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[garynortheast]

[ethariel]

According to the 2018/2019 Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS) report, tax revenue in north of the border amounted to around £66 billion.

That figure includes North Sea oil revenues.

How much money does Scotland receive from the UK Government?
In 2018/2019, Scotland received about £81 billion in public spending, according to GERS.

So thats £15 billion a year in cuts come Independence, on top of all the lost revenue when SNP shuts Faslane down, along with the 100k+ jobs in the oil and gas industry that will go to keep the Green's happy (oh and the 10 billion a year in tax revenue from that).


But the big question on everyone's lips is - What do we call the new border wall, Hadrians Wall 2? (and more importantly what happens to the pub build half and half over the border, cheap booze in the English side (no minimum pence per unit) and passport control to try it? lol)

And last but not least - considering Scottish notes are not actually a legal currency, merely promissory notes backed by the bank of England - What currency will you use?

And just for the record, i'm a Jock, I spent my first 18 years there and do still consider it home, even tho I'll never get a vote (unlike illegals dumped on the council's north of the border will - go figure that) on the subject it's a fair bet I'm in favour of remaining in the union.

[Bibio]

i think those figures are a bit misleading due to Scotland generating a lot of its revenue at home which the UK government does not see or receive.

Scotland will call its currency whatever it likes just like any other independent country. the new Scottish currency will not need to be backed by the BOE. its worth will be calculated on how every other country in the world's is. the BOE will have nothing to do with it apart from giving all currant Scottish banks their "retention" back. the three scottish note issuing banks notes will then become legal tender and Scotland's new currency unless Holyrood decide otherwise. i dont know why people cant understand this. its the same as EVERY other country in the world........ get it..... btw the word Pound and the £ sign are not copyrighted and any country in the world can use the term and sign its just that they cant call it the Bank Of England pound or the GBP. think of Scotland as a new Ireland which became independent in only 1922.. or indeed another country that has flown the nest.

votes are for people who LIVE in Scotland not expats. if the UK want to include everyone else in the vote then go ahead, that way we know we will win as according to people down south we cost the UK government a fortune. with Scotland being part of the UK then we are entitled to what we receive. if we truly do cost more than what we generate then why is the UK government so hell bent on keeping Scotland????

[keith_d]

Originally Posted by Bibio

if we truly do cost more than what we generate then why is the UK government so hell bent on keeping Scotland????

For the Labour party the incentive to keep Scotland as part of the UK is clear. Historically, Scotland has returned a lot of Labour MPs. Without those votes it could be a very long time until we see another Labour government. If the SNP loses momentum in a decade or two, those seats will probably revert back to Labour again.

For the Tories it is less clear, and I suspect it's a matter of precedent. If Scotland leaves it would only be a matter of time until Wales goes the same way. Then how about an independent Cornwall??

Just my thoughts,

Keith.

[keith_d]

On the subject of an independant Scotland, the choice of currency is the least of the issues.

Top of my list of contentious issues is division of the UK national debt. The obvious choice would be to share it on a per-capita basis, but with politicians involved there's no danger of that happening. Instead there would be decades of wrangling about who pays what.

Second on my list is defence. This is an absolute minefield (pun intended). Do both countries get separate armies, and if so who gets what?? If it's a combined defence budget, who pays what and where are things like ships and tanks built?

Then there's the issue of nationality. If Scotland is a separate country who is entitled to citizenship? Is it by birth? Length of time living in Scotland? Scottish parents/grandparents? Ask three politicians and you'll get four different answers.

So, while Bibio makes it sound like a straightforward process I think it will be a complete mess once the politicians get involved. Much more complicated than when the UK left Europe.

[Bibio]

its not like Scotland would build a big wall to keep the rest of the UK out the moment they got independence. things wont change overnight and it would take decades to sort everything out. i would personally say 50 years till a truly independent Scotland. independence via diplomacy always takes longer and there is a loooot to sort out its just that in the mean time Scotland would be looking after its own finances and residents instead of being dictated to by Westminster. we already know that its a bit of give and take with Scotlands budget so thats not an excuse and the idea that Scotland cant take care of itself is just plain ridiculous. as for an army... well that would have to be sorted out but i would suggest that whats in Scotland stays in Scotland. its not like Scotland is going to be invaded anytime soon.

national debt... thats a sticky one and i guess that Scotland would owe the UK something just like Westminster owing the EU something. another thing is Scotland would gain the right to borrow and have a debt of its own.

hard border.. that would be up to Holyrood and Westminster to sort out.

i would not worry about places like Wales and Cornwall i would be more concerned about places like the north of yorkshire wanting to join Scotland.

[keith_d]

Originally Posted by Bibio

national debt... thats a sticky one and i guess that Scotland would owe the UK something just like Westminster owing the EU something. another thing is Scotland would gain the right to borrow and have a debt of its own.

The UK national debt is a serious heap of money. Assuming a per-capita distribution, Scotland would be responsible for about £180 billion. That's in a completely different league to the 39 billion that the UK as a whole will pay to settle outstanding liabiilties with the EU.

(UK national debt: £2.2 trillion, Scottish population: 8.2%)

Obviously, neither side will want to pay their share and will try to offload more onto the other. So I'd expect this one to get nasty!