Scottish Independence

[Lhalo]

Scotland will vote whether or not it wants to be independent from the UK on September 18th. Right now the polls are about dead even on a yes/no vote. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11081953/Scottish-independence-a-defining-moment-for-England-too.html

 

[TobiasFunke]

Every day on NPR's The World they've been talking about the different aspects of life if the Scots were to gain their independence. The talk today was what would the British flag look like minus Scotland. Pretty interesting.

 

Britain's domestic oil pretty much comes from what is Scottish waters so that's how Scotland would survive in the world economy. But once that runs out, what the hell do they have? Pretty much nothing.

[Adam]

How many countries are in this country?

[TobiasFunke]

How many countries are in this country?

[mtangelsfan]

It would actually be a difficult change for both.  But I am always for a smaller group gaining more independence from a larger one.

[Schildog]

Every day on NPR's The World they've been talking about the different aspects of life if the Scots were to gain their independence. The talk today was what would the British flag look like minus Scotland. Pretty interesting.

 

Britain's domestic oil pretty much comes from what is Scottish waters so that's how Scotland would survive in the world economy. But once that runs out, what the hell do they have? Pretty much nothing.

 

what is npr's station setting? 

[TobiasFunke]

what is npr's station setting? 

89.3FM

 

Here's their website so you can listen at your computer

http://www.scpr.org/

[nate]

How many countries are in this country?

 

You totally beat me to it.

[gotbeer]

It would actually be a difficult change for both.  But I am always for a smaller group gaining more independence from a larger one.

 

California, you are up to bat.  

 

But going on the Scottish vote thing.  I'm surprised it's as easy as a 50.1% local vote.  In the US, pretty much you have to have a revolution to break away from the US.

[Taylor]

The Scots are just doing what the Americans did 250 years ago.

[TobiasFunke]

California, you are up to bat.

But going on the Scottish vote thing. I'm surprised it's as easy as a 50.1% local vote. In the US, pretty much you have to have a revolution to break away from the US.

Scotland/UK and States/America are apples and oranges

[Lhalo]

Scotland/UK and States/America are apple pie and meat pie.

 

Fixed.

[TobiasFunke]

I prefer hair pie

:insert Takashi picture here:

Edited September 10, 2014 by TobiasFunke

[Tank]

i thought this guy helped them get their independence centuries ago:

 

 

i hope they go to war just so someone can say "they fought like warrior poets; they fought like scotsmen."

[arch stanton]

I like the idea of decentralizing all the big power worldwide. I would pretty much universally vote yes on an independence referendum. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Great Britain has already said that if Scotland separates they will have to develop their own currency instead of relying on the pound, as was their original plan. Can't have it both ways, I suppose.

 

I haven't talked to any of my British friends yet about their thoughts on this (I have friends in both England and Wales).

[UndertheHalo]

I don't pretend to have great knowledge of the situation, but from what I know of it, Scotland is much like any other part of the UK, just full of Scot's(see wut i did there ).  They don't seem to be on the short end of any sticks in Scotland.  It seems reasonable to assume that these small nations are stronger together.  They have been that way culturally and politically for more then 300 years.  Does Scotland really stand to gain that much by breaking away from the UK.  Does not seem so to me.  What do I know though. 

Edited September 11, 2014 by UndertheHalo

[Brandon]

Sitting with a Scot and an English man now.

 

The consensus seems to be that the Scotland economy can't support itself and is too reliant upon England.

[TobiasFunke]

I think it can support itself via oil and maybe capitalizing on the fact that the majority of the English Navy shipbuilding yards are in Scotland. Tax the crap out of England if they break off I say. But when the oil runs out they are done-zo.

[Brandon]

If Rangers can fall into administration, I can't trust a whole country to not do the same.

[nate]

Scotland has oil?

 

Sounds like they need some Freedom!

 

[Adam]

lol

[TobiasFunke]

Nate FTW

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I finally got some input from two friends living in the UK - one in Wales, one in England. My Welsh friend said that while he wishes that Wales could be independent, he realizes that in today's world that isn't realistic. He chuckled at the Scots for wanting complete independence on the one hand but wanting to continue to use the British pound as their national currency.

 

My English friend went into quite a bit more detail. He said that Scotland has oil, but that is a finite resource. He wondered aloud about what happens to Scotland when the oil runs out, since they have little else of value to support a national economy. He admitted that the United Kingdom in and of itself is an outdated concept that was of much more value when England had a worldwide empire. He said that Scotland is counting on joining the European Union, which is not a guarantee. If Scotland did succeed in joining the EU they would likely adopt the Euro, which would complicate trade with the countries of the former UK because it adds the dimension of an exchange rate. The EU also has problems of its own without adding another nation, and a newly independent one at that. My friend said that Scotland is looking at Norway and Denmark as examples of the success that would lie ahead of them as an independent nation, but severing ties that have existed for centuries may have unintended consequences.

 

Both friends believe that many Scots are blinded by nationalistic idealism, and that life as an independent nation would be far different from what most Scots envision.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Vegas Halo Fan

[TobiasFunke]

I heard today that if there is independence the English banks would almost all pull out.