BritInParis

Scotland can certainly manage by itself providing it’s prepared to make a 25% cut in public spending.

scot47

Iceland seems to have done alright since 1944. The Baltic republics are booming. Slovakia is doing fine. Those in London really should take a look at the world outside their own "Little England". Just the other day Danish politicians were encouraging SCO to look at membership of The nordic Council. Lesley Riddoch made an excellent documentary about Estonia's road to self-reliance.

Maybe a huge cut in poublic expenditutre would be GOOD for us. Do we need that obscenity at Faslane ? What will rUK do with their subs when they are asked to remove them ?

OrangeMango

The idea of Scottish independence will be dogging us for the next few years, and it will continue to divide the society.

The problem that bothered me about Brexit and Scottish independence is that there is / and was no proper discussion on all the implications.

It's just the attitude of "my opinion" and "I don't care about others", also "don't want to care about consequences" and the best way forward is "with the head through the wall".

Populism and nationalism combined is never a good choice. Critics however deny that it's even happening. That's the sad part of it.

EU.flag

It makes me laugh when media quote "populism" as if it means someone who is very popular. Typical trash journalism.
"a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups", if cons are not run by elite, then you can call me Daisy.

Back to original subject, yes, I am quite sure Scotland would be fine on its own. England and Scotland are like two opposite currents, each wants to go in opposite direction.

Nand

I, on the other side of it, cannot imagine England will be OK without Scotland. 😕

OrangeMango

The first think I thought about Brexit when the result of the referendum was announced was if UK would split up and Scotland would go separate ways.

After all no longer being able to live anywhere in the EU means more to Scotland than to the Brexiteers in England

I would find it sad if the UK would break up because of Brexit, but again, I find Brexit also sad. Sacrificing the act of union between England and Scotland, for less rights in Europe is an idiotic idea by the Brexiteers.

BritInParis

Some slightly odd examples. Other than having a fraction of the population of Scotland, Iceland was the largest per capita recipient of Marshall Plan aid by far and spent the rest of the Cold War continuing to receive vast sums of US military spending. Not sure how that squares with removing Trident from Faslane. Their recent boom has largely been underpinned by soaring numbers of foreign tourists, 2.3 million in 2018 against a population of 350,000. For Scotland to do the same they would need to increase their current number of foreign tourists by ten times in order to match it. The economies of the Baltic states and Slovakia have definitely improved recently but their starting point was far, far lower than an independent Scotland thanks to spending decades behind the Iron Curtain. Even now average salaries in Estonia and Slovakia are half that of Scotland. If you're willing for Scotland's economy to take that kind of hit then all power to you but I don't see many other Scots going for it.

OrangeMango

The split up of the Czechs and the Slovaks is often cited as an example, however that's not really a good one. Both countries were neither in the EU, nor in NATO, nor were there any other big obligations or contracts. Both were emerging from communism. Also, they didn't care too much, whether citizenship would matter, Czechs became citizens of their country and Slovaks became citizens of their country. I wouldn't think that Scottish citizenship would be more attractive than British, as all the international contracts and agreements are missing and they would probably need visas everywhere, like South Africans today? And there is absolutely no clarity or certainty if and when Scotland will be a full EU member state. Nationalists will certainly thing that's not true.

scot47

The desision should be for the people of Scotland and not Bojo or Rees-Mogg ! Or that ghastly Keir Starmer !

Expatrick

The SSBNs would have to go to Plymouth, the Rosyth function could transfer to Portsmouth, maybe Barrow could be in the frame?
Then there would be the problem of RAF Lossiemouth, the northern QRA and submarine hunter base. Moving all these functions south would have severe implications on the UK's defence capability and posture & I use "UK" deliberately.

scot47

rUK will have problems ("rUK" = UK after SCO leaves the Union of 1707.)

Expatrick

And / or, when the Scottish tax rates go up, it'll be a repeat of brexit - cries of "it's what you voted for"!

awayfromhove

No, they are not. I'm not heartbroken in the least. That doesn't mean you can't be heartbroken, you are entitled to feel however you want. Just don't assume everyone feels the same way.

scot47

Most of us in Scotland voted to stay in EU. We will be bafck in EU or EFTA ayt the first opportunity. Goodbye to The Uniuon of 1707. If it were up to me I would end the Union of 1603 as well ! You can keep The House of Windsor ! (formerly trading as Saxe-Coburg-Gotha).

OrangeMango

That's exactly it.

I am very much hoping that the row between Sturgeon and Salmond has changed the attitude towards independence at least a slight bit.