The Scottish Government

Cabinet Roadshow - Summer, 2008

Great idea ! You'll always get people who whinge about appropriate way to spend public money, but that says more about them.

67. Why more than one option? - Madeira
"Personally I am a Socialist, which is not an option offered by Mr Salmond and his merry crew."

Mr Salmond offers an Independent Scotland, where we will be free to vote for our own Scottish Government with full powers, not fettered by Britain. In elections for that government we will be free to vote for whatever political party we want.

The SNP may well form the first government in an independent Scotland - there again they may not. People are fickle, and gratitude for our independence brought about by the SNP may not last beyond the first transitional government (e.g. Churchill not long after WWII). Chances are the second term, if not the first, will indeed be Socialist - if, that is, that is an option allowed by the New Scottish Labour Party!

1) Independence
2) Devolution Max (full fiscal autonomy, almost full legislative autonomy)
3) Status Quo
4) Abolition of the Scots Parliament, return to Westminster

Seeing as this is a discussion on National Independence I am going to come straight out with my personal stance on the topic.

I am a Scottish Nationalist who believes in the Monarchy. I can be described politically as a Democratic Anarchic Socialist, that is to say, in my opinion people should help their neighbors while retaining a sense of individuality, and have the right to express their opinion in a fair and equal manner.

There are questions that I would like to ask the forum or an SNP representative.


Questions arising if Scotland becomes independent:

1. Would the SNP disband?
2. Would we automatically become a member of the EU? And if so would we be able to vote on whether we could leave?
3. If we do not automatically become a member of the EU would we have a public vote on whether we should join?
4. Would we need to establish diplomatic relation abroad? If so where would the money come from?
5. Would we be entitled to a 1/10th of the existing British Armed Forces and it's arsenal?
6. Would we be entitled to any of the revenues that are going to come from Iraq's oil?
7. In the future, would we - by right of sharing the Scottish sector od the NS's oil from the 70's through to present, then be entitled to British Antactica Resources? Including South Atlantic and Indian Ocean Resources?
8. Would British Insistence on Rockall being Inhabitable affect the Scottish Sector of the Atlantic and fishing rights?
9. Would we be entitled to 1/10th of the British National Debt?
10. If Independence is gained before the re-privatisation of Northern Rock, would we be entitled to 1/10th ownership?
11. Would we be able to keep borders open with England and the Rest of the UK, or would we need passport control on land crossings?
12. Would we automatically have to honour the agreements the UK made to it's allies?
13. Would we still be able to recieve the BBC? If not would we be entitled to ask for our contributions back as it is a publically owned company.
14. Would we get our own web domain?
15. How would we attract Businesses to a newly independent Scotland?
16. Would we own 1/10th of the NHS Debt?
17. Would this effect our tax rates?
18. How much oil revenue would actually be raised yearly?
19. Would we be able to sell our water in bulk to nations that need it? Subsidising our own infrastructure?
20. Would we be able to vote to keep or abolish the monarchy?
21. How many new jobs would be created through having to set up our own Stock exchange, monetary system, and commodities markets?
22. Would we have a constitution?
23. Would our courts systems change?
24. Would our money systems change?
25. Would we manage our own inflation?
26. Could we turn our currency back to gold standard?

Thank you for your time,

Ryan Findlay

#66

Why a multiple choice referendum?

Surely the late Donald Dewar was right, devolution is a process not an end product. The question is simply do we want to go it alone, or develop within the UK? A federal system to be developed UK wide is a more probable eventuality than complete seperation from the UK to join up with the EU on THEIR terms.

Personally I am a Socialist, which is not an option offered by Mr Salmond and his merry crew.

The best thing in life is to keep it simple.
A lot of people want extended devolved powers because they still fear the leap into freedom (I m not one of them).
I m not sure if adding this question in will lower the pro-independance vote, so if this question has to be put in, should it be possible to add on another question, return all powers to westminster, that would then split the Unionist vote. Fairs fair !
1/ Return to Westminster.
2/ Status quo
3/ Extended devolution
4/ Independance
Basically agreeing with David Robertson but forget about complicating the issue with Europe, which could be discussed another day (If Turkey has a chance of a European seat, then they ll no turn Scotland back !)

Agree totallyw ith Bryce Millers comments: ultimately independence should also explore becmoing a sovreign republic too

The crucial thing politically is the clarity of the result of the referendum. The question asked must therefore be unambiguous. This is the only honest way to proceed. The SNP suggestion that it should be a single question seeking a mandate to negotiate for independence with the UK government is about as clear as you can get. The obvious problem with presenting three options is in the status of a result that places independence as the most popular single option without gaining an actual majority of votes.

1 Am awe fer an independant Scotland within the framework oh the European Union.
2 We allso need to decide do we ditch or maintain the union oh the crown.

Keep it simple!
And do it soon , I am getting old and I would like to wave a Saltire on the day independence is declared!