Military AircrewA forum for the professionals who fly the non-civilian hardware, and the backroom boys and girls without whom nothing would leave the ground. Army, Navy and Airforces of the World, all equally welcome here.
Maybe it will put paid once and for all to arguments about 'Scottish' bank notes being accepted elsewhere. I always have difficulty getting these accepted anywhere south of Manchester, expect of course the Channel Islands where they also have thier own notes and coins.
If Scotland gets its independence their 'poond' will probably be worth 2 English ones!
"If" this went ahead Scotland would then have WMDs (4 x SSBNs) that could easily be launched within 45mins, rouge state? Wouldn't be too difficult to invade as we practice twice each year in the Minches
Aside of all the divisive national rhetoric back in the real world. I am about to move from Northern Scotland after more than 10 years, a superb part of the UK with some great people, outstanding scenery and a quality of life my family will struggle to experience again. Oh well back to the rat race
Capetonian: Scots pound worth 2 of the real version? I take it the news of HBOS and RBS didn't make it down to your part of the Southern Hemisphere.
Mind you, I'm a fine one to talk for someone who believes that Scotland begins the other side of Okehampton - the best flying I get these days is on the increasingly-rare occasions I'm allowed to fly the Northern Lighthouse Board's heli. Has to be one of the best rotary jobs anywhere, but don't let the company know I said that. Oh, b****r...
What on earth makes the likes of Salmond imagine that ANY of the oil revenue would flow the way of an independent Scotland? The way that international borders are worked out would mean that the vast majority of the North Sea oil fields would be English with a smattering being Norwegian, Dutch and Danish.
In that case then the oil revenue would go exactly where it goes right now, straight to the City of London.
Oh, and cazatou, I think that you have your Northern England airfields mixed up. Ouston is now Albermarle barracks and the airfield a training and exercise area, no building on the airfield of housing. I think you may be thinking of the former RAF Thornaby, which has been built on.
As to reopening Acklington, kinda difficult as the airfield has been removed from the face of the earth by vast open cast mining and is now restored to farmland while what remains of the technical and domestic area is a prison.
"The way that international borders are worked out would mean that the vast majority of the North Sea oil fields would be English with a smattering being Norwegian, Dutch and Danish. "
Can you back that total bollocks statement up with any evidence?
I consider myself to be British, could play rugby for 3 of the home nations (if I was any good), despise all this divisive crap and will vote against Scotish independance if is comes to the vote, however, trying to suggest that most of the oil would be English if it happened is just sheer propaganda. I believe we all do best joined up as a group, but don't pretend that Scotland is some kind of a parasite on England.
A very simple google search will show you the layout of the fields, and 99% of the oil would be Scottish. 90% of the Gas would be English.
Scotland generated 9.4% of UK tax with 8.4% of the population last year.....
Hummingfrog has an excellent point. I'd move to Shetland and defend it if they declared Independence. About a third of the oilfields are in what would become Shetland waters, and a few more if Orkney went with them.
As for "would you fight the English?", I hadn't noticed they'd stopped! That's why they won't restart England v Scotland football matches.
Look up international border arbitration with respect to a border crossing a coastline. There are numerous examples. Basically, the angle at which the border crosses the coast is extended out to sea. Do that with the English/Scottish border and by far the majority of the oil and gas fields fall easily within the English boundaries.
Even odder, I was at what was RAF Ouston, and is now Albermarle Barracks and the home of 39 Regiment Royal Artillery two months ago. The runways are all intact and are used for driver training. Not a single building on the old airfield site. Have a look at
[quoteEngland (& the Armed Forces) would be a nicer place to live in without them.][/quote]
It amazes me how sore the English are about the idea of Scottish independence, for a start they see England as the be all and end all, its independence from the Union that is the question, not England. England isn't the union on its own, just the biggest fattest lump. It also is interesting how, SAMXXV, you feel you can make such derogatory remarks about some people, but perhaps not others, on this septic isle!
It's because the Scots want (& seem to be getting - at the moment) everything for free, despite paying exactly the same taxes as the English. Is that fair?
The sooner that Scotland buggers off out of the "Union" the better.
I don't see Salmond's logic as anything other than the rantings of a moron. Why should Scottish MP's vote on English matters - yet he insists that English MP's cannot vote on Scottish issues - as is the case at present?
Salmond is the Scottish equivelent of John Prescott - a ranting overpaid windbag. The sooner we see an independant Scotland, Wales & certainly N. Ireland, the better!
Speaking of ranting windbags I don't think any of the afore mentioned could hold a candle to you Mr. But the problem I have, as I noticed Tourist has as well, is that I agree with you about Salmond and Prescott, but you go and spoil it all by tarring everyone with the same brush. I like, I presume, Tourist am a Scot. Of scottish origins anyway. I was born in Ayrshire, my parents come from there also. I am also a staunch loyalist, I am also dismayed at the seeming lack of grasp of many of those scots who the BBC and so on always manage to find to spew some anti-English ignorance on the TV when opinions are sought. But you are just as bad as the thickets, by no means all Scots, North of the border, an idiot who thinks he is personally imbued with the greatness of, in your case, England's past.
I always thought (I could be wrong) that beyond 12 or 20 miles out from the coast it is classed as international waters ? so how could the?any OILFIELDS be Scotland's if they are Not in there waters ?
