Alex Salmond - it's in the bag...

[max_tranmere]

Salmond has been quite successful in putting a wedge between England and Scotland already. The free tolls on bridges, free University tuition, free prescriptions, the old folk not having to sell their homes when going into an old people's home - all these things are free north of the border but not south of the border. He also talks like Scotland IS independant already, Scottish athletes showing off their medals at parade's there and so on (the football team has not done one of those open-top bus parades on account of them never qualifying for anything).

The biggest thing of this kind that Salmond has pulled off though is getting the media, and other politicans around the world, to use the term "The Scottish Government". How Salmond achieved that I do not know. Even Barak Obama uses the term. People not up on all this from around the world will assume from hearing the term that Scotland is a totally independent nation and will view the term "Scottish Government" in the same way as when people say "the Danish Government". How he pulled that off, and why the media go with the term, is beyond me. I wonder why we never hear terms like "The Isle Of Man Government", "The Channel Islands Government", and so on.

[Arginald Valleywater]

I live a mere 9 miles from the border. There is no wedge. People cross the border to work, trade and shop and don't give it a sniff. I am down to play in a couple of Golf comps later in the year at local courses. The fact they are just over the "border" has no meaning, I will still be in Britain.
I imagine the UK as a 4 wheel car. Wales, Ulster, England and Scotland all of equal status. Lose a wheel and we are in trouble. We make lots of jokes etc about our neighbours but underneath we are so genetically intertwined as to make us one and the same. Unless of course Alex is going to do a Hitler and only allow pale skinned, ginger and kilt wearers to marry and breed.
Sheena Easton's tits anyone?

[David Johnson]

Devo Max won't be an option in the medium term. I don't think that you can have an independence referendum one year and then if you lose it, a Devo Max referendum the next year.

There will be a delay of a number of years before this can take place. That is why the SNP were so keen to get Devo Max on the referendum paper as an option in the 2014 vote so they had a fallback. They failed in this objective.

Having said that Salmond has powers to raise taxes already e.g. income tax but doesn't use them. The SNP is very good at spending money, not risking the anger of the Scottish people by raising taxes and then blaming the Westminster government for everything.

To me the SNP sound delusional. They bang on about continuing to be a member of the EU after independence. Err, Alex/Nicola, Scotland is not a member of the EU. The UK is a member of the EU. If Scotland becomes an independent country then they join the queue to apply to the EU as they have been told by Barroso and a range of EU members foreign ministers. This could take decades particularly with the background of the EU wanting ever closer fiscal and monetary union between member states.

[trillery]

number 6 wrote:

> go to the bookies,they are not in the business of giving
> away free money,you can get a huge price on Scotland voting
> yes.


Which bookies did you have in mind? Most of them are not offering a huge price, but only 5/2.

[Peter]

trillery wrote:


> Which bookies did you have in mind? Most of them are not
> offering a huge price, but only 5/2.

Pretty good odds in a two horse race.

[Cuntybollocks]

Scotland does have a Government you muppet.

[Arginald Valleywater]

Scotland has an Assembly. With limited powers.

[trillery]

> > Which bookies did you have in mind? Most of them are not
> > offering a huge price, but only 5/2.
>
> Pretty good odds in a two horse race.

10/1 or 20/1 is not unknown in boxing. Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson at 42/1.

[max_tranmere]

I hadn't thought of that, about Scotland having to apply to become an EU member, should it achieve independence. It could be a long wait for Europe's newly created (and largely broke) country.

[max_tranmere]

At the moment Scotland is a well known place in the world as it is part of Britain. If it goes it alone it will drop hugely down the ranks and will be as well known as Malta or Lichtenstein within a generation. It won't be Alex The Great, more like Alex The Unknown.