montreal mike

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26028481

My personal view is that Great Britain is great and it ought to stay together," added Mr Dudley

montreal mike

i am indifferent

let the locals decide

bats

Will there be duty free?

badab1ng

Do they have to re apply for EU membership ?

montreal mike

i do not think so

but if they were shut out would it be so tragic?

Oink

Of course I’d like them to stay, they’re lovely people but if they want to go, then I’m pleased. I just want them to be happy.

Shard

Yes. Although I imagine it would be granted quickly.

It's the Pound that is the more pertinent question, and it appears that Scotland would probably need to move to the Euro. This will sink the independence vote IMO.

scrubbedexpat098

I may go back to England if they do go all indie, the only reason I left was the vast ginger hedge advancing.

MarkG

What's the point of 'independence', if the first thing you do is go begging for Brussels to tell you what to do?

montreal mike

yes that would be the irony if that were their fate

geedee

I thought they had their own bank and issued their own Scottish Pounds?

I want them to stay.... the Union Jack will not look good without the Scottish Flag!

Siouxie

Only if Wales can get their independence too.

badab1ng

I'm not so sure of that. Spain can and will veto their admission to the EU for fear of opening the door to Catalunia.

iaink

It seems a mistake to me to tear up several hundred years of collective history over short term issues, but maybe that is just reaping the consequences of many years of "central government" ignoring Scottish concerns.

Ive a brother who has lived in Fife for 30 years or more, he thinks it would be economic suicide for Scotland to go it alone, but is a little concerned that the bitterness of the average Scot over their treatment by London may lead to resentment overcoming logic in the vote.

Personally I dont think there will be enough support for a yes vote, but if there is the UK would be poorer for the split. Rather like Quebec, there wont be a clear cut No vote either, so the issue will likely rumble on for years.

Oakvillian

The currency issue is the crippling one, IMO.

Sure, Scotland prints its own banknotes, but only in quantities sanctioned by the Bank of England. If an "independent" Scotland wants to continue to use a foreign currency, they will be beholden to the fiscal and monetary policies of the Bank of England. But the Bank of England will have no reciprocal obligations: their decisions will be based on the needs of what's left of the United Kingdom. If that leads to economic disadvantage for Scotland, that's tough. Until such point as Scotland does a Greece, and threatens a sovereign debt default. The consequences of that should be sobering enough for a No vote to prevail.

The alternative is to seek to join the Euro. Presumably a newly independent Scotland will be able to demonstrate the various economic and fiscal metrics required (debt to GDP ratios and all that bollox) but, as Shard points out upthread, the realities of being under the thumb of "Brussels" (Berlin, effectively) for all things financial will likely be too bitter a pill for Yes campaigners to swallow.

Do I care? Not really. I'm not a Scot, and although I enjoyed living and working in Aberdeen for a year or so a couple of decades ago, I don't live there any more and whatever the Scots decide has no bearing on my daily life. I'll still think they're fools to separate, though....