Salmond "We can take Scotland in two weeks"

[eek]

Is it not hard enough getting people to talk sense on this thread without this ?

Scotland has had factions calling for an Independence vote for 40 years.

They had to vote in an SNP government for that to happen.

Anybody anywhere can call for a referendum on anything.

Being able to get that through your parliament is a different matter,

The thing is that it may not require going through parliament.

Say the outcome from Orkney and Shetland is a 60%+ no vote on the 18th and rUK decide that as part of any negotiations one redline is that they remain part of rUK. How would you get round that...

[GazCol]

Is it not hard enough getting people to talk sense on this thread without this ?

Scotland has had factions calling for an Independence vote for 40 years.

They had to vote in an SNP government for that to happen.

Anybody anywhere can call for a referendum on anything.

Being able to get that through your parliament is a different matter,

Isn't that the same oppression the SNP accuse Westminster of? There's something deeply flawed if an independent Scotland is basing much of it's proposed plans for an independent economy on a region that isn't necessarily all that keen for independence nor sees themselves as Scottish.

[DodgyAgent]

Is it not hard enough getting people to talk sense on this thread without this ?

Scotland has had factions calling for an Independence vote for 40 years.

They had to vote in an SNP government for that to happen.

Anybody anywhere can call for a referendum on anything.

Being able to get that through your parliament is a different matter,

One rule for your lot and another rule for everyone else?

[TestMangler]

Well you wont have a formal currency union because all the UK parties have ruled it out. Of course they could change their minds .... but would be slaughtered by the UK electorate. Although a deal could be done where the UK keeps a population based percentage of the oil. That might swing it for me as a UK voter.

So of course Scotland can use the UK Pound. However there will be no "Lender of last resort" and that makes it inevitable that the financial industry in Scotland will need to leave. Either to the UK or the Europe.

Without your own currency and more importantly the ability to print your own money an independent Scotland will need to build up significant foreign exchange reserves ( and if you default on your share of UK debt then I doubt you'd be getting a proportion of the UK's to get you started).

To build up these reserves Scotland will have to spend less than it earns. This means that Scotland will need to implement an additional austerity programme.

If Scotland is going to use someone else's currency it would be far more sensible to use USD.

Otherwise you will be always in the market selling dollars ( that you get from your oil sales ) and buying GBP.

Which will add an additional exchange rate risk and also, ironically, hand loads of luverly commission to the City of London.

Have you read any of the rest of this thread ? Cameron/Osborne/Milliband/Darling have ruled out LOADS of things during this campaign and have already been proven to be talking tulipe.

I KNOW what the alternatives are, I don't need them explained to me over and over again :-)

As stated, I don't know what will happen. I don't buy the no currency union line. Happy to take the risk, said it all before.

[TestMangler]

One rule for your lot and another rule for everyone else?

It might be almost impossible, but you seem to be getting thicker as the day progresses.

Can you point out to me where there is one rule for one another one for everyone else ?

[Old Greg]

The thing is that it may not require going through parliament.

Say the outcome from Orkney and Shetland is a 60%+ no vote on the 18th and rUK decide that as part of any negotiations one redline is that they remain part of rUK. How would you get round that...

Won't happen. The referendum is for the polity of Scotland, and it is the total vote that counts - th ballot paper does not say to the people of Orkney ...and would you like to stay in the UK even if the reset of Scotland goes.

If there was rioting on the streets of Lerwick and Kirkwall, or a massive grassroots campaign with the swift establishment of a new party, then maybe a separate referendum could be convened, but it ain't going to happen.

This is a ridiculous parlour game, that distract from real issues like: WHAT IS THE CURRENCY ARRANGEMENT FOR ISCOTLAND?

[DodgyAgent]

It might be almost impossible, but you seem to be getting thicker as the day progresses.

Can you point out to me where there is one rule for one another one for everyone else ?

The Scots want a referendum for independence from the UK. Why then shouldn't the Orkneys and Shetlands not be allowed a referendum for staying out of Scotland?

[Old Greg]

The Scots want a referendum for independence from the UK. Why then shouldn't the Orkneys and Shetlands not be allowed a referendum for staying out of Scotland?

Let them campaign for it and if there's a strong call for it, then it sohuld of course be supported. But right now, there ain't.

[eek]

Won't happen. The referendum is for the polity of Scotland, and it is the total vote that counts - th ballot paper does not say to the people of Orkney ...and would you like to stay in the UK even if the reset of Scotland goes.

If there was rioting on the streets of Lerwick and Kirkwall, or a massive grassroots campaign with the swift establishment of a new party, then maybe a separate referendum could be convened, but it ain't going to happen.

If Scotland votes Yes I think any trick to make life difficult for Scotland will be seen as fair game. I could imagine a second referendum on the islands would easily occur simply because a few people could have fun with it. Especially as neither their MP or MSP likes Mr Salmond

This is a ridiculous parlour game, that distract from real issues like: WHAT IS THE CURRENCY ARRANGEMENT FOR ISCOTLAND?

That is equally irrelevant as we don't know. The best approach is an separate currency for Scotland but that can't be done as it would scare the voters..

[jamesbrown]

It's being played very cleverly. I think overall you are correct, but also there is the 'look at the nasty bullies not sharing sterling' game. If independence happens, I hope there is not buyers' remorse when the Scots Pound hits the shelves. It should work out fine, but there are risks and these risks should be honestly discussed.

It's a combination of that and the lack of political aptitude south of the border. Had they been offered devo max legitimately (versus as an afterthought), we'd be in a different position now. Had they not adopted a bullying tone, we'd be in a different position now. The rhetoric has played neatly into the hands of the Yes campaign, which has shown much greater political aptitude, if not the mental aptitude required to honestly evaluate the forthcoming risks.