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If Scotland Votes for Independence, It’s Going to Need an Army
War is Boring ^ | 1-22-2014 | Peter Vine

Posted on 01/22/2014 9:59:25 AM PST by DesScorp

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To: DesScorp
Scotland is in for huge military problems if they secede.

Very true unless they do what certain other countries have done re the might of the USA. Just sat back and say "The Americans will protect us". Fortunately NATO has indeed shouldered some of the burden.

I, having worked and travelled in Scotland and treated handsomely in spite of being a "Sassanach",fear another entity. It is the entrenched bureaucrat. From the billions given to say Africa, aid to Haiti and so on, the bureaucrat has "first dibs".

Scotland wanted a new parliament building and rightly so. The initial estimated cost was 40 million pounds (about $60 million dollars. The final cost was 414 million pounds and was started in 1999 and finished 2004.

The Welsh people were mulling over separation at one time from England. In 1966 a huge coal tip overlooked Aberfan. The rain permeated it and hit sloshed down to the town. 144 kids and 5 teachers died. An immense fund was contributed to. The bureaucrats got hold of it. The mine company tapped the fund for 150,000 pounds to clean up the tip. The grieving parents were asked by the bureaucrats; " how close were you to your child?" This to evaluate compensation. I stand to be corrected, but the real victims got but little.

Later a shamefaced Mining Board refunded the money- much later. I know this is a bit of an off topic ramble, but even in Canada, millions are handed out to Indian reserves. There are cases of chiefs taking most of the monies- any attempt to audit is met with cries of "racists". They are now called First Nations.

41 posted on 01/22/2014 11:51:17 AM PST by Peter Libra
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To: Peter Libra
Correction.

The rain permeated it and it sloshed down to the town.

42 posted on 01/22/2014 11:53:14 AM PST by Peter Libra
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To: sinsofsolarempirefan

“They’re actually going to be expecting the UK to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the defence of an ‘independent’ Scotland.”

The few pro-independence Scots I know look more to the EU for future defence rather than the UK, but either way, the Scots will be biting off more than they can chew. Without UK $$ proping up their socialist institutions, they’re going to be much poorer than they’ve become accostumed to. And one cannot eat nationalism.


43 posted on 01/22/2014 12:32:56 PM PST by Owl558 (Those who remember George Santayana are doomed to repeat him)
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To: morphing libertarian
What would happen if they had no army

Gadzooks!

King Edward I would invade Scotland!

44 posted on 01/22/2014 1:05:08 PM PST by Max in Utah (A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.)
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To: central_va

Looks like they’re really going through with it this time. Good luck to you, Scotland. I hope you’ve learned from British errors, and our errors too.


45 posted on 01/22/2014 1:30:05 PM PST by OldNewYork
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To: gattaca

Yes, that’s my heritage, except my grandmother whose father was Luxemburger. But Ive often suspected that they were really German and fudged it because of anti-German sentiment during World War I.


46 posted on 01/22/2014 1:47:50 PM PST by crazycatlady
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To: Moltke

The Brits might have to beef up Hadrian’s Wall...


47 posted on 01/22/2014 2:11:37 PM PST by PLMerite (Shut the Beyotch Down! Burn, baby, burn!)
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To: morphing libertarian
What would happen if they had no army

For one thing there would be no Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It'd be a shame to lose it.

48 posted on 01/22/2014 3:47:54 PM PST by Lower Deck
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To: central_va
Unfortunately for your theory, Scotland is one of the more socialist parts of the UK. Certainly far more left-wing than England.

Oh, and there's no such thing as the "Royal Army".

49 posted on 01/31/2014 12:37:45 AM PST by Vanders9
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To: taxcontrol

OMG - no chance.


50 posted on 01/31/2014 12:39:01 AM PST by Vanders9
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To: morphing libertarian
The Scots are very good at fighting. With no army, they'd probably end up fighting each other.

Although the SNP gets all the attention, the fact is that there is a lot of pro-Union sentiment in Scotland too, especially in the south west.

51 posted on 01/31/2014 12:43:37 AM PST by Vanders9
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To: DesScorp

Nationalism killed the British Empire. As well as paying for two World Wars. Welfare is what happened after.


52 posted on 01/31/2014 12:45:22 AM PST by Vanders9
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To: crazycatlady
Its odd how people in the US, Canada and the rest of the anglosphere always proudly proclaim if they have Irish, Scottish or (rather less so) Welsh ancestry. But people dont tend to emphasise their English ancestry.

So who really lost their national consciousness in the Union?

53 posted on 01/31/2014 12:48:36 AM PST by Vanders9
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To: Vanders9

I am not up to speed on Scottish politics.


54 posted on 01/31/2014 6:28:05 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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