Monday, November 06, 2006

Ripping England out of the UK?

If the SNP are promising a referendum on Scottish independence within four years, will the English electorate be promised a similar referendum on whether they want Scotland to remain within the UK?

Why should such decisions be left solely to the Scottish electorate!?!

"To end up having a separate Scottish currency, separate Scottish armed forces, separate Scottish economy when we are so integrated together would be disastrous for [the Labour Party?]" - Tony Blair.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, possibly because it does not concern the English. It concerns the Scots and Scots alone. Do the French get a vote in German affairs? No! Then why should the English get a vote in Scottish affairs. (And, by the way, with Scottish independence you'll get rid of all those "jocks" in the westminster parliament and you won't have to listen to John Reid speaking "Jockanese" at you all the time)

Gareth said...

Exactly, why should the Scots be the sole arbiters of whether the Union stands or fails?

England should have its say, we all should.

A union of nations should have the consent of all nations, or fail.

Anonymous said...

toque said "A union of nations should have the consent of all nations, or fail."

Sounds easy enough - If Scotland does not consent (thus you no longer have the concent of all nations) the union fails.

Anonymous said...

Of course this concerns people other than those with the right to vote in Scottish elections (whether they are Scots or not).

What about all those Scots who live elsewhere in the United Kingdom?

Snafu said...

CM, why shouldn't it concern the English!?! If the Scots have the possibility of divorcing themselves from the Union, why shouldn't the English have a right to divorce Scotland!?!

The English should be allowed a vote on whether they wish to keep subsidising Scotland to such an extent that if it wasn't for England's deep pockets, income tax in Scotland would be 48p in the pound!

As Scotland would presumably wish to remain a member of the European Union following independence, England would no doubt continue to subsidise it but now at arms length through CAP and regional subsidies!It's difficult to imagine Scotland being a net contributor to EU coffers!

Anonymous said...

"A union of nations should have the consent of all nations, or fail."

Precisely - if one says it fails, then it fails. We can leave, or you can kick us out. What can't happen is that you refuse to let us leave if we want to - or we insist you stay if you want to leave.

Hasten the day when we are good neighbours rather than poor flatmates.

Anonymous said...

Snafu said "why shouldn't it concern the English!?! If the Scots have the possibility of divorcing themselves from the Union, why shouldn't the English have a right to divorce Scotland!?!"

Quite right - I obviously didn't express myself well enough. In a divorce situation either party can instigate it.