Barroso: Scotland would need to apply to join EU, process might be long.

[Ignis Fatuus]

Were is formed with both sides as equal partners? If so, then I am not sure why they is a debate.

Scotland can separate without any further discussion, we can then bomb it for a while (to improve things a little) and invade.

Simples. Although we do get stuck with Scotland again - perhaps use it as a prison?

The union was formed between 2 equal partners. It was not that one country joined the other, although ISTM that the people of the larger country occasionally forget that.

The highest court in the country judged (in McCormick v Lord Advocate, 1953) that:

Considering that the Union legislation extinguished the Parliaments of Scotland and England and replaced them by a new Parliament, I have difficulty in seeing why it should have been supposed that the new Parliament of Great Britain must inherit all the peculiar characteristics of the English Parliament but none of the Scottish Parliament, as if all that happened in 1707 was that Scottish representatives were admitted to the Parliament of England. That is not what was done.

[Ignis Fatuus]

That's not the case though...



The Kingdom of Scotland and The Kingdom of England don't exist any more. The UK is a state, and there are no get-out clauses in it. Scotland would be leaving the UK and thus become a successor state, the rest of the UK will continue to be, the UK.

The kingdoms are united, but the countries of England and Scotland do explicitly exist..... so after the break-up of the UK, presumably both Scotland and England would share a monarch. I'm OK with that.

[Robinho]

But the countries of England and Scotland do explicitly exist..... so after the break-up of the UK, presumably both Scotland and England would share a monarch. I'm OK with that.

Scotland and England aren't countries, not by any quantifiable standard - nations perhaps. They're more like regions, they have far less rights than US states, and i don't hear people calling US states countries.

[KentPhilip]

Great. So as the UK no longer officially exists, the UK government can dissolve itself along with all state pension payments, gilts, and national savings certificates. Stop all UK taxation and bring on anarchy!

[Doggy Styles]

That's not the case though...

The Kingdom of Scotland and The Kingdom of England don't exist any more. The UK is a state, and there are no get-out clauses in it. Scotland would be leaving the UK and thus become a successor state, the rest of the UK will continue to be, the UK.

It would have to change, because currently its name is actually the 'UK of GB and NI'.

If Scotland left, it would then include only part of GB, and so it would have to become something like the 'UK of England, Wales (presumably), and NI'.

Or the 'UK of Quite A Lot Of GB and NI'.

They could still shorten it to UK in the Eurovision Song Contest though.

[Ignis Fatuus]

Scotland and England aren't countries, not by any quantifiable standard - nations perhaps. They're more like regions, they have far less rights than US states, and i don't hear people calling US states countries.

They are "constituent countries". The question is whether Scotland should change from being a consituent country of the United Kingdom to being an independent country.

[Robinho]

It would have to change, because currently its name is actually the 'UK of GB and NI'.

If Scotland left, it would then include only part of GB, and so it would have to become something like the 'UK of England, Wales (presumably), and NI'.

Or the 'UK of Quite A Lot Of GB and NI'.

They could still shorten it to UK in the Eurovision Song Contest though.

It ain't gong to happen Doggy Woggy.

Even if it made sense i doubt people the electorate have the balls to go through with it.

[Robinho]

They are "constituent countries". The question is whether Scotland should change from being a consituent country of the United Kingdom to being an independent country.

Which is just a fluffy term to appease the natives and means absolutely nothing legally. The UK is a unitary state.

[Doggy Styles]

It ain't gong to happen Doggy Woggy.

Even if it made sense i doubt people the electorate have the balls to go through with it.

Probably true, but that's another question.

My point was only that if Scotland left the remainder would have to change their name.

[Robinho]

Probably true, but that's another question.

My point was only that if Scotland left the remainder would have to change their name.

Ok but we're not changing the flag