Born Under a Union Flag: Rangers, Britain and Scottish Independence

[Thinker 857]

Equally, any growth in that market will benefit the country - or do you think the price of oil and gas will fall as it gets scarcer?

 

I anticipate the value of fossil fuels will fall - and hopefully long before it becomes scarce, as the world moves to alternative means of power production.

 

food and drink industry

creative industries

life sciences

oil and gas industry,

renewable energy industry

tourism industry

manufacturing industry

agriculture

forestry

universities and education

 

Looks pretty diverse to me

 

Well, that depends on the proportional amounts raised from each doesn't it?

 

I agree that this thread should be moved, but I'm pathologically unable to leave a point un-counter-pointed.

 

It's a serious problem I've got and I apologise.

[Zappa 0]

Guys, we'll leave the thread in here, but please try not to let the discussion go round in circles. We have enough of that already in here.

[Waltersgotstyle 297]

Rangers have no bearing on my decision.

 

I am really stuck at the moment, I look at my life and I feel I am quite fortunate - so selfishly I'm not too keen on rocking the boat.

 

However I do feel that for future generations we may benefit from having a government that we can actually choose as a nation.

 

You just have to look at the last general election - Scotland was a Tory free zone (bar Dumfries....) and despite that we have a Tory government. That to me is not a true democracy.

[Scott7 5,156]

I've only twice had the government I voted for but that's democracy.

 

I think the discussions here prove beyond doubt that football has next to no affect on politics.

[The Real PapaBear 0]

I anticipate the value of fossil fuels will fall - and hopefully long before it becomes scarce, as the world moves to alternative means of power production.

 

Oil isn't only used for producing power you know - and even if/when the day comes that we use alternatives to fossil fuels for power production oil will still be used for its myriad of other uses. The value of oil may one day fall, but I doubt whetehr you or I will be alive to witness it.

 

However, the fact remains, it will one day run out. On that we are agreed.

Given that, would you rather spend the remaining decades using the proceeds of the oil revenue to invest in new technologies and developing the nation's education and skills base, as an Independent Scotland would do, or are you happy to watch as the UK continues to waste the revenues from oil down the drain of foreign wars, unemployment benefits and Trident?

 

Well, that depends on the proportional amounts raised from each doesn't it?

 

some bullet point figures here:

http://www.businessforscotland.co.uk/10-key-economic-facts-that-prove-scotland-will-be-a-wealthy-independent-nation/

 

point number 6 answers your question, although I would recommend reading the other 9 points as well

 

and in much more detail here:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/12/GCS2009/Q/pno/0, pages 1 - 6

[Darthter 542]

I anticipate the value of fossil fuels will fall - and hopefully long before it becomes scarce, as the world moves to alternative means of power production.

 

and Scotland are one of Europe's (if not the World's) leaders in alternative/renewable energy......

[Chibmark 15]

Rangers have no bearing on my decision.

 

I am really stuck at the moment, I look at my life and I feel I am quite fortunate - so selfishly I'm not too keen on rocking the boat.

 

However I do feel that for future generations we may benefit from having a government that we can actually choose as a nation.

 

You just have to look at the last general election - Scotland was a Tory free zone (bar Dumfries....) and despite that we have a Tory government. That to me is not a true democracy.

 

The UK electorate choose the Tories, hence they are in power. That is democracy, or at least British democracy and the much maligned first past the post system.

 

17% of the Scottish electorate voted Conservative, yet that Scottish populace only got 1 Tory MP. It's swings and roundabouts, my friend.

[The Real PapaBear 0]

A couple of years ago the SNP defence spokesman affirmed that they would keep a Scottish battalion in Afghanistan and send another one to the Sudan plus keep two NATO standard airfields in the north east of Scotland (but no nuclear weapons, of course - somebody else can do the umbrella defence)

 

I'd be interested in the source of these claims, because I don't think the SNP defense spokesman said any such thing.

[Darthter 542]

The UK electorate choose the Tories, hence they are in power. That is democracy, or at least British democracy and the much maligned first past the post system.

 

17% of the Scottish electorate voted Conservative, yet that Scottish populace only got 1 Tory MP. It's swings and roundabouts, my friend.

 

Technically, they didn't.....they got into power with some Dellboy wheeling & dealing.....

[The Real PapaBear 0]

The UK electorate choose the Tories, hence they are in power. That is democracy, or at least British democracy and the much maligned first past the post system.

 

17% of the Scottish electorate voted Conservative, yet that Scottish populace only got 1 Tory MP. It's swings and roundabouts, my friend.

 

Absolutely correct. Anyone who votes for the union and then complains that they don't get the government they voted for should be handed a big tin of "WTF Did You Expect?"