding us dry for long enough and that's why Scotland wants to go it alone! Example the pole tax was put into Scotland before England to "test it out", Oil produced in Scotland - England get the profits and the cheaper petrol prices, When things are done for Britain it all happens south of the boarder mainly London - Millenium dome, London Olympics etc, etc, etc.

Fiona

It is not just the Scotish that have a beef about all the money going to London.

Without meaning to intensify this discussion, I couldn't agree more with some of the things said above, specifically the post by Fiona. In a lot of respects, Scotland was always the "guinea pig" for new systems which didn't have a lot of commitment/substance behind them - the poll tax clearly being one of them. Scotland's Independence always looked like a "cut your nose off to spite your face" agenda to other countries in the UK, but most Scots will tell you, pride and satisfaction in controlling our own system (having our own voice) was of paramount importance, rather than encouraging negative relationships with other countries.

... can you buy me a ticket over when you get there?

Hi SivoxII
No problem all you need to do is send me all your bank details including pin numbers and passwords etc and the ticket will be in the post.honest

You have a deal, just bear with me while I call up my Swiss Bank and collect the details you require.

Keep in mind, most of my revenue would be tied up with NS investments in Scottish Ales, Premium TV Stations, Chippie Suppers & Pub Crawls.

I am waiting with baited breath

.. hope you're sitting on a comfy seat?

Seriously though, I hope to experience NS one of these years. They say it's more Scottish than Scotland .... this I have to sample.

I would.

Not necessarily arrogantly dismissive.

It's just that, to people is BC, Quebec is as relevant as say Alabama or Norway.

Half a world away, really.

R.

It's up to Scotland if they want to belong to "Club UK". perhaps the UK has outgrown it's usefulness....it's been a breath-taking ride since union in the 1700's. The Scots punching well above their weight coupled with the english navies was a recipe for world domination ... times have changed ...

Are you suggesting that some Quebecois dont have a chip on their shoulder to compare with that of the Scots .....??

Whilst I believe few Brits would actually like to see the end of the Union and the breakup of the UK, I suspect most would be perfectly happy to see Scotland plough it's road towards independance, if that is what they want. Perhaps Gordon Brown, Alistair Campbell, Tony Blair, etc etc might not agree though!

RayS