Salmond "We can take Scotland in two weeks"

[DodgyAgent]

I disagree. Ireland had a peculiar set of circumstances which will not be the case in Scotland (or there is no reason to think so):

1 Massive house building boom
2 Simultaneous massive house price increase
3 Semi-corrupt tax breaks / zoning underpinning 1 and 2
4 Euro membership meaning that low interest rates set in Frankfurt could not be raised to deal with 1 and 2
5 Dreadful and semi-corrupt bank regulation leading to massive exposure to the housing market
6 A semi-treacherous political class that caved into EU pressure by bailing out the bond holders when the bank went under, rather than handing ownership of banks to those bond holders

You seem to overlook the time lag between independence and the joining of the EU. Just like Ireland Scotland will go through a long period of decline until it becomes part of the EU. It will then boom and eventually go bust.

[DodgyAgent]

The socialist angle from he SNP is just to get enough Yes votes from the working class. We will be the epitome of a successful capitalist state. Trainee recruitment agents will own 3 Porches.

Only if they sell drugs because there will be no jobs to place people into.

[SueEllen]

Are we not a Celtic Tiger?

Grrrrr.

I thought it was "Celtic Lion"

[Old Greg]

You seem to overlook the time lag between independence and the joining of the EU. Just like Ireland Scotland will go through a long period of decline until it becomes part of the EU. It will then boom and eventually go bust.

I think EU membership will happen straight away, but not with sterlingisation.

[JustinTime]

I thought it was "Celtic Lion"

You are of course correct... Now, let me wipe the sputum from my monitor are correct that hideous mistake.

[Goatfell]

The only way that is going to happen is if people are motivated to work. I cannot see that happening under the socialists that are lining up to run the country.

Until Maggie's pigeons came home to roost, Scotland was fairly evenly split between Labour and Conservative. As far as their policies went, she won the war but her successors lost the peace.

For what it's worth I say that as a life-long Conservative voter, my MPs have always been the best better of the bunch.

[DodgyAgent]

I think EU membership will happen straight away, but not with sterlingisation.

If it does then the EU will pile in large amounts of money to pay for everything just as happened with Ireland. They will then be caught in the straightjacket of the European Union unable to run their own economic affairs.

[SueEllen]

If it does then the EU will pile in large amounts of money to pay for everything just as happened with Ireland. They will then be caught in the straightjacket of the European Union unable to run their own economic affairs.

Least they will have decent railways......

[sirja]

[QUOTE=Old Greg;1989641]I think EU membership will happen straight away, but not with sterlingisation.[/QUOTE

The EU have been quite adamant that Scotland would have to apply for membership. Also it's still not clear if Spain and Belgium would not veto it in order not to encourage their own separatist regions. I am guessing initially there would be some sort of schengen type arrangement similar to Switzerland.

[Batcher]

The point being the flight of Irish graduates toward economies that will give them a better life. Ireland tanked during the recession, and it's still struggling. Scotland is likely to be in the same position: a net outflow of talent, and economic resources. All this nonsense about new scotland (sic) being the land of opportunity is laughable. Yes, there is opportunity to be had, but that small opportunity will be siphoned off to feed the gaping maw of the entitled classes.

You don't think that has happened under years of Westminster rule?