JackFlash74
Active Member
- Joined
- 22 Apr 2012
- Messages
- 33
pace89 said:The case for independence is simply flag waving nationalism dressed up as progressive politics. The problems that afflict the poverty stricken in Glasgow are more or less the same as those faced by people in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Cardiff etc. The challenges facing fishing communities in the west of Scotland are remarkably similar to those for equivalent communities in Cornwall and Devon. The ultimate argument of the nationalists is that there should be no formal political, economic or social relationship (other than currency union for the convenience of the Scottish government) with any other part of this island. It makes no logical sense whatsoever.
If the Scots want redistribution of wealth then they should be fighting for wealth to be redistributed from the richest part of the Union (London and the South East) to the poorest parts which including Scotland but also northern England, the Welsh Valleys and much of Northern Ireland.
The economic case for independence is nonsensical. Basically the entire tax and spend policy depends on massively optimistic returns on oil without any loss to the economy as a result of British public sector disappearing. The financial services industry is crucial to the Scottish economy but mainly because it’s a cheap way of serving a massive customer base is in England. How many people in England with assets managed by Scottish firms will want a foreign jurisdiction to oversee control of their wealth? Not many I would guess which means a massive disinvestment from the Scottish economy. Similarly there’s no way the Scottish Government could cover the liabilities of Scottish banks unless all their English customers move elsewhere. Or unless all the Scottish banks move elsewhere.
Scotland is a country that historically was divided by religion but is now equally divided by nationalism. The SNP government had the choice of pushing for Devo-max, which the vast majority support and would have united Scotland, but instead chose this process. Whatever the outcome it is going to be close and it is becoming increasingly bitter on each side by the day.
The SNP are no better than UKIP it’s just Westminster is the straw man in the independence debate where as its ‘Brussels’ and the EU Commission for people who want out of the EU. It’s depressing that more people can’t see this for the shoddy power grab that it is.
I understand that, but we can't do anything about that. Our voting influence and therefore our ability to make our government accountable for this are zero.