Should Scotland be an independent country?

These questions become less problematic when many of them (and many more) are currently unanswerable by the UK as a whole.

What is more, this is Scotland's best chance to maintain membership of the EU. It's not a guarantee, but having the UK leave, but it remain - and this be explicitly what happens - may be a way of appeasing potential concerns from countries with their own independence movements (i.e., Spain).

All the other EU counties with free healthcare?

What're the total taxable revs of the financial services which are based in London but rely on the EU access/equivalency, and that might be persuaded to move to Scotland rather than Luxembourg? I suspect that'll be the crux of this, along with all other businesses that rely on International sales, and for whom persuading their key staff to move 500 miles North is more likely than 500 miles South.

My first thought too... Bonanza!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjdRgBAY278

But with more tartan, obvs.

nice!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/scottish-eu-independence-referendum-scotland-join-queue-membership-apply-a7627201.html

Looks like that's buggered, however.

I wonder what the criteria will be for getting a Scottish passport?

"watched Braveheart and rooted for Mel Gibson" [ ]

Only if that's a trick question on the application.

Dinnae be a dick.

Pretty much the over arching rule here.

we dont need to think about Q&A's though ......we'll all be safe being Independent - we'll have a stable oil and gas industry going from strength to strength and powerful american business men investing in hotels and golf courses and buying our whisky .......... thats what Salmond was giving us last time around........ and look how that all turned out..............

Balls.

That's me out.

did i hear that Scotlands Independent budget deficit would be bigger than Greece given current oil price / revenue unable to prop up the gap? how would we enter the EU then - would they let us in like that?? massive cuts in spending = massive job losses in Scotland as Scotland has a higher % of employment in public services than the rest of the UK (IIRC)
this is real question i'm trying to ask here not some proUK stance.

Let the condescending ex-Imperial jingoism commence...

Not looking forward to losing respect for significant tranches of the forum population for indulging in the dog whistle racism that this thread fostered last time around.

It wouldn't bother me so much if it was actually funny but as anthonyj has already shown, it's a lazy, banal and reductive imagination that resorts to faux Scottishisms, quips about Braveheart and insults normally found on the Daily Fail comments board and not Lufguss.

Fuck all of you in anticipation.

There were figures released at the weekend about how the value of the O&G should have been £11.2billion in 2018/2019 alone and they are now forecasting it to be only around £4.2billion from now until then... thats a big chunk of missing dolla!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/08/snps-economic-case-tatters-oil-forecasts-cut-third/

edited to avoid #fakenews

Well, the first question is "did you actually hear that?" And if so, "where?"

Google is your friend.

Here's a better question: does Scotland's Independence annoy English/British nationalists because it makes their geographic penis that little bit smaller for waving around?

It would certainly explain a lot of the overly smug condescension bandied around by them.

I think its too early for another referendum. we should have a certain amount of time in between asking the same question surely.
Also - while I think the Scots should leave if they choose, but am english and don't them too, I question the motives of anyone that thinks its possible to have a serious debate about anything in the media these days, its almost not worth bothering.

The Telegraph is my friend.

dog whistle racism

That seems a bit overblown tbh. Also I'm pretty sure anthonyj is Scottish.

.

but the issue now is all the old Ghosts will start to appear from the original one

what currency **Euro**
funding scotland without massive tax hikes **depends which, but prob not possible so loads of tax pls - but not for financial sector obvs.**
splitting of national services **no idea. What is the level of centralised overlap, currently?**
but with the addition of :-
passport control borders **the newly formed England+ now in control of it's own destiny will negotiate a Schengen area**
hard border for goods and supplies **Ibid**
tax levies on export of scottish goods to the UK whether or not scotland is a full EU member or not....leading me onto....
full EU membership only **outsourcing all major admin functions makes sense for small states. It is effectively what Scotland does now so I'm not sure why that's an issue.**

Re-read the previous 54 pages from a Scottish person's perspective before coming to that conclusion.

Ah. That balanced institution renowned for its appreciation of the Tory party. I'm sure their take on anything and everything to do with a non-establishment position is perfectly sound.