neilcumming

You sound like the Project Fear campaign,Scotland in the wilderness lol.
I dont know how many times I have written this,its not a vote for Salmond,its a vote for independence,the ballot papers wont have Salmond or SNP on them just YES or NO.

Pulaski

Agreed, but he is clearly the driver behind the campaign and the major face of the campaign, doing most of the marketing in the media. Without AS there wouldn't be much of a campaign at all.

Hotscot

Fortunately the YES side is the minority.

I love my country passionately and I look forward to the day when I give up SoCal to move back to Scotland.

For any of it's perceived faults I believe the Union is stronger, and better for Scotland.

nicola s

I have to say the current system of proportional representation does not support the needs of Scotland at all so for anyone wondering what will independence do for me I would be asking why the current system is so good for you. The late great John Smith and also our first First Minister Donald Dewar supported greater devolution building towards independence and I think would have helped greatly I doubt they would have toed the party line and would have voted with their heart. The reality is the people who have decide yes or no will unlikely be swayed. the good thing about this vote is I believe it will be record numbers who will vote so this can only be a good thing either way. We have lived this long and abided by the democratic rule of the people and I sincerely hope we continue to do so, I for one have never been asked by any poll how I will vote and neither has any of my many friends who are all voting yes so here is hoping that the polls are not proportional It will still be the same country you love it just may be run by your fellow Scots when you retire, either way its still my home

fuchs01

I reckon many non scots on this thread, put in their tuppence worth of humourous, sarcsstic Banter and dry wit. I think many were posting concerns if the Scots went 'Yes' 1.What would be wrong for Uk.
2. What would be wrong for the Scots themselves.
They were honest opinions I am sure . Very few were meant to be detrimental.
Lets face it, whether English, Irish, Welsh, or Scots, we Brits leave some barnacles
around when expressing or discussing opinions, especially among ourselves.

In fact earlier posters that said they couldnt really care...expressed later for someone who doesnt care, some indepth, intensive and relevant points.
IMO the synopsis, from non scots, is hey its your vote, its your call, but for people who
cant influence it.....we/they would prefer you stay, and not for selfish reasons.

Another thing companies who threaten to leave..They would be clamering to get back,
and want to re-invest once they know the endless debate has been settled.
New Country, New frontiers and openings lets get back to old and new friends.
Business and life just goes on as before...

scrubbedexpat099

I think a lot of people south of the Border will be glad to see the back of the Banksters.

nicola s

Fuchs01 great post,
Boiler I think the Bankers wish to remain South of the border or at least have the control there

Yorkieabroad

The companies that are threatening to leave are presumably doing so because of the uncertainty involved in operating in a new country which doesn't give the impression of having given much consideration to things such as currency, future alliances etc ("don't worry, it'll be alright, they'll back down once we've won the referendum" doesn't really constitute planning..).

Given the costs involved with major relocations, these aren't decisions that would be taken lightly.

The motivations to leave would seem quite real.

What would be the motivation/incentive to relocate back to an independent Scotland? And how are those "motivations" being budgeted for?

Leithman2014

I have read many posts on this forum and would like to share some thoughts with everyone. (can I say now that at some point or other, I have voted for all major parties as well as independents in elections. I vote for those I feel will work for the people they represent.)

Firstly, there is no reason why Scotland should not vote to leave the Union. Since we joined the union many things have changed.
At that time all the power rested with a few rich land owners who had many ties to England.
The ordinary people had few rights other than to work hard to pay for the Lords to stay rich and to die at the behest of their masters. A situation mirrored in recent times by Scotland being governed by a South of England biased Westminster.

Please note that however you feel about Alex Salmond, he will not be our First Minister for long. Perhaps not even as long as independence itself.

It is interesting to read and hear about The UK and US governments screaming for the rights of peoples around the world to become independent, but not to recognise that some of their own regions have a legitimate right to self determination. In the USA I believe that many states voted to join the State. Should they not also have equal rights to leave if they have a legitimate movement for separation.

I believe the bigger long term problem for David Cameron and Westminster is that they fear that the North of England may see a movement for greater powers to alleviate the inequalities between the South and themselves.

The social conscience of the Scottish people is much different from the areas favoured by Westminster. We want to continue to improve the lives of our people and evidence shows that under Westminster, the opposite happens. They are keen to devolve powers now, because they see this as perhaps the only way to retain us as part of the Union.

On the subject of the Banks, Our banks may be headquartered in Scotland, but they are registered in London. If law requires, they may move their executives To London, but their head office workforces will remain in Scotland. We have the skilled workforce to carry out the running of the banks, and once they see how well that system would work, other banks might well consider moving the administration of their businesses here. No different from outsourcing to India or Poland. Please note that during the good times, Westminster was very happy to have these banks registered in England.
When it comes to currency, continuing to use the pound sterling would make sense for many reasons and there are many reasons against joining the euro. There is no reason however why we should not have our own currency. When it comes to running up national debt, we would not have the commitments that the UK has in maintaining its fantasy image of mattering in the world. We would not be fighting wars against the wishes of our people and we would not be subsidising the coffers of the leaders of many "Third World" countries. It is always amazing to see how Westminster spends money we cannot afford to save the world, but is happy to see poverty continue to rise here.

It might scare many south of the border that we may even consider taxing all businesses who trade here. Not to penalise them unfairly, but it is only fair that they pay tax to the people who use them.

When it comes to defense, we will have a military. One to match our needs and one which will not cost us the earth to deploy in conflicts which do not concern us as a small nation in the world.

The vast majority of Scottish voters do not want nuclear arms on our shores. It might not make any difference in the event of a nuclear war, but if we oppose their existence, we should be able to decide on their being based here. Of course, the UK might decide to line the border with silo's but that sort of move would be seen as it would be intended. Not aggressive, just plain stupid!

Another reason for not needing a large military is that we are unlikely ever to go to war with anyone, especially England. We will have to defend our territory and our people, and with such a proud military tradition, we would expect our Military to want to support peacekeeping operations, but within limits. Who knows, we may continue to support a UK defense force.

Funding for our nation should be self evident, and after all the posturing is over, an equitable settlement will take care of the division of wealth and debt between Scotland and the UK. After that, it is up to us to ensure we find ways to raise income and provide for our citizens. No different from any other of the countless small nations who have become independent in the last 100 years.

We will still trade with England and we will have open borders. It is unlikely that the size-able "English" population who live in Scotland will leave. They will benefit from all the social benefits available to those who live here. Just as they do now.

At the end of the day all we are doing is to take control of what happens in Scotland out of other peoples hands. At present, there is nothing to really stop any powers devolved to Scotland from being reclaimed by future Westminster Governments.

We might decide to have a new national Anthem or have new verses added to our existing one. That's a matter for for our people in the future. And where the Monarchy is concerned; It's position throughout the UK and the Commonwealth is constantly up for debate so why should that be seen differently when looking at Scotland.
I personally favour retaining the Queen as our Head of State. One way or another they will pay the same taxes whether or not they head our State and there are times when they do raise the spirits of our nation considerably. They do also have Scottish blood lines.

An independent Scotland is nothing to fear. it should in fact be a major cause to celebrate Democracy and the self determination of all peoples.

nicola s

Well Mr Leithman, I have to say that is one of the best posts I have read, thank you so much, for putting what I feel more eloquently than I ever could.

dunroving

Now they hail from places like Dubai and Hong Kong.

nicola s

Dunroving, im not doubting the intelligence of your colleague nor do I blame Maggie Thatcher or England for all that is wrong with Scotland, However do you know that during the Thatcher Government the changes made to the benefits system in order to improve the grants given by the EU? this had catastrophic effects on whole communities. The combination of the loss of industry the changes to benefits the encouragement of Incapacity benefit the massive increase in housing benefit that then left people in a catch 22 of not being able to afford to work as the availability of work was limited and would mean many of those put on to the scrap heap had very little hope which then left the next generation with very little hope. You cannot ignore the damage done to areas of Scotland by the Thatcher years in fact I think the introduction of the Barnett formula was tied in with the hope of independence then. Call me cynical but giving Scotland a certain amount per head at the same time as changing benefits, changing the rules regarding voting and keeping the wealth of the North sea as compensation for that gift doesn't look so good really. I lived and worked in an area of Glasgow that was on its knees because of this and when I became a youth worker in Easterhouse it was very sad to see that areas of Glasgow had the same life expectancy as someone in the poorest parts of Africa despite the wealth the nation was producing. We cant blame Maggie Thatcher for everything, many of her own party failed Scotland too. The reality of Independence means we get to have a government that works for the people of Scotland because as it stands our voice as a minority in Westminster will never be heard and the ministers of the big parties voted in by their local constituents toe the party line when push comes to shove so I don't see a change even with greater devolution. Don't know if this answers your questions. this is a massive debate that can engage and enrage many, and I could never do it justice on a forum.

ChocolateBabz

Doing my bit to garner the support of Texans, or pi$$ them off, whatevs!

fuchs01

Business of any kind needs customers, or a base to propel and invest in or even from.
Scotland with independence will be no different,are you suggesting that Scotland would become a business waste land. Business is what it is and is built on needs
and possibilities , creation and skills, even I as Englishman (ok some irish red),
HISTORY shows the Scots need not worry on those terms.
I just see poor poltical judgement and internal argument causing years of discontent.
I Could be wrong, but its their call, and they have a chance .their chance to mould and
Form it, on that alone why shouldnt they vote YES.

scrubbedexpat099

As this is an Immigration site I am wondering how the open borders mentioned will work,