Does England subsidise Scotland?

I agree!

... and on this I cannot disagree:)

Surely, one of the major problems is the disenfranchisement of the English when it comes to purely English matters by denying them the exclusive right to handle their own affairs. Those who do have such rights, such as the Scots, are still happy to have their elected representatives poke their noses into England's affairs.

Yes, a good start would be an English parliament, provided that their home cost less than the Scottish one did.

I thought most of the oil has alreadt been extracted?

Population of Scotland: 5 million. Not much of an increase to England's even if they all moved here.

Well it sure as hell ain't increasing! Also don't forget the cost of refineries.

And don't they just ... but we have no say in their affairs! Maybe the 'West Lothian Question' could be sorted out now too?

Just How many tiers of government do you want to pay for?

Just look at this little lot:

European Parliament UK Parliament County Council District Council Parish or Town Council

If Prescott and the last lot had had their way we would have had in addition Regional Assemblies

We must be the most represented people on earth!

They all levy taxes directly or indirectly and they all need paying for!

Are they value for money because I don't think so!

I would only be in favour of an English Parliament as a replacement for the UK Parliament should the latter cease to exist.

Those who say they want these mini "national" parliaments should be prepared to pay for them. If the Scots/Welsh/Irish paid no other direct tax then they should pay directly for the maintenance of their own parliaments/assemblies. After all they serve nobody else.

We would see how popular or how much they were wanted then!

Of course. The rights to fish are the UK's and Scotland is part of the UK.

Scotland is part of the UK so it shares the benefits of fishing and the oil but that doesn't mean it can simply take these or any other rights with it if it decides to leave the union. It will all be up for negotiation - including the national debt and the amount paid out to bail out the banks.

But think what it would do to England's alcohol consumption.

I have read, but this may well be untrue, that the oil could also be got from the English side but that it would cost more.

But in any case, isn't it all on the wane now?

I'm in full agreement with that.

And I'm in full agreement with that.

Fingers crossed.

lol!

McK

Sorry to reply to my own post...

Also, according to someone on R4 this evening, as it is the UK that have an opt out from the Euro, not the individual countries, if Scotland leaves the union they will most likely be forced to join the Euro.

But the English had their vote on their own parliaments and voted no.

McK

Especially the Royal Bank of Scotland, head office Edinburgh, and responsible for the biggest collapse in British corporate history with a loss of £24.1bn for 2008! All that under a supervisory regime set up by a Scot!

Don't forget that Tony BLiar and Gordon Broon are also Scots - as is the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling.

I'll bet the civilian workers at places like Faslane, Lossiemouth, Leuchers do! Enough noise was created when the idea of the Defence review bringing about closures in Scotland was mooted.

Come independence all of these places will close. Scotland will have nothing to do with nuclear submarines or NATO and so there seems no point in keeping tham open. You talk of oil installations in the North sea. God only knows how you propose to defend them from the sea. Hope that it doesn't happen I suppose.

It'll be a bit late then. The decision will have been made for good or ill.

Tell me, How are you any less free than I am? You talk as though you are a 19th Century native tribesman begging favours from bawhana.

For someone who is so oppressed you don't seem any too keen on bringing forward the vote for independence. Late 2014 as opposed to within the next 18 months (and probaly sooner still) Why the reluctance to grasp your freedom/ What about the back stop position of devolution max? Sod that for a game of soldiers is going to be our reaction to that! They either stay in or go but we are not there to be used. The UK is a country not an a la carte menu.

As are a more than goodly proportion of party spokesmen who appear on TV. One tires of hearing Scottish accents of those whose first love in Scotland. Wales' biggest export must be teachers. Scotland's must be politicians. What are they going to do with them all?