Posted on 09/16/2014 9:11:40 AM PDT by Kaslin
"Should Scotland be an independent country?" reads the referendum on which Scotland will vote Thursday. Voters have two choices -- yes or no.
Queen Elizabeth II went so far as to tell Scots on Sunday, "I hope people will think very carefully about the future." The queen was savvy to urge Scots to look ahead, not behind. The Scottish Parliament building opened in 2004 after the Scotland Act 1978 allowed for local control. It is a marvel of modern architecture located off Edinburgh's Royal Mile. Its open architecture and use of glass, oak and sycamore display a determination to root political power not in the moldy grandeur of nearby Holyrood Palace but in iconoclasm and steel. Sadly, from that futuristic perch, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has dredged up ancient grievances to push his country back in time -- before the 1707 Act of Union with England.
"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has likened Scottish independence to an acrimonious divorce. Expect bitter battles over who gets custody over the pound, the banks, the royals. "I doubt that an independent Scotland will be able to bank on its ex-partners' fond memories of the old relationship once we've left," Rowling warned in June. She has donated more than $1.6 million to the Better Together "no" campaign.
Nonsense to that, the "yes" lobby counters. On Sky News recently, Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill argued that if the referendum passes, the usual social union, the currency and the monarchy will remain intact. If anything, he added, the 300-year peace, friendship and "cordial relationship" will emerge stronger.
Scotsman Jim Murphy, a member of the British Parliament, laughed at the idea there could be no hard feelings if Scotland votes "to make England a foreign country."
In June, President Barack Obama spoke against an "aye" vote when he spoke of America's "deep interest in making sure that one of the closest allies that we will ever have, the United Kingdom, remains strong, robust, united and an effective partner." Obama should have used stronger language, as he will need a strong United Kingdom in the war (yes, war) against the Islamic State.
It can be no accident that a masked Islamic State henchman engaged in the brutal beheading of aid worker David Haines, a Briton and a Scotsman, as the big vote looms. MacAskill has told Sky News that a "yes" vote would bring the very liberal Scotland freedom from decisions made under the coalition government of conservative Prime Minister David Cameron -- that is, freedom from British defense spending and any wars into which the United Kingdom is drawn.
But it's not that easy to opt out of war when terrorists are willing to export it -- as MacAskill well should know. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270, including 11 Scots on the ground. A Scottish court found Libyan intelligence agent Abdel Baset al-Megrahi guilty. Al-Megrahi received a life sentence and was to be eligible for parole after 20 years, but he served a mere eight years in a Scottish prison. On the dubious ground that prostate cancer left al-Megrahi with less than three months to live, MacAskill granted him "compassionate" release in 2009. The son of the late Moammar Gadhafi flew the terrorist home to a hero's welcome on a tarmac in Tripoli, where Scotland's worst mass murderer lived until 2012. Salmond explained, "Sometimes someone has to break the cycle of retribution with an act of compassion." It's a shame his Scottish National Party doesn't feel the same way about Great Britain.
Someone should also publish a list of how much tax money goes to the royal family. How much of that amount comes from Scotland?
We will do well enough without you dragging us down.
Run along now.
I hope it works out for you.
Well, that kind of thinking won't make you prosperous in the long run. You may have resources, but greenie/socialist thinking means they won't be put to good use.
This vote is on Sunday. Do you have any idea how many drunken brawls there are going to be this weekend in Scotland??? (Especially Glasgow.)
Prime Minister Cameron has just announced considerable increases in autonomy and payments for a "no vote". I did a little research and confess I am out of touch with my native country, England.
Some Wikipedia work included here. After 292 years of direct rule from London over Scotland, they were granted a referendum. It took place in September 1997. The question was straight to the point. Should there be a Scottish Parliament?. Followed by Should there not be a Scottish Parliament?. There was an overwhelming vote for a Scottish Parliament.
In 1999, an immense building plan took place in Edinburgh. A Spanish architect was commissioned. After five years and four months, the building was opened by the Queen. There were 106 Scottish members of parliament (MSPs) within and it has a 1000 staff. It was said to deal with domestic affairs.
The bureaucracy there, seems no different than in many other countries. A look at the new parliament building using Wikipedia, is worth while. Post modern and one must take their own view. It cost 414 million pounds. An independent Scotland might be at the mercy of the bureaucrats, they might spend the money like there is no tomorrow.
I cannot speak of the stupidity of Scotland breaking up the UK, but in my country, Quebec receives annually, over 10 billion in direct tax transfers, more than it pays; that is IN ADDITION to monies spent in Quebec by FedGovCan that are also spent in other Provinces. Quebec is a permanent ‘have-not’ Province and has been for more than 70 years, despite being the largest Province, with a wealth of hydro and mineral resources, it has the highest unemployment and welfare rolls AND by far, the highest paying welfare system in Canada.
Yet we STILL pay the separatist blackmailers each year, to remain in Canada! Why do the pols keep doing this? To keep Canada together. The majority of Canadians figure keeping Quebec in Confederation is worth it. Does that help to answer your question about why Westminster pols are keen to hang onto the Union with Scotland?
And BTW, I am of Scottish decent and have a soft spot for a country that I’ve never seen!
Thanks.
Believing that Scottish independence is all about Alex Salmond is like thinking America’s independence was all about Peyton Randolph.
This vote is on Sunday. Do you have any idea how many drunken brawls there are going to be this weekend in Scotland??? (Especially Glasgow.)
The vote is on Thursday.
Damn American media trying to throw us off! Haha. I know I read that somewhere today that the vote was on Sunday. Because I remember thinking how weird it was to have a vote on Sunday.
Still be brawling, win or lose.
Here's my observations:
1. Scottish independence 'Yes' movement is a socialist left wing temper tantrum. They also don't have the capability for coherently articulating their position because the whole thing is little more than "We hate the English". I never heard one compelling reason out of them to break away the whole time I listened. They're just being dumb. They're also very delusional about their future. Hugely, in fact. Someone's really sold the 'Yes' side a bill of goods.
2. There's no similarity between the American Revolution and Scotland's bid for independence. Thankfully, I saw little effort of any 'Yes' voters trying to invoke the name of American independence from England. As an American patriot, you'd think that I'd be automatically on the side of Scottish independence without even looking, but the problem is that I actually looked.
3. On the other hand, the 'No, Thanks' side is scraping the bottom of the barrel for maintaining any sense of dignity over keeping the union intact. They're begging the Scots to stay like an ugly girlfriend whose been dumped by her boyfriend and is making the most appalling spectacle of herself in making tearful pleas and oaths to try to win him back. It's pathetic.
4. Whichever way the vote goes, David Cameron should resign if he has a shred of decency within him. He's a complete retard. If he won't resign, then whatever mechanism exists in British law to have him removed as Prime Minister needs to be executed.
5. If this vote comes down to 'Yes' winning by a slim margin, it ought to be regarded as a suicide pact where there's only one willing partner. The minority 'No' vote in this case -- perhaps even as large a minority of 49.999% against -- might be dragged into breaking away from the UK by the deciding vote of one dopey 16 year old girl who cast her little vote based upon her favorite celebrity's Twitter stream. The 'Yes' people will have handcuffed the 'No' people to them at the wrist and resolved to jump off a cliff together into the abyss.
6. I think that if I were a 'No' supporter in Scotland, I'd be looking at requesting asylum in the United States if the vote goes 'Yes', rightfully and correctly claiming that I'm a refugee fleeing a Communist revolution in my home country.
That does sound really good. Honestly it does. However, what about a Standing Army? Navy? Air Force?
There is a give and take. It’s all in the Lords hands.
A guy with a camera wandering around making a joke about ‘Imperial Masters’ over the Star Wars Imperial March soundtrack that he manages to stretch out for 10 minutes, long after it stopped being funny to anyone who doesn’t still laugh at their own farts.
Nothing substantive, obviously, just waffling on about ‘Empire’ and trying to portray Scotland as a victim of imperialism.
Says it all about the yes campaign really.
Imagine the US letting go of California and the impact that would have on the balance of power in the Congress. It’s similar.
...the aftermath will be like waking up with your spouse the morning after a big fight. Maybe you'll get a divorce, maybe you'll make up. But it'll never be the same.
Thanks for the excellent summary of the situation.
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