In Scotland, 'Aye' Means No to England

Townhall.com ^ | September 16, 2014 | Debra J. Saunders

[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.

[GeronL]

Someone should publish a list of their bennies funded from London... with an expiration date.

[kingu]

More lipstick quick! Gotta add an S to PIIGS.

[MeganC]

An independent Scotland and the loss of so many votes for Labour will mean the Conservatives will rule England...I say let the Scots go!

[MadMitch]

Why do you think all of the politicians from Westminster are so keen to hang on to the Union if Scotland costs them money?

Scotland has only 8.3% of the UK’s population. 8.3%! Remember this important figure... 8.3%

But we DO have...

32% of the land area.
61% of the sea area.
90% of the fresh water.
65% of the natural gas production.
96.5% of the crude oil production.
47% of the open cast coal production
81% of the untapped coal reserves
62% of the timber production
46% of the total forest area
92% of the hydro electric production
40% of the wind wave and solar energy production
60% of the fish landings
30% of the beef herd
20% of the sheep herd
9% of the dairy herd
10% of the pig herd
15% if the cereal holdings
20% of the potato holdings
...obviously 100% of the Scotch Whisky industry.

We have a...
17 billion pound construction industry
13 billion food and drink industry
10 billion business services industry
9.3 billion chemical services industry
A 9.3 billion tourism industry
7 billion financial services industry
5 billion aeroservice industry
4.5 billion pound whisky exports industry
3.1 billion pound life sciences industry
Scotland still has 350 million pounds worth of textile exports

We have 25% of Europes wave and wind energy potential.

And finally we are blessed to have 1.5 trillion pound worth of oil and gas reserves.

All of this, yet only 8.3% of The UK’s population... Whaow Scotland should be rich!

[GeronL]

“cost them money”

Politicians aren’t spending their own money. Nothing “costs” a politician money. They are about power.

[MadMitch]

Don’t believe the lies from Westmister Scotland more than pays it way.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-29221880

Three Scottish universities are among the top 100 in the world according to new international rankings.

Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews are in the latest QS World University Rankings. Edinburgh University was ranked 17th in the world.

[GeronL]

I am sure it worked out well for Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba and other countries.

“We should be rich” usually leads to nationalizations and that always leads to poverty.

Wind energy? When has that ever been profitable?

[cripplecreek]

Why do you think all of the politicians from Westminster are so keen to hang on to the Union if Scotland costs them money?

Speaking as an outsider, that's been a nagging question on my mind.

[ilgipper]

Interesting. I don’t follow the politics over there closely, and didn’t realize it was such a left leaning population. Anecdotal in my experience, I know two Scots and both are strong conservatives. Probably why their families ended up here, lol.

I did not consider how this would affect UK politics. Very interesting, indeed.

[jospehm20]

“Whaow Scotland should be rich!”
Let me know how that works out for you. With socialists like Salmond in charge I suspect it won’t.

[spetznaz]

Salient points. I have also wondered why they are so willing to keep Scotland in if it is so ‘worthless.’ If it costs the UK money then England, NI and Wales should be more than happy to get rid of the Scots.

[MadMitch]

If there is a YES vote then after independence there will be an election and Scots will vote for whatever party they want. This isn’t about Alex Salmond it is about self determination.

[driftless2]

Certainly, Scotland can go it alone. But excellent resources mean little if the gov. doesn't know how or is unwilling to exploit them in the correct way. The worry of many people on this forum, as you might expect, is that indy Scotland will attempt to be a European Cuba.

I personally don't think that will happen, but the talk I hear from my in-laws in Scotland is a little disturbing. Many of the younger Scots believe wealth just happens. However, hopefully the Scots discover that it has to be worked for.

[Sans-Culotte]

I wonder if the Union Flag will be redesigned to remove the blue background with the white St. Andrew’s cross if the Scots leave?

[MadMitch]

The picture in the article shows an Orange Walk that took place in Edinburgh on Saturday with Orangemen from all over the UK and Northern Ireland. Lots of union flags, “NO POPERY” banners and the usual fat bigots. Bit like the KKK without the hoods.

[MadMitch]

Cross of St. Patrick is still in the Union Flag. Ireland left years ago.

[MadMitch]

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much or suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat” -Teddy Roosevelt

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Better than being endorsed by North Korea though eh?

Your rattling off a list of Scotland’s available resources ignores much more fundamental issues that would lead to Scotland’s impoverishment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB7XMxCkorI&feature=youtu.be

[KarlInOhio]

I haven’t been paying enough attention to this vote. What is its legal standing? Does Scotland leave the UK with this vote? Or does it authorize the Scottish Parliament to decide at a later date? And can the Queen say “My relatives bloody well bought you in a bankruptcy sale in 1707 and I’m going to keep you”?