Why Has Dave Turned Down This Offer?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-24297286
It's an easy one to win so I can only assume he agrees with "independence".

[askyourgran]

Why should Cameron enter into a debate with Salmond. It is up to the Scottish people to decide what they want. There is no point in stirring up old bones about the English/Scots divide. That is what the fat little haggis wants.

[ludwig]

// It might be he thinks an Englishman (aren't his grandparents Scottish?) might do more harm than good in talking to the Scots about independence. //

This is the reason. He knows the Scots tendency towards anti-english racism will completely override any of the actual arguments put forward.
You have to remove that from the equation for the debate to have any point.

[Wharton]

Cameron (amongst many others) has repeatedly declared how detrimental it would be for Scotland to be independent, clearly without having given the matter a great deal of thought. Salmond has merely asked Cameron to discuss the issue in detail, but as I said in my earlier post, the feartie has finally shown some sense.

[jomifl]

whassa feartie whartie?

[emmie]

you think Alex Salmond would wipe the floor with him, oh dear, really, i don't give him that much credit, if you want independence then it better be the sort that means you pay your own way from the time it is implemented, you can have all the Scottish MP's, and make your own tax system, be totally self supporting, you will also have to apply to the EU to join, because once you are free of Westminster's shackles that will be a next step. Salmond magnanimously said he would keep the Queen, very nice, he is not a man i would trust in a month of sundays.

[emmie]

Definition of feartie

Scottish noun someone who is afraid

[Quizmonster]

Those who have expressed views about "ownership" of the North Sea on this thread should click http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-20042070 and scroll down to the map.
I don't think that Scotland's residents will vote for independence next year but, if they do, the map shows pretty accurately the sea areas that would "belong" to Scotland and England separately. As regards the Shetland Isles, just look at the map and note how much of the blue sea-area would belong to them, even in the unlikely event of their becoming independent!
The oil and gas in the English part...ie the western half of the southern North Sea...are dwindling fast, whereas the Scottish part to the north is where new discoveries are still being made. Cameron was up in Aberdeen a few months ago 'celebrating' one.
More to the point perhps is the fact that future prospects of oil discovery are far more likely in the North Atlantic than in any part of the North Sea. England, having no coastline abutting the relevant part of the Atlantic, would have no claim whatsoever there. Accordingly, revenues from oil companies operating in these northern waters would flow into the Scottish - not the UK - treasury in the event of Scottish independence.

[emmie]

let them go if that is what they want, i don't see it happening, i reckon that most Scots couldn't care less.

[Svejk]

I'd quite like to see a 'soviet' republic of Scotland. If it improved the lot of the 'common' man, we could take some of their ideas on board. And if it turned out to be a disaster, hey-ho.

[Wharton]

jomifl - emmie's definition of feartie is not quite accurate, it simply means coward. I could have used cooard, coof, crawdoun, feardie-gowk, fugie, snool or snuil but I thought feartie would be easily understood, and now a question for you. Does monolingualism make you feel inadequate?

[jomifl]

Wharton, Non, je ne crois pas parce que je parle Francais assez bien et ca marche pour moi mes amis et mes voisins. No hablo Espagnol muy bueno :o(

[Wharton]

jomifl - que lastima aboot the Spanish, we could huv hud a blether :-)

[ToraToraTora]

to all but the woad faced, swivel eyed beskirted loonies, "independence" would be madness, I hope the majority of the population of Scotland are not stupidenough to go for it. Thankfully there is large non Scottish contingent so I think they'll be saved from themselves.

[Wharton]

TigerTigerTiger - You say the nicest things :-). And now a simple question for you. Do know of any country voting for dependence?

[jomifl]

wharton ^ :o)

[LochNessMonster]

Alex would tear him apart in a debate. Simples !

[McMouse]

LNM is this the same Alex who likened an independent Scotland being a successful small nation like Iceland and Ireland?

[Khandro]

These TV debates are a waste of time and prove nothing other than one person may have a better gift of the gab but it doesn't necessarily mean they are a better politician.
The rhetoric of someone like George Galloway can often sound compelling on TV just for a moment by pouring out statistics which one cannot readily check, but I shudder to thing what he would be like running the country.
Important issues require measured thought, not quick glib responses.

[Wharton]

jomifl - The only reason that I know tora means tiger is that I saw the film Tora!Tora!Tora! - giving my age away :-)
Sayonara

[ToraToraTora]

You don't have to vote for the Status Quo wharton!