Will the United Kingdom be no more "united"?

The facts:
Scotland can't afford to leave the UK.
Let's not pretend it somehow can, it can't.
The Scottish voted to remain in the UK in a once in a generation vote and that generation hasn't yet passed.
Scotland was never a member of the EU. It joined when the UK joined, it left when the UK left.
An Independent Scotland would never even qualify for EU membership.
There is nothing 'Independent' about being in the EU.

Those who support this idea of an Independent Scotland are nationalists waving Scottish flags.

 

It would be hard for Scotland to argue they should be allowed to leave the UK but the islands shouldn't be allowed to leave Scotland. The fisheries and dead dinosaur reserves are a major source of revenue for Scotland though.

 

Hard or not, if they are going to base their action on the self determination of peoples ... they will have to leave those islands go.

So what?

 

And yet, you talk like London wasn't dragged out of the EU against its will.
What about London?
London voted Remain, I voted to Remain in London.
Do you see me selling out the national interest for London independence?

Get over yourself, you've yet to distinguish London from England in Brexit, and you've yet to understand the nature of the EU, and the UK's membership of it meaning UK joined, UK voted to leave, UK left, despite what London wanted.

You moan about voting to stay in the UK because it was the choice to stay in the EU.
London elected a Labour Mayor because he promised to keep us closer to the EU against a Tory Brexiteer mayoral candiate.
Guess what happened next, UK voted to leave the EU.

If London, the powerhouse of the UK economy can get over it, so can Scotland!

 

London predates England even and the monarchy is in fact a Sassenach (German/Frenchman) who has to knock before setting foot in City of London.
Does Scotland make the Queen do the same?

I thought not.

 

I'm talking about this place.

The City of London.

The powerhouse of the UK economy that gets to act more like of one of the countries of the UK.

Own laws.
Own taxes.
Own rights.

 

They don't have to. They would just need to if they were standing on their ideals.

 

We've got time to see what's going to happen.
What's clear is that London has got no intention to concede a new referendum for the independence to the Scottish People.
Since UK hasn't got a Constitution, I find it difficult to have a clear idea of what can or cannot be done. My impression is that the Government of Her Majesty decides and that's all.

In any case, the next Scottish elections will be a thermometer which will measure the intention of the Scottish electors.

 

London trusted Scotland when it said it was a once in a generation vote, that generation has not yet passed and this government's policy therefore is, SNP lost that election, and that's democracy.

I reiterate London voted remain in the EU referendum, and is being pulled out against its will, but that's the will of the people and we should live up to our promises and respect their votes.

 

It's a common misconception that the UK doesn't have a constitution.
Of course we do, it's just not a rigid codified constitution. It is one based on Acts of Parliament, court judgements and conventions rather that a 200 year old historical document which is very difficult to update or change.
In fact we had one of the first ever constitutions dating back to 1215.
A little thing called the Magna Carta, you may have heard of it.

 

Also EU trusted London [and the Conservative Government] when Cameron was going to negotiate a better position of UK within EU ... wanting to remain in EU. The British People thought otherwise.

The Scottish People is not the Scottish Government, like the British People was not Cameron's government.

So, I'm going to follow this matter with calm.

As said, first of all, we need to wait for the results of next Scottish elections: if SNP won't gain the absolute majority the matter of the independence of Scotland will remain a dream. On the other hand, with an absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament the SNP could play some good cards, at leas to make pressure on London. Anyway it will take a long time just to understand which steps could and would take the Scottish government and how things could develop [well before of just talking about a new referendum].

 

He did, he promised the UK a vote on EU membership just like he promised Scotland a vote on being the UK.

It's not his fault he lost the argument to stay in the EU, but he did what he said he'd do.

 

The most amusing aspect of this historical period of UK is that the name which will remain in history will be Cameron and ... May.
In the future they will wonder if Boris was Russian!
[This was British humor].

Jokes aside, the British isles are knowing a very fluid geopolitical context. We've got a milestone in the near future: the Scottish elections.
Those elections will make things more clear.

 

Scotland would have to wait until at least 2055 before another referendum, because that's what they agreed to, and if there's still an EU then, Scotland would still have to wait to join the EU if it applies to, and those in the bloc may wish to veto based on many factors, some of which being that the EU doesn't want another Greece on its hands, and others, who don't wish to see autonomous regions break off in their own countries.


SSDD / Same **** Different Day
+
Happy fish.

Based on this, the UK is united (like it or not).

 

I personally believe the push/pull factors which would make Scotland want to leave the union will cancel each other out.
I mean, some people want Scotland to break away so that Scotland can distance themselves from everything that's going on with EU policies, while other people want Scotland to break away from the union with England so that Scotland can have a closer link with the EU.
As for wanting Scottish independence, one really has to ask if the type of policies Scotland wants are really that different than those in England, to which the actual answer is no (despite many people's wishful thinking). Yes, I believe there are some big political problems, but those problems are not merely jurisdictional, they are not going to go away if you just move who is in charge from London to Edinburgh.

 

I know, it's the express
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1...endence-referendum-snp-free-prescriptions-spt

but I guess this comes down to an independent Scotland's ability to finance this.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-55687977
New UK Shared Prosperity Fund to bypass Holyrood

There have been concerns on Scotland's under spending; for example, London gives Scotland £800m, Scotland spends £650m, and pockets the rest, maybe to save up for any Independent Scotland to give to Brussels.


This new power Whitehall has will bypass this allowing UK to invest in the UK where it wants.

 

This person could explain my above post better than me.

 

Even if there were to be 'Indie Ref II"... Which I believe there should not as stated above, this does not necessarily mean Scotland will vote to leave just because it voted to stay in the EU. There are far bigger factors than this.

Notably; Healthcare (The NHS), Welfare, Social Housing etc are all paid for by the UK taxpayer, how much does this affect that decision, can Scotland maintain these institutions if they were to go it alone?

SNP dominate Holyrood, of course they do... They don't want Tories and like any voters left with a brain, they don't want Labour anymore, if you voting for a devolved government which it is... You vote in people who are going to put Scotland first, not Westminster. It's not necessarily a pre-order for another referendum or a telling sign that Sturgeon would win it.

A No from me.

 

The North Sea oil is a finite source of income in an emerging carbon neutral anti plastic world.
Scotland might do good to invest in renewable.
I've not actually been to Scotland (yet) but, I assume a big wind farm would do good up there.

What would a Scottish economy sell for growth?
They have their sights set on the oil, but, again, my opening statement about the times we're living in.

 

I know Scotland [I've been there not a few times to go trekking and to visit some megalithic sites].
Sure they don't miss wind ... like in Ireland [which I know as well] they could exploit such a natural resource.
I remember when I went for the first time on the Highlands that the cottage I rented had only electricity [also for the heating system]. Only with a nuclear power plant somewhere you can do that [here in Italy to have an electric heating system would cost a fortune].

So, it's evident that in case of "Scottix" [or what?] they should import energy from UK or exploit other sources.

Anyway it's still absolutely early to think to the future of Scotland. My opinion is that it will take at least 4 or 5 years before that something real will happen. And it will depend on the results of next elections in Scotland [if SNP won't gain the absolute majority, next Scottish Parliament won't support the idea of a new referendum, since SNP should accept some external support and you know politicians ... if I give you something ... you have to give me something ...].

 

So you think Scotland should invest into nuclear power? / or / They already have nuclear power?

It's decades too early to think about this if you asked the powers that be in Westminster.

I think it's too early to see because Brexit's not even a month into effect and, c'mon, it's weeks, Scotland and the rest of us should at least live in the new UK before we work out what we want to do with it.

 

I believe these Brexit problems are teething problems.
Things take time to realign and normalise.
Or....


Someone triggers some Article and something else happens.

 

As for I understood when I was there, the energy came from a nuclear power plant. I didn't ask if it was in Scotland. Anyway, making a brief research, I've found out that in Scotland there are four nuclear power plants.

Anyway no, I was not suggesting this: I was thinking that it would be better to substitute nuclear power plants with renewable energy. But I'm not able to evaluate if wind can generate enough energy [and with acceptable costs] to renounce to nuclear power plants in Scotland. I doubt a bit ...
Probably it's better to add renewable energy to nuclear energy.

For the rest ... sure it's incredibely early. I would wait for at least 5 years before of considering the option to ask again to the Scottish People if they want to remain in UK.