Should Scotland become independent?

[Deleted member 211486]

On Sept. 18, 2014, a referendum will be made wherein Scotland will decide whether or not it will secede from the UK. Do you think Scotland should leave the UK? What would be the impacts of it doing so?

 

[Rogue planet]

They should have done it in the 80s before England had the chance to steal all of their oil money.

I'm all for anything once it goes to the vote. I think the leaders involved are a little ignorant when it comes to the economic impact it's going to make, as well as the very large amount of work that comes with independence.

If the population backs them, I'm all for it and I hope the best for them. It's no secret the UK sucks all wealth into the south (ie. London) whilst leaving the north + Wales to decay.

 

[Ivysaur]

Right now, I think there are two very important matters here, the same ones that affect the Catalan push for independence over in Spain as well.

a) Will Scotland remain in Europe? Becoming an isolated small country on an island would be terrible for the Scottish economy, since that means a complete drop in exports, imports getting more expensive of a sudden- well, essentially, the end of the free European market. Plus, you know, Ireland would have had it much harder to survive without the EU bailing them out- you miss on a large security net. And, as a bonus, other countries care about what the EU and the UK have to say internationally- would anybody care about an independent Scotland?

b) Will they keep the pound? Creating their own currency is a terrible challenge. Of course, if they can stay in the EU, well, that's not a problem. But losing so many safety nets of a sudden is somehing not even oil can fix in the short term, it's going to be tough for a while.

Of course, this all hangs on a key point: whether the UK Government will handle the negotiations in a friendly way. If so, they can keep a "special relationship" and maybe get waived into the EU. If not, their future looks very dark in the immediate term.

 

[Rogue planet]

Scotland do plan to remain in Europe, for obvious reasons. I don't think that would pose a problem, so far the EU has been supportive. As far as their international standing, I don't think they're incredibly concerned. The whole of the UK populace is a bit fed up with the international intervention right now. As long as they are recognised by the EU and all economic issues are smoothed out, they'll be happy.

As for B, they want to keep the pound. Except the UK is saying they can't, trying to create a deterrent I think. There has been talk of a new currency, but the most practical way would be to adopt the Euro.

The UK aren't being friendly about it unfortunately, even being outright hostile in some cases, so it's definitely going to be a difficult challenge. The hard part to see is, will it all be worth it? I think there's a glimmer of hope that things could be better once they reach the other side; because the north has always been marginalised by the UK government, and probably always will be. Things might be cosey now, but it's not great. Things will have to get worse before they can get better

 

[Talon]

I don't think they should, but it wouldn't be horrible if they did. The UK would be smaller. Only England and Ireland would be left, right? They have the economic stability to do it, and the resources. I think they could pull it off! I just worry for the UK. England and Ireland can pull themselves together, but I don't know how they would react. I think it might start a small dispute.

 

[Eruption]

I don't think they should, but it wouldn't be horrible if they did. The UK would be smaller. Only England and Ireland would be left, right? They have the economic stability to do it, and the resources. I think they could pull it off! I just worry for the UK. England and Ireland can pull themselves together, but I don't know how they would react. I think it might start a small dispute.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland would remain. :)

Personally I think our government have been fairly reasonable so far, the No campaign, which has been criticised at times, purely represents itself it isn't a representation of the UK government or population necessarily. While the leading parties do believe that the two nations are stronger together, the government has allowed the referendum to take place and the only real issue caused by them has been Osbourne's declaration that they will struggle to get a currency union agreement.

I think they'd be better with us personally, but ultimately it's their choice now. I certainly wouldn't mind 41 Labour seats being wiped out of our parliament though.

 

[Talon]

England, Wales and Northern Ireland would remain. :)

Personally I think our government have been fairly reasonable so far, the No campaign, which has been criticised at times, purely represents itself it isn't a representation of the UK government or population necessarily. While the leading parties do believe that the two nations are stronger together, the government has allowed the referendum to take place and the only real issue caused by them has been Osbourne's declaration that they will struggle to get a currency union agreement.

I think they'd be better with us personally, but ultimately it's their choice now. I certainly wouldn't mind 41 Labour seats being wiped out of our parliament though.

Ahh! Wales that's the one I was forgetting. I just had to learn the European countries and capitals for AP Human Geography (I failed miserably.)

I don't know much about the situation, other than that Scotland is thinking about becoming independent.

 

[Deleted member 211486]

While the leading parties do believe that the two nations are stronger together, the government has allowed the referendum to take place and the only real issue caused by them has been Osbourne's declaration that they will struggle to get a currency union agreement.

So they'll be taking and using money from a foreign bank (the Bank of England), using the currency of a foreign country (UK), while allowing that country's parliament to stabilize its financial security? That's not very independent, is it?

 

[Blu·Ray]

Right now, I think there are two very important matters here, the same ones that affect the Catalan push for independence over in Spain as well.

a) Will Scotland remain in Europe? Becoming an isolated small country on an island would be terrible for the Scottish economy, since that means a complete drop in exports, imports getting more expensive of a sudden- well, essentially, the end of the free European market. Plus, you know, Ireland would have had it much harder to survive without the EU bailing them out- you miss on a large security net. And, as a bonus, other countries care about what the EU and the UK have to say internationally- would anybody care about an independent Scotland?

I do not think that Scotland will be able to get in the EU for one simple reason: Spain will call a veto on this one. An independent Scotland becoming part of the EU will send strong positive signals to the Catalan independency activists. Spain fears this chain reaction of sorts, and therefore will not vote for Scotland as a part of the EU

Objectively seen, I don't really care. Scottish separation won't mean a whole lot to me, and I don't think that I will see any direct effects of independence.


Imagining if I was Scottish, however, I would almost certainly wish for independence. I think that a small country is more able to "hear the people" and are much better able to steer the country in a certain general direction, and I am convinced that this Scottish nation will have generally positive effects on the general public's view on government and it would raise a trust in the fact that the government is doing the people a favor.
Although, again, I would not vote yes at every cost. Without the EU or any trade union with the UK, trade will be crippled, and Scotland will have a hard time creating a stable economy.