The Scottish Government

In the very near future, it is my considered opinion that we are all going to be in the middle of a global financial crisis. At risk will be the entire world's fiat currency system that has been carefully constructed over the past 60 years. Central Banks in every country are faced today with an insoluble dilemma. They want to inject liquidity into the banking system but the banks will not, cannot cooperate, because they do not know their counterparty risk. The only other option for the Central Banks is to buy the bad debt instruments that are dragging down the balance sheets of the banks everywhere. If they do this they will destroy some of the world's major currencies. Those are the only two weapons they have in their arsenal to protect the entire fiat currency system. How long this will take to feed through into the real economy is anyone's guess; days, weeks maybe, or months, at the most. My point is that this conversation may very soon be the last thing on our minds.

Post #63

By all means let us have a debate Stuart.

Your point was that 51% of 34% ought not to be sufficient to change our constitution. Why not?

If it is the low turnout, that is the responsibility of those who stayed home. If it is the marginal result, that is what happens in elections. Sometimes a single vote can change the face of a nation.

For my own part, I would prefer a simple 50% +1 majority to decide the issue. After all that is just the beginning, if independence is the choice. That is when the real business begins; trying to negotiate a peaceful, reasonably amicable, settlement. Given the level of fear and frustration I have seen on the Unionist side, this is not a foregone conclusion. There is a cogent argument for the Union position I am sure. However, I have not yet heard it.

I trust by the time we reach 2010 we shall have aired all the most relevant concerns from both sides and those of us who are paying attention should have reached a conclusion based upon the best presuppositions and most complete, up-to-date, available facts.

I have no inclination to exclude anyone from the debate and will try to hear what everyone is saying, even through a fog of misspelling. In my experience some of the clearest thinking comes from the least educated. One just has to learn to listen.

the upcomming Westminster elections are a wonderfull oppertunity to send a clear message to the all London bassed party's that Scotland has had enought of London policies and we demand a referendum, we are not asking for one,by sending back more SNP. MP's to Westminster this message can't be ignored

What do we want INDEPENDENCE
When do we want it NOW

#44

Louise, I don't mean to be rude, but the irony is at your expense. I am well aware of what the gentleman was trying to say in his post, but it's not what he actually said. His post, like yours, is full of incoherent statements interspersed with spelling errors.

That was the point.

Just because people can speak and post on these websites it doesn't mean that they deserve to be listened to.

We ought to have a conversation and ultimately a referendum, the problem is that there is a debate that needs to be had before then, to determine what the question should be, what the options should be and finally where the bar should be set for approval in terms of both turnout and what constitutes a sufficient majority for passage.

A 51% Yes result on a 34% turnout, for example, ought not to be sufficient to alter our current constitutional arrangement.

Have to air my views here regarding the nasty slight by Lord Foulkes.
Why do we put up with these ridiculous liablous slur against the Scottish People,yes Foulksie it's not the SNP you add injury to but all us multi-cultural Scots who only wish to have a profound say in our future.
Saddam's Tyrany was one thing in Iraq but Labour's obvious Political Tyrany is another.Not quite listening enough to the bigger picture I fear?
Lastly perhaps Labour are somewhat jealous that The SNP have managed to re-engage the voting public in all matters Scottish,or shall we call it The Tartan Questions??????

Hello, I am from Bilbao, in the Basque Country, I can say that here in Spain, the government in the 1970s made what I consider a huge mistake by giving in to the nationalist forces. At first, what the PNV (basque nationalist party) asked for was quite reasonable. But as years came by and the PNV had to keep on winning elections, the sectarianism and rhetoric started to take hold more and more of their political programmes. The mistake, as I see it, in GB has already been made: by giving a political community (in this case Scotland) a regional government. They will turn all their financial resources and social influences to divide Scotland from England. By the way, the Basque Country was in 1975 the spanish region with more wealth per capita. Now (of the 17 regions) it is the 8th, and falling. Much of this has to do of course with the terrorist group ETA, but personally I feel like I'm in a broken country when I think the education, the judicial system,...is all part of the regional governments instruments to extend their sectarianist and exclusive concept of what the Basque Country is.

Are the SNP doing anything but blame everyone else whether it be the fact that their a minority so they can't do this or the fact that they can't do that because of Westminster, I for one am sick and tired of it. As for their National Conversation I cannot believe how many of you are willing to be fooled, WHAT conversation or communication makes any difference when the aim and purpose is fixed...

I vote yes for Independence. When it happens, could we please do something about the poor infrastructure of Scotland, which for too long has had underinvestment - we need better and cheaper transport links and better roads. More importantly, please let's tackle poverty, bad housing, and social exclusion. Let's provide all of our citizens with a decent start in life. We need to think about the idea of 'quality' rather than subsistence living, and this applies to all of our experiences. I vote yes for social justice.

For me, the principle reason for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom is that it is likely to shift (slightly) away from Thatcherist socioeconomic doctrine! That aside, the argument that Scotland is better in the UK, and that amalgamation is OK but that its full inclusion within the EU (Britain disbanded as an archaic union) is not is pure hypocrisy!