The break up of The United Kingdom.

[public school boy]

Should Scotland and Wales be granted independence thus allowing them to totally gouvern themselves, raise their own taxes, make their own laws, have their own armed forces, have their own currency, have a King or Queen if they want etc etc. If so should Westminster stop any financial support?
With regard to Northern Ireland, why not let there be a United Ireland?

 

[The Large One]

Are you doing a degree in Politics at the moment, and you want everyone to answer your questions for you?

 

[Nappy thrower]

Haven't you got a, AA meeting or something? Perhaps walk the dogs?

 

[strings]

An interesting subject. I don't think Wales would neccessarily go for independence - they only narrowly voted for devololution. It would be interesting to see how it would change the makeup of Parliament though, with Wales returning lots of Labour seats in Westminster, Scotland returning Lib Dem and Labour, and neither returning much in the way of Conservative MPs.

I have a feeling the if/when Scotland does go independent it will have a massive bearing upon the situation in Northern Ireland. Talking about Northern Ireland, I won't begin to go into what may happen if they ever got to the situation where a majority of the population self-defined as being Irish - people have written PhD theses on less-complicated subjects.

 

[public school boy]

Are you doing a degree in Politics at the moment, and you want everyone to answer your questions for you?

Just throwing the subject to the Wolves on NSC. Polotics seem to be the dish of the day. There are many on NSC who might have something sensible to add to this topic. I can't wait till this whole Bloody mess is sorted once and for all. God save the Queen

 

[BensGrandad]

Should Scotland and Wales be granted independence thus allowing them to totally gouvern themselves, raise their own taxes, make their own laws, have their own armed forces, have their own currency, have a King or Queen if they want etc etc. If so should Westminster stop any financial support?With regard to Northern Ireland, why not let there be a United Ireland?

I think that had you stopped as highlighted the answer would be yes.

 

[Gwylan]

I think we'd be heading for interesting times. It's inconceivable that we could have a situation with Scotland and Wales going independent and not Northern Ireland - and that would create mayhem.

There are several other factors to consider: the large number of military bases in Scotland, the large percentage of Scots in the armed forces - and what that would mean for the military. What would happen to Scottish oil and to Welsh water -items that England relies on rather heavily. The biggest imponderable of all would be the EU, our membership would have to be renegotiated - Scotland and Wales are net beneficiaries, there'd probably be a referendum as to whether England should leave - and what would be the implications of a 'yes' vote for that?

 

[Eddie Bee]

Do Scotland get the oil revenue?

 

[newhaven seagull 85]

no thanks we are the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland

 

[Storer68]

Do Scotland get the oil revenue?

No.

 

[Storer68]

independence from what exactly. the United Kingdom? Great Britain?

 

[cjd]

looks like we,ll (the English) be paying the nations debts for the Scots, Welsh and N Irish, if
the Lib Dems join the Reds

 

[jakarta]

Have thought this for some time, funnily enough I am in Aberdeen at the moment.

Would be very happy for the Sweaties to put up Border Posts and have to have my Passport stamped when I come up here as long as it meant we kicked out all their MPs and stopped subsidising them.

It would be interesting to see which small European country they would most resemble after a few years of SNP and Labour rule, Switzerland or Greece....

 

[pork pie]

With the shite that is going on because Scotland has prevented England getting the Government that it wants, I now think we should go the whole hog and let them have their pony Parliment, and no representation at Westminster. Let them keep the oil revenues, if they want. They can join the Euro or keep their micky mouse scotish notes.

 

[pork pie]

Have thought this for some time, funnily enough I am in Aberdeen at the moment.

Would be very happy for the Sweaties to put up Border Posts and have to have my Passport stamped when I come up here as long as it meant we kicked out all their MPs and stopped subsidising them.

It would be interesting to see which small European country they would most resemble after a few years of SNP and Labour rule, Switzerland or Greece....

More likely Ireland - a wilderness now!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The stupid thing about this question is that it is the Conservative (and Unionist) Party who are most opposed to Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish independence (although maybe the Democratic Unionists are more hardline than even the Tories on the Northern Irish aspect of the issue).

A curious stance to take, since an English state would almost certainly be permanently governed by the Tories. I guess it all comes down to old-fashioned Tory imperialism. They want a base for their submarines.

 

[The Spanish]

The stupid thing about this question is that it is the Conservative (and Unionist) Party who are most opposed to Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish independence (although maybe the Democratic Unionists are more hardline than even the Tories on the Northern Irish aspect of the issue).

A curious stance to take, since an English state would almost certainly be permanently governed by the Tories.

Nice to know there is a party that does not treat devolution as a method of shoring up power for its own interests then eh.

 

[pork pie]

The stupid thing about this question is that it is the Conservative (and Unionist) Party who are most opposed to Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish independence (although maybe the Democratic Unionists are more hardline than even the Tories on the Northern Irish aspect of the issue).

A curious stance to take, since an English state would almost certainly be permanently governed by the Tories. I guess it all comes down to old-fashioned Tory imperialism. They want a base for their submarines.

Exactly! England wants a Tory Government - they have shown it by a huge majority.

Faslane is purely a case of Labour spending money in Scotland, rather than England.

 

[Working class pride]

there is a united ireland, its just the ulstemen have not taken the hint yet..... look at the Green seats in the last election. Of the six counties not many are left orange. As for the scots still in scotland, well poor old england have not been able to get rid of them since the Stewart dynasty, but who knows what the future holds

 

[pork pie]

Nice to know there is a party that does not treat devolution as a method of shoring up power for its own interests then eh.

It back fired a bit with the London Assembly though didn't it! Boris took their "jewel in the crown" from them when they had expected GLC mk2.