Scots enjoy £1,600 extra per head than their English counterparts

zagubov

robmatic wrote: »

It shouldn't be about financial rewards or otherwise - not that it's stopped the SNP banging on about 'Scotland's oil' for decades.

For me it should be about the right democracy for our society, whether nationalism is appropriate in the 21st Century, the politics of division, whether people in a TD postcode are really that different from people in a NE postcode, the functional advantages and disadvantages of a small nation-state.

Unlike many vocal supporters of Scottish independence, I actually live and work in Scotland. I know that there isn't a strong popular support for the notion of independence. In 2014 some career politicians could be attempting to force an artificial construct of a state on me that, say, half of Scotland were not in favour of.

That concerns me much more than £500 more or less of public spending.

I agree with much of this, including your first and last sentences. While it shouldn't be about the average spend, it should be about the fairness and equality that can be achieved, which may require Scotland to adjust its size and degree of integration into larger unions.

The global envirnoment is changing and there are advantages now for smaller nation-states and it's maybe time for Scotland to downsize and revert to being a normal country.

Or at the very least to carefully consider the question and answer it as thoughtfully as possible. It's hard to do so when all the media seem to be stridently arguing one case (correct me if I'm wrong but I can't find one reliable news medium in print or broadcast that discused the case for independence with anything more that scare-mongering contempt). Do name one if you can think of it.

And yes I don't live in Scotland now, but have many kith and kin who do. Back in the 80s the brain drain south was seen as a natural fact of life I'm sorry to say and I chose employment elsewhere rather than unemployment in Scotland.

I won't go on about the UK government of the day that let the transfer of jobs and workers happen like that but you've probably guessed who was steering the ship of state at the time. If Scotland can make situations like that less likely to occur, then that's a change worth doing.

I'm not sure the UK is in safe hands and the current captain may be steering us towards the next iceberg, in which case it would be wise of scotland to detach the lifeboat and sail away before the worst happens. If anyone else wants to move there and join them so much the better:)