Your Scotland....

[Kingsmills]

If that's the case then what does racism in the English East Midlands have to do with the debate on Scottish independence ?

[Guest donmac298]

Where did racism come into it?

[Action Man]

dee, don't knock the Gaelic roadsigns - the way things are going, in the not too distant future the roadsigns could be in Urdu.  It couldn't happen in Scotland? - that's what the people in Leicester thought about their city.

I think about here...

[Guest donmac298]

Not at all AM, I was merely puting the point to dee, would he prefer seeing signs in Urdu to signs in Gaelic and if anyone is suggesting that I am racist then they have got it sadly wrong.  I have worked with many different nationalities both in the UK and abroad and the truth is that I have been shown nothing but courtesy and respect by these people.

[Action Man]

I still can't figure out what donmac has got against Urdu speakers! Anyway HD has enough problems with English never mind Gaelic and Urdu. Maybe I have got it wrong, I only hope the courtesy and respect shown to donmac was reciprocated. Back to thread. As education is on the agenda I would hope that an independant Scotland would not only welcome immigrants but ease their passage into our communities by following the great tradition of Scottish education and teach the new members of our community how to speak and read "English", which in a free Scotland will be changed to "Scots".

[Guest donmac298]

I remember Jim Sillars who was staunch SNP saying that the Scottish people didn't "have the bottle" to go for independence and he was so disenchanted that he more or less disappeared from politics.  I would like to believe that a generation later attitudes have change.  I  have always thought the London government was holding Scotland back and the sooner we are on our own the better.

[Glebeict]

  I just had a look at the 2001 Canadian census.

  There were 4,157,210 Scottish.

    This fails to take in those Scots who said they were Canadians,

    and most likely some lowlanders that are taken as English.

  Seems a lot of people have voted with their feet since the Union.

[Action Man]

I only wish the media could have such an open debate on independance instead of setting their various stalls. If this forum is a representation of current feelings then the future does indeed look good for serious consideration of an independant Scotland. What do forum members feel are the real pro's and con's of an independant Scotland. I think that an independant Scotland could become the major force in renewable energy, capitalising on a lack of impetus from other global economies, thus forging a vibrant economy for future generations. All it takes is belief!  :022:

[Johnboy]

Totally agree with that, Action Man.... You're not just a pretty face are you..?

What the SNP have said is that - if they form the majority at the May election they have promised the Scots a referendum on full independance...

Before that could happen there would have to be very meaningful debate on the issue... and all the pros & cons made crystal clear.

I hope we do arrive at that stage next May.... Let's face it - the present administration at Holyrood House have shown themselves to be nothing more than a bunch of free-spending numpties, with their noses firmly entrenched in the gravy train.....

[DJS]

I'm a card carrying Nat and it was no surprise to hear Labour churning out the same old seperation and divorce stuff at Oban.

The big danger is the number of central belt voters who at the end of the day would be willing to vote for a stuffed teddy if it was wearing a red rosette.  Scotland may yet lose its bottle once again.  I hope not and 2007 would be a brilliant year to do it.

[Heilandee]

"Anyway HD has enough problems with English never mind Gaelic and Urdu"

Eh dinnae ken whaur ye get that kinna ehdea fae,anyways eh want indepedance fur Lochee coz were affy culturally diffrent fae you's folk and we hae bra ehdeas aboot ahin ye ken,eh dinna want posh folk in Enbra deciden whit's gonnae happen awhere else cos there just oot oh touch.....

[Johnboy]

You've got a point there, H/Dee... Especially with regard to cultural differences encountered in Lochee....

What about erecting a thirty foot high wall around the place help keep thae undesireables frae Embra oot?

[Action Man]

vote HD, candidate for the Popular Peoples Front of Lochee, or was that the Lochee Popular Peoples Front, or the Peoples Popular Front...whatever...can someone translate last post?

[Alex MacLeod]

Scotland as a nation puts more cash into the Westminster coffers than she gets back. Fact.

Dee doesn't want gaelic signage cos he cant even understand his fellow Dee's let alone gaelic. Fact. :003:

Yes Denmark is reputed to be the highest taxed nation but Britian comes pretty close. Tax on alcohol to start with. Purchase tax is added then excise duty on top of that then VAT on top of all that, so in effect theres tax on tax on tax. As for Danish cars. There may indeed be 100% tax on the vehicle but the total cost is still about £3k less than UK. We also pay tax on every type of insurance cover we have. We pay tax on our savings. 80% of our fuel costs go to the taxman. We pay 17.5% VAT on all bar childrens clothing and food. We also have a purchase tax on everything we buy. Somewhere around 70% of what we earn finds its way back to the treasury.

This small nation of ours could easily stand on its own and provide better health and social care services, better educational facilities and a better standard of life for all whilst maintaining the present levels of taxation.

With reference to Glebeict's last post. The people of Scotland did not vote with their feet. They got kicked out of their lands for opposing the union. A union that was forced upon them by the greed of a small handful of, so called, leaders of our people. They took the english kings shilling and evicted the objectors.

[Alex MacLeod]

Oh and I forgot about the import duty on most of the goods we buy.

[Action Man]

A "parcel of rogues" indeed. Lets not let them do it to us again! :brave:

( Sorry, but couldn't resist using it! )

[Kingsmills]

I'm afraid that DJS may well be right and that we will be faced with a Labour led coallition once again.

Independance will come without doubt but maybe not as a result of the next election.

[Johnboy]

No... I don't share DJS's pessimism... The opinion polls are showing a massive swing towards the Nats...

They even increased their lead according to a Glasgow Herald poll as a result of all the attacks from labour top brass over the weekend.

If Blair is **** bent on staying in office till next Autumn, and issues any further scaremongering  attacks on them, I confidently predict Alex Salmond will be 1st Minister come next May....  :003:

[Glebeict]

  Alex  -read about the Passenger Act of 1803- which lasted until ~1815.

    After that  you are probably more accurate than I was .

    The potato Famine in late 1840s was a big factor.

[CaleyD]

The biggest item missing off the list of what we have to help us stand on our own 2 feet is Banking and the Financial Industry.  Scotland are one of the biggest players in that Market, Royal Bank of Scotland Group is the 4th or 5th biggest Financial Institution in the World in it's own right.

[Johnboy]

Good point, CD.... Also worth mentioning that, before he entered politics, Alex Salmond was an economist, and latterly, an oil economist with the Royal Bank of Scotland....

He's better qualified than most to argue the financial case for an independent Scotland.

[Guest donmac298]

I don't wholly agree with DJS's pessimism either Johnboy.  Since the decline of shipbuilding, the coal mines and the motor industry etc the Labour party central belt votes have also declined somewhat.

[Action Man]

A bit of a bold statement but, I believe that we have more than enough intellectual, innovative, enthusiastic, capable, business minded, forward thinking, socially aware, community leading, pro-active individuals than any of our neighbours which leads me to believe that we could more than hold our own in a global perspective. For a "small" country we already hold the world record for inventions and level of education at all ages, in an indepedant Scotland this would attract more investment from overseas, taking the P out of the claims from our southern neighbours that their exclusive system has any real benefit to the wider community. A fair education for all is a worthy cause!

[Kingsmills]

That's been the case for the past twenty years or so but thus far we've been too craven to thake the initiative.

[Johnboy]

Maybe it's our spelling that holds us back, Milly...... :018: