Scottish independence betting

[Arginald Valleywater]

And as for the Pound it is not an option. You can try setting up your own currency and underwriting it with Irn Bru sales. Or you could try asking Frau Merkel to join the Euro. She will then buttfuck you like she did Greece.

[fatmick]

http://internationalsocialist.org.uk/in ... tory-rule/

[max_tranmere]

Someone queried earlier whether there were examples of countries made independent by Britain where, sometime later, it was clear that the country had failed. Well Ireland is worse than bankrupt now, it is apparently just above what is called 'junk status' and four years ago a Dublin politician called Michael Ring said the Irish should hand back Ireland to Britain and also to apologise to Britain for the terrible job they've made of running the place. Needless to say, there were quite a few people in Ireland who were rather angry by what he said!

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[fatmick]

Max , there have been no countries "MADE" independent by Britain, there are plenty who have become independent of Britain. Of course there will have been individuals in any country who wish for a different state of affairs, I am sure there must be someone in England who wishes Brussels ruled and you all used the Euro!

[max_tranmere]

Some countries were certainly made independent by Britain, in that Britain agreed to give them their independence. Others fought for it, defeated us, and we cleared off. Most British colonies in Africa were made independent by Britain - one exception is Kenya. If you read about Kenya in the 1950's, the Mau Mau uprisings and so on, it would be fair to say we were kicked out of the place - although that would never be officially admitted to. The 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland were made independent of Britain in (I think it was) 1920. Britain agreed to let them go.

[fatmick]

You just don't get it do you?
Britain were rejected by all of them, not neccessarily by force but still removed. This was the will of the people of those countries.

[william]

And its the will of the majority of scotland - looks like they are going to get independance.... then whats England going to so ?

Scotland breaks away and that will be england pretty much screwed.

[David Johnson]

You can't compare Scotland with Norway, any more than you can compare Scotland with Saudi Arabia.

One thing I would agree with is that successive British governments have squandered oil revenues instead of doing what Norway did decades ago which is set up a sovereign wealth fund. It is too late to do that for Scotland now, because oil revenues is by far the most important source of revenue and Scotland will need every penny to fund their spending.

[David Johnson]

If the British people were asked if they should join a currency union with an independent Scotland and be lender of last resort (a relationship it did not have with your example of Ireland), the electorate would, I believe, vote No.

Either the Scottish people want to be independent or they don't know. What is unacceptable is a situation which Salmond is proposing in which virtually nothing changes. He is conning the Scottish electorate because in reality there will be vast changes.

[David Johnson]

This is wrong.

After voting Yes, Scotland would become a completely independent country by 2016. Nothing to do with rUK. If Scotland wanted to join a currency union with rUK I would expect a referendum when people voted for or against in rUK just as I would expect it if a British government ever proposed joining the euro there would be a referendum.

What you need to ask yourself, Mick is why Salmond is so terrified of Scottish independence that he wants everything to stay the same e.g. currency, Bank of England setting interest rates etc. There has already been a statement from the Minister for Enlargement at the EU who has just stepped down who stated categorically that no independent Scotland would be allowed to join the EU using another independent country's currency and without having its own central bank.

Does Salmond know something that he is not letting on to the electorate?

The second question you need to ask yourself is why Salmond never used Scotland's tax raising powers? Much easier to blame Westminster for everything. The one and only tax cut that Salmond has promised is in corporation tax. That is going to be great for the less well off Scottish people, eh?