Should Scotland be an Independent Country?

Sent off my postal vote today in the independence referendum. <a href="blogs.kde.org/2014/09/02/sh... other blog gives some background and reasons</a> and <a href="jriddell.org/diary/?p=123">my other other blog</a> gives a good reason to vote Yes, government will work better with a larger union (EU) to sort out the boring trade stuff and movement and a closer government to sort out the public services stuff, there's no need for a middle layer of government.

Probably the reason most relevant here is the need to keep the NHS and social care services and benefits in the control of a government that wants society to care for itself. That's more likely to happen in an independent Scotland than in with a UK government setting tax and controlling spending limits and benefits.

Don't worry rest-of-UK friends, you'll be very welcome in the newly independent Scotland.

[nemo_really]

My (international) company, together with a large number of Big companies has made a public statement that there are too many uncertainties in such areas as taxation and pensions that combine to make independence a risky position for businesses remaining in Scotland. They also take the view that Scotland has achieved, and will achieve, its strong economy as part of the UK and will lose that strength with independence. Reading between the lines, an assessment of the risks, noting where the major UK customer base is located and cost-savings offered by site rationalisation, there is a significant chance that my Glasgow-based job will be relocated to the new UK. In addition, an independent Scotland would need a truly large immigration influx to provide the taxable population to meet the future social costs of an aging population.

As somebody who is equally proud of his Welsh, Scottish, Irish and even English ancestry, I can only hope that my country remains United.

[RogerCMerriman]

I get the emotional reasons but i'm less than convinced that they have a hard economic arguments for, since the rest of UK and the major parties and banks aren't keen on sharing the pound and the Euro is rulled out?

Mind you stands a better chance than plaid cymru's dream of a independant wales, with a significate % of wales population being in the Valleys, towns that reason for being gone ie coal and steel, I can not see how wales could support it's self with out savage cuts to public services.

[Hidden in reply to RogerCMerriman]

What emotional reasons? I've not written about any and the Yes campaign generally stays away from such nonsense. By contrast the No campaign talks of shared ties and history all the time.

[RogerCMerriman in reply to Hidden]

Well lot of politic is emotional or at very least idlogical rather than fact driven.

The Celtic nations do think of them selfs as separate, I still do even if I live in England and have done for many years.

The idea of full independence has floated around for years, it's arguably a fairly poor time economically etc but politics is about dreams and ideas. Or at least can be!

[mikep129]

I completely understand why Scots would want to be independent. Part of me thinks that every country should be independent and make it's own decisions, not least England.

But only today I was listening to the news and it dawned on me that it would be tricky for Scotland to go it alone because, assuming it was even allowed to continue using sterling, it would be using a currency which might be about to leave the EU.

Does Scotland want EU membership more than sterling, or vice versa? It might be denied EU membership (unlikely). It might be denied the use of sterling (unlikely). But it might be forced to choose between the two, if the promised referendum on EU membership takes place and the rest of the UK opts out. Of course, if Scotland remains part of the UK it might find itself using sterling but outside the EU. We live in interesting times..

[Button01]

Yes voter here. My husband is a No voter. Several heated debates here over the last few weeks!

The polls show it'll be a close call.

[Mikesghost]

YES! I think Scotland will be a far fairer country if we get independence and we will have a written constitution that will enshrine a free health service. Of course anyone from the rest of the UK will be welcomed with open arms, we have very close ties and that will never change.