Originally Posted by
pr00ne
OJ72,
You seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that everything that is British is in fact English.
The Queen will still be the head of state of Scotland, just as she is the head of state of numerous Commonwealth countries that gained independence.
The Scots can call their currency whatever they like, if they want to call it Pound Sterling they have every right. Just that the Bank of England will no longer be lender of last resort.
I would imagine that on independence everyone living in Scotland will have the right to call themselves Scottish citizens.
Anyone living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland will remain British and would have to relocate to claim Scottish citizenship, be they military or civilian.
All UK Civil Service facilities are as much Scottish as they are 'English" and will be divided up as part of any settlement. You can't just assume that they are all English!
Emotionally I like the idea of an independent Scotland, and a reunified Ireland for that matter.
But the economic cost to Scotland could be immense.
The economic cost to England would be negligible and mainly concern relocation of certain military nuclear facilities.
The UK is the fifth largest economy in the world. England would still be the fifth largest economy in the world, Scotland would be about 154th...
That is a LOT of influence and clout to give up.
Dave Gittins,
You make a good point. In addition to things such as DVLA and Companies House, an independent Scotland would have to set up a diplomatic service, embassies and all the paraphernalia that goes with being an independent nation.
I thought the saying was, if you choose to leave the club, then you can’t expect to still use the facilities. You are quite correct, they are UK assets. I would imagine that IScot is about 8%, that also includes UK debt.
Who is going to be the guarantor of all those Scottish mortgages when there is no bank?
I am not making any comment about the rights and wrongs of IScot, I don’t get a vote, mores the pity.