Scottish Independence

[pinkerton]

If Scotland does split from the UK, will Scots born residents in the remaining UK have to apply for residency? Also, will members of the Westminster parliament only be elected from people born and domiciled in the remaining UK? These are just two of the many questions that have entered my head on this matter. What other contentious questions have other AB members thought of?

[Wharton]

jomifl - I've read the paper and have criticised certain aspects of it and let Holyrood know about them. However I applaud you for having a look at it.

[jomifl]

Wharton, to do a link.. under internet explorer right click on the page, then when the dropdown window appears click on properties then copy the address from the top of the dropdown box that appears.
Under firefox, right click on the page, the click on 'view page info', when the dropdown box appears copy the address from the top of the box.

Hope this is useful
....Jom

[Wharton]

jomifl - Thanks for that, much appreciated, I'll have a try at it.
Wharton.

[KARL]

From quite recent examples there is plenty of experience of sorting nationality issues out and there is no reason to think this matter will be any more difficult for an independent Scotland. Slovakia separated from the Czech Republic, other "new" countries have emerged since then in Europe alone, not to mention worldwide - it should be easy to pick and choose from the detail. Easy unless one is determined to display the "Can't do" spirit for which the UK population is so famous. I recently met a young Slovak woman and asked her how people in her country now viewed the separation. As quick as a flash she replied "Best thing we ever did" and at the time of the event she must have been in nappies, perhaps not yet born. She was not a product of the fight for independence itself but someone who only knows the results. Some of the anti detail coming out in the Scottish case is downright embarrassing - some simply laughable. They need to keep trying to frighten people because that is their best chance, not logic and certainly not vision. An independent Scotland would have to be ejected from the EU (and then only as far as the EEA which is not at all a bad position to be) with the resulting absurdity as the very existence of the EU is concerned, not to mention policy and image. Until then it is not surprising if politicians within the EU step up to support the Westminster No Government (no pressure of course) and attempting to head off Basque and Catalan aspirations (plus possibly others, including within Belgium/Netherlands). Incidentally, EU subsidies flow all round, including (certainly not least) to France.

[LazyGun]

I do not think that the dissolution of what was Czechoslovakia is a particularly good example when thinking about the link between Scotland and the rest that make up the UK.

It did not have the longevity of the union, for a start.And there was a significant disparity between the GDP per capita of what constitutes the Czech Republic and what constitutes Slovakia, whereas the GDP per capita between Scotland and the rest of the UK is broadly the same.

[jomifl]

/ They need to keep trying to frighten people because that is their best chance,/'
I'm not sure who 'they' are or why they need a best chance. I don't think the EU would be embarrassed by the absence of Scotland, since it's contribution would be miniscule. (1% of the EU pop.)
I have a sneaking supicion that the tories really want to get rid of Scotland for political and ecomomic reasons so are not trying very hard to keep it in the union but want to appear as if they don't want Scotland to go .

[KARL]

Is it not possible that the Slovakian example is less comfortable for the No camp than the Yes ? Let's look at Iceland then. When its fight for independence came about it had been a province of Denmark (the direct and continuous successor of Iceland's similar connection with Norway) for longer than the UK has existed. Go to Iceland and ask them if they made a mistake - the answer would be the exact same as the Slovak lady's.

How does Malta's population, etc. compare with that of Scotland's ? The only reasons for Scotland (from Scotland's perspective) to continue the Union are sentimental. The are on the other hand several plausible and strong reasons for the rest of the UK to maintain the Union.

I doubt that the Conservative Party has anything resembling a policy to support independence for Scotland, but if they do then that would be welcome news. My suspicion is that those who suggest they do do so more out of dislike of the Conservatives than anything else.