Salmond "We can take Scotland in two weeks"

[Underscore Pt2]

I think you just made that bit up. Links?

He said it this morning.

[Batcher]

He said it this morning.

Links?

[Old Greg]

They will also not be able to borrow money at decent rates and nor will they be able to set their own interest rates. They will either have to raise taxes or cut public spending. As they will not have anyone in government they will have even less power over their own country as they do now.

I'm not sure this is true. If they have their own currency (which is the only viable option), they can set their own interest rates, although if they want to peg with sterling then this is restricted - but they have the option to revalue or unpeg, so the instruments are there.

And assuming they don;t renege on their share of sterling debt (which is a silly electioneering threat), why shouldn't they borrow at decent rates? They could use future oil revenues / existing oil reserves as collateral, which may be an attractive prospect to investors.

[minestrone]

There are 1400 businesses signed up, most of them SMEs and Entrepreneurs. I don't know them all so couldn't say if any are PLC directors or not. They may be a joke to you but they outgunned CBI Scotland a few times recently. They forced the CBI into declaring they were with the No campaign with the Electoral Commison and then they withdrew after companies started to resign their membership. Then they had to massively scale down their dinner with David Cameron as it was a Better Together function and they had to keep the cost below £10k

Which ones are the failed SNP councillors?

I think there are 64 members...

Member Profiles : Business for Scotland.

Only 6 have directorships of companies that have turnover greater than 6.5 million, 28 are not directors, not one PLC director. Fairly embarrassing.

MacIntyre-Kemp was a failed SNP councillor and there is an ex SNP MSP there.

[Underscore Pt2]

Links?

Think its on the BBC website \ Scotland. Greater clout in the EU...

[minestrone]

I usually don't post links to articles but this fairly battered this tulipe out of business for Scotland's credentials.

Small firms making big claims for Scottish independence - Telegraph

[CloudWalker]

They are now saying if Scotland goes independent that they may have to have stricter immigration controls (passport checks / border patrols)
Not to stop the Scotts but any Immigrants trying to come through Scotland into England using the Schengen Agreement. (England opted out Wisely) But Any New EU counties must join the Schengen Agreement.

Video: Would you need a passport to go to Scotland? - Telegraph

[Old Greg]

They are now saying if Scotland goes independent that they may have to have stricter immigration controls (passport checks / border patrols)
Not to stop the Scotts but any Immigrants trying to come through Scotland into England using the Schengen Agreement. (England opted out Wisely) But Any New EU counties must join the Schengen Agreement.

Scaremongering by the unionists I think. There is a small risk that Spain will insist on Schengen membership, but realistically, Scotland would be allowed to join the CTA with rUK, Ireland, Crown Dependencies - the alternative is daft.

Immigrants into Ireland can get into the UK without a passport already so no reason to think that Scotland's membership of CTA would be a problem.

[Batcher]

I usually don't post links to articles but this fairly battered this tulipe out of business for Scotland's credentials.

Small firms making big claims for Scottish independence - Telegraph

Shockeroonie. The Torygraph has a go at BfS

It does fairly batter the tulipe out of your claim though - "three identified as active directors of public limited companies"

[Batcher]

Think its on the BBC website \ Scotland. Greater clout in the EU...

From the BBC Scotland website - I don't see the 'greater clout' quote anywhere

Scottish independence would give the nation's profile its biggest ever boost in Europe, First Minister Alex Salmond has said.

Ahead of the 18 September referendum, Mr Salmond said a "Westminster elite" was jeopardising Scotland's EU future.

SNP ministers said an independent Scotland could negotiate EU membership within an 18-month timescale.

However, campaigners for the Union said nobody could trust a word Mr Salmond had to say on Europe.

Mr Salmond, who was campaigning in Edinburgh's Parliament Square - home to the old Scottish Parliament - hit out at Prime Minister David Cameron's offer of an in-out EU referendum, if the Conservatives won the next election.

"At a time when Scotland's European future is being placed in jeopardy by a Westminster elite obsessed by UKIP, it is becoming ever clearer that Scotland's European policy is best decided by people in Scotland," said the first minister.

'Enthusiastic member'

"An independent Scotland will be an enthusiastic member of the EU, in line with our long-held international and outward-looking focus and values.

"We'll be able to argue directly for Scotland's interests and win a better deal for our farmers, fishermen and others."

Scottish ministers, who previously argued the nation's EU membership would be "automatic" under independence, said Scotland's terms of entry would be negotiated "from within", given its current status as a UK member.