The Scottish Government

I have complete faith in Alex Salmond. I will vote SNP for my whole life (as soon as I am old enough to).
Scotland must have independence. We must be free.
It's time.

'the English dominate us, we've no representation'

'its all about england controlling Scotland'

Blah blah blah and bloo bloo bloo our last two prime ministers were scottish, 10 cabinet members are scottish. The scottish are not dominated by anyone. Stop the hatred of people in England - PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE

I fully support Scottish Independence. That said, I'm not anti - English, Welsh or N.Irish.
I believe that given independence, relations between the four countries would greatly improve since we wouldn't all be fighting for crumbs from the same cookie pot. As it currently stands, there is regular discontent at the dispersal of funds over the UK. It has been suggested that we Scots are allocated an average of £1500 more per head in public spending money than the rest of the UK. This sounds a lot, but take into consideration the geographical layout of our country.. how much of that money is being spent simply to maintain a police presence over the highlands, lowlands and islands? Take also into consideration providing healthcare and eduaction etc. to these areas and I'm sure you'll agree to the necessity of such spending.
Mr. Blair once suggested that it was a small price to pay for maintaining the UK - Mr. Brown however, disagrees and it has already been suggested that he's to review the Barret Formula... Why should Westminster hold such clout over our economy?? How much in subsidies do London and the South East regularly claim? After all, Westminster is there, as are the foreign Embassies etc. And we as Scots, subsidise this.
I for one, feel uneasy Paying for two governments.
Scotland, England, Walses and N.Ireland are great nations but together, imo, no longer gel. Westminster serves none of us well. The Union is out dated.
Scotland has a wonderful capacity for future growth given independence... at last a glimmer of hope is burning on the horizon..

43. Nikki - You say that independence would greatly improve relations within the UK however I was unaware that relations were strained. Sure there are times when some tension arises however for the most part do Scots and their our fellow Britons not have a good-natured and friendly relationship? You also mention that there is regular discontent with the way funding is dispersed. With the exception of a few rumblings now and again I doubt very much that their is any real discontent simmering under the surface.

You also ask why Westminster should hold such clout over the Scottish economy. Well I’m not so sure that its grip is as tight as it once was. Indeed, Scotland has the power now to influence its own economic future. In any case whoever holds the clout does it really matter if the economy is performing well? Whether one is a supporter of the union or not one cannot deny that the economy has performed well not only historically (after the industrial revolution) but also over the last 10 years as well. And if a recent study published by economists from the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow is to be believed then the old excuse that our economy still lags behind that of England and the rest of the UK is no longer appropriate. Now, although the SNP were quick to criticise the report if future studies back up its findings i.e. that the gap between Scotland and the rest no longer exists then one of the key nationalist arguments for independence is shot to pieces.

I do not support independence.

I do not believe it is a pressing issue for Scotland.

I am concerned that the debate which seems to revolve disproportionately around growing the economy of an independent Scotland, fails to fully appreciate other important aspects of Scottish society and Scottish life. The new First Minister and his government have failed to demonstrate that independence will make Scotland more able to tackle poverty, reduce health inequalities, sustain full employment etc...

For example, Ireland might have seized on EU funding and the American business opportunities of the 1980s to grow into the Celtic Tiger but economic growth was not consistent with employment growth. Reducing corporation tax proved to have regressive effects.It is unfair that big business should receive such a dramatic tax cut whilst working men and women foot the bill.

The pressing issue about which we need a genuine national conversation is social justice and disadvantage in our society. Nothing the new administration has done to date suggests that independence will have be beneficial to the most disadvantaged.

In fact, Scotland as part of the union has enjoyed record levels of employment is ahead of the game in reducing child poverty.

This debate makes for interesting reading. But I do wish livilion would leave us adults alone to discuss it. We need a full, objective debate about this.

There is clearly a crisis in our notion of Britishness and it is my belief that the decline of empire has fostered this. Indeed, for anyone who may have studied the concept of Britishness, it essentially emerged not in 1707 but when Britain began its successes in colonialisation. Before that there were Scottish, Irish and English, that's it. But Irish, Scottish and English values changed during this period, merging as one into a respect for the rule of law, free speech, the supremacy of parliamentary democracy, the mixed economy, the English language and, belatedly, a tolerance for others. So current Scots have the same values as the English. We both have British values. This is one reason why I believe we are better together.

I hope the UK can remain as one. On the economy, it is preposterous to claim that Scotland's economy and living standards would improve even in the medium term, when outside the UK. The UK is the 5th largest economy in the world and has had consistent and strong growth for the past 10-15 years. Take this grounding for granted at your peril.

It's certainly time for a debate about Scotland's future, as well as those of the rest of the UK. But I'm afraid some of these comments highlight a prejudiced account of the state of the UK, and a pervasive anti-Englishness. If you care to study the facts, and not just the SNP's figures, you will find that Scotland receives more money per head than we do here in England. As an Englishman I am more than happy with this, people in Scotland are in general poorer than in England and redistribution of wealth should reflect this. So that comment over subsidies for SE England can be left behind. London does well for redistribution but that is because many poor people live there and, second, becuase the City generates so much money that, in turn, is redistributed to the rest of the UK.

I have respect for Alex Salmond but I fear he will use taxpayers' money to fund the push for independence. I would like to see Brown announce that he wanted to claim back Scotland for the union. Then we would see a proper debate between two influential politicians. McConnell obviously wasn't up to the task.

To Unionists like me Scotland is very important and we are sincere about keeping the union together. We can achieve more together than we can apart. But the anti-Englishness that is expounded by some people is unhelpful to an objective debate and makes people from the England as well as the rest of the UK more hostile to the Scottish people. So let's have a proper debate and no more of this pandering to prejudice.

I have believed for a long long time that Scotland should become an Independent country.

There is no reason whatsoever that a country like Scotland with the resources it has cant do well. When you look at countries such as Norway & then look at our own, things sort of speak for themselves. It makes me annoyed that we do not have the self confidence & will as a people to go it alone. Its a great shame as I think we could solve (over time) a lot of problems that have bligted Scotland for generations.

I believe that Scotland could do well with or without oil. The ingenuity of our people & our other blessed resources would still mean, I think Scotland would be totally better off. Although I do think gettting independence before the oil runs dry would be great as I think Scotland would miss a golden opportunity if we didnt!!

To those who point to other examples both positive & negative about other countries that have achieved independence I would say that is completely the wrong road to go down. Especially when talking about Rep. of Ireland. Her history is totally different to ours. At times more destructive. She started off from a lower point from what we would start if we achieved sovreignty. So of course we wouldnt be entitled to EU funding. When Eire joined the EU it was a very very poor country.

We need to stop copying/comparing ourselves to other countries and start putting our own slant on things. In that way & only that way can we become a modern, successful & dynamic European country.

As an English born Scottish citizen can I say don't blow it! Too many Scots underestimate Scotland's contribution to England's success! Without the burden of supporting the Union Scots can look forward to forging a successful independant nation. However, there is no point in leaving the UK to join a European superstate - Scotlands's voice would be diminished not strengthened. Look to Norway not the EU.

In response to 46. I think I can vouch for the fact that this debate is not anti English. I come from Essex originally and I would welcome the opportunity for Essex to be free of Westminster rule! Essentially this debate is about governence of Scotland by the citizens of Scotland (whereever they were born) for the benefit of the citizens of Scotland and not the benefit of careerist politicians seeking personal advancement within "unionist" parties. This discussion is about looking forward to a modern era of equality between Scotland & England and not about fighting the wars of the last millenium.

#45. Joe - East Kilbride
Monday, September 3, 2007 22:45

Well if the pressing problem of the day is social justice why don't you tell us about that,rather than telling us about how the Irish deserve jobs more than we do?

The UK has almost the highest business rates in the whole EU. Eire doesn't.

Companies are finding Eire more attractive than the UK to locate in.

Eire's economy is set to overtake Scotland's before the end of this decade.

1 in 3 of the UK's principle employers are unhappy with the fiscal conditions in the UK and are actively considering relocating out of the UK.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/03/14/cngrantthor14.xml

Explain social justice to the kids at christmas when their dad's job just relocated out of the country without him.

>>>ahead of the game in reducing child poverty<<<.

Scotland has amongst the worst child poverty rates and health inequalities in Europe.

The Campaign for Free School Meals, initiated by CPAG in Scotland, was launched in 2001 to ensure that in the new Scotland every school child has at least one decent nutritious meal a day.

You mean that far ahead?

You can call it the Union dividend.