What is still amazing that the Yes campaign still think it is right and it clearly isn't.
My wife is Scottish and all her family still live in Scotland and I'm from Scottish grandparents and have family there.
The yes vote never won simply because it's "white paper" outlinging independence was full of holes they could not answer
(i) EU membership, and the real possibility that they would not be readmitted
(ii) The pound and the dread of having to either create a worthless currency if they could not get the Euro
(iii) Treaties that was negotiated under the UK would not be valid and the fall out of this. UN membership, NATO etc
(iv) A year before the referendum the Scottich Government's own figures showed a deficit of billions from tax revenue
(v) Setting up their own benefits system and other agencies would cost billions.
(vi) Coperation between armed forces, police, ambulance etc would have cost as well
(vii) Bail of of the RBS and other Scottish banks was mainly funded by the UK tax payer. Would the Scottish only Tax payer have done this, highly unlikely
The bottom line is that though it is a wonderful dream the facts are the Union is better for Scotland. I agree that Scotland would most likely be able to go it alone to some sort of a degree, but at what cost.
Oh I love it when I get something to get my teeth into. Sadly, you've made it disappointingly easy.
(i) Yes, that one was done to death. There was never any realistic prospect that an EU desperate to expand would deny itself access to not only the North Sea oilfields, but some of the richest fishing grounds in Europe.
(ii) The myth abounds that the pound is an English currency. After independence, Scotland could if it so wished simply trrade Sterling on the open market, ad the White paper Clearly said so. Of course, that was if we didn't want to take up any of the several other options.
(iii) See above. Yes, one visit from Putin to Holyrood would have sorted that out. On a more serious note, we've long recognised that the security problems the present Westminster government and its predecessors claim we face are largely of its own making, and it never seems to learn from that. Our neutral stance on oppressive regimes in the Middle East would help ensure that we wouldn't face the same threats. Even if I'm wrong, we always have baggage handlers.
(iv) Um, no they didn't.
(v) In large part, tjhat would take care of itself. The mechanisms are there, and would simply be apportioned.
(vi) Um, we proposed a solution, a Scottish Defence Force, all costed and affordable, commensurate with our needs. As for police and ambulance services, I'm afraid this is where the bottom drops right out of your claims. These services are already evolved and have been for many years. Any required cooperation between services already takes place as a matter of routine.
(vii) I was so glad you left this until last, since it gave me the most pleasure.Leaving aside the fact that niether RBs nor HBOS are really Scottish banking groups (BOS is a part of Lloyds), no need to thank Scotland for bailing out the English banks. We're all in it togther, remember?
The bottom line is that though you like to state your opinions as 'fact', you expose your gaping lack of knowledge of Scottish politics every time you post. My lived-here-all-my-life, been-on-both-sides-of-the-fence, can-read-more-than-the-Telegraph trumps both your Scottish wife, who I'm sure is a perfectly lovely woman (not to mention being a saint) and your putative Scottish roots, because you're obviously several steps removed form being one of Jock Tamson's bairns. This is fun though.
