We should all urge Scots to stay in Scotland

[Ticktock]

Dell don't have a place and HP are there on account of an old Compaq office which was there 20 years ago and probably for a while before that so nothing to do with cash incentives.

Really? I guess imagined the weeks I spent working up in the old tobacco factory building out towards Dennistoun when I was training all of the initial hires there for Dell, and then the regular trips I took as they grew to over 1000 heads (more than they used to have in Bracknell). And of course the fact that all of my expenses were passed on to the Scottish Enterprise agency, along with a lot of the costs the company had in setting up the site.

[BrilloPad]

Edinburgh does have a proper financial services sector this is true, it's not just outsourcing of back office stuff. Par of the appeal of Edinburgh over say Frankfurt or Paris is the fact it's in the UK though. That means the legal and regulatory frameworks are well established and well respected, effectively it's like doing business in London. An independent Scotland might be able to base it's systems on ours but it won't have the BoE or the same track record so it will take a bit of time to establish the same level of confidence I expect. I don't know if institutions would move lock, stock and barrel but they might prefer to relocate some stuff or direct future investment to the UK.

Or they might just move their HQ to somewhere with a future. Like Shanghai.

[doodab]

Or they might just move their HQ to somewhere with a future. Like Shanghai.

I doubt they would headquarter in China while it's still a communist regime, though those that need regional headquarters might choose it over say hong kong.

[scooterscot]

So I really don't think being part of the UK is necessary for Edinburgh to flourish, either. Cut the red tape and keep taxes low and high skilled workers, entrepreneurs and capitalists will follow. Only problem is the EU is not fond of tax competition, but hey ho, they're in a gradually weakening position anyway.

The wherewithal to bail out reckless banks is already dissipating in England, anyway, and that is for the better. What both England and Scotland should aim to attract are manufacturing jobs, since they already possess advanced financial hubs.

I agree. This will be Scotland's chance to simplify the tax system. I want to see small business become the backbone of the economy, not a government that flirts with big corporations & corrupt MP's lobbying in parliament on their behalf.