It's official. The date for an independent Scotland will be...

ruggedtoast

24th of March 2016.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/24/scottish-independence-day-march

And for the next year one 'government' in this barmy political arrangement that is the UK will battle the 'other government' to make sure it happens.


Salmond. Smugness quotient - unbearable

chucknorris

Currently on betfair it is approx.:

5/1 Yes (Scotland to be independent)
1/5 No (No change)

http://www.betfair.com/exchange/politics/market?id=1.110033387

Loughton_Monkey

I'd like to see the betting on the boy Salmon staying in office when they vote No. Personally, I'd like to see him do the honourable thing and walk off into the sunset - with his fishy friend that ghastly Sturgeon women with her vile machine gun accent - and live in exile on some uninhabited Orkney island.

People in Scotland (like Hamish) need a good Conservative government, now, to whip them back into shape.....

Incidently, so do we in England, but we don't have one either.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

I'd like to see the betting on the boy Salmon staying in office when they vote No.

The problem with that idea is that we would end up with Labour instead...

And Scottish Labour make English Labour look reasonable!!! :eek:

Chrisblue1962

As an English person living in England, I personally believe that the decision regarding Scotland seceeding from the UK and becoming a sovereign independent country is a matter wholly for the Scottish people alone.

Countries have successfully separated in recent history, Czechoslovakia being an example. I have no objection to Scotland becoming independent and would wish them well if they chose to do so.

I think the main barrier to this happening is the patronising attitude of Westminster Government and the Anglo-Scots aristocracy, the latter being just 1% of the population of Scotland but own 60% of all private land in the country.

System

Chrisblue1962 wrote: »

As an English person living in England, I personally believe that the decision regarding Scotland seceeding from the UK and becoming a sovereign independent country is a matter wholly for the Scottish people alone.

.

Would that reasoning apply to any area that wanted to seceed?
How small would the area have to be before you conceded that the rest of the UK did have an over-riding veto?

michaels

First I wish the English got a vote.

Second what happens in England, Wales and NI when the loss of Scottish MPs removes the Labour coalition majority?

Jennifer_Jane

michaels wrote: »

First I wish the English got a vote.

Second what happens in England, Wales and NI when the loss of Scottish MPs removes the Labour coalition majority?

Yes, I was thinking that way too, until I felt that it approximates to the rest of Europe's voting on whether the UK should stay in the EU or not. So, perhaps it's not such a good idea.

Loughton_Monkey

michaels wrote: »

First I wish the English got a vote.

Second what happens in England, Wales and NI when the loss of Scottish MPs removes the Labour coalition majority?

Apparently, a "Yes" vote would guarantee a Conservative majority forever in what's left of UK. But the Scots know which side of their bread is buttered and will not go for it.

Regarding the vote itself, I can only assume that anyone on their electoral role will get a vote, regardless of nationality? So that will presumably include a lot of English living/working up there without any intention of living there forever.

Conversely, all those Scots living in England, with every intention of returning one day will get no say in it.

Hence it can hardly be called a referendum of "Scottish" people, not least because there is no generally accepted definition of what could legally define someone as "Scottish". Probably it's best, therefore, simply to refer to anyone living up there as "Caber !!!!!!" and leave it at that.

ruggedtoast

I understand that anyone at polling booths will be required to undertake the Buckfast Challenge before being given a pen.

antrobus

It is one thing to vote for independence, it is another thing to actually be independent. Achieving Scottish independence will require some considerable negotiations over well, practically everything; from arrangements for driving licenses to the national debt, not to mention EU/EFTA (whatever) membership. If I was the UK prime minister and I was faced with the prospect of having to strike a deal with the Scots on these sort of issues, I'd be ever so happy that they've now told me that they're working to an 18 month deadline. All I'd have to do is throw a few wobblies into the mix and I'd be able to screw concession after concession out of them as they struggled to meet their target date.

Only an idiot reveals his negotiating position before the negotiations commence.