"There was huge Irish immigration to the West of Scotland in both world wars. Would Salmond regard their descendants (among whom I include myself) as Scots?"
If I remember history correctly, the Scotttii were an Irish group who moved into present Western Scotland as part of the Dal Riata in the 6th/7th centuries. In the process they assimilated / killed / exterminated the native Picts. Then the Norwegiian Vikings came along on the west coast and took over the leadership and probably dumped a lot of male genes into the population pool.... Of course the Vikings in turn were later ousted by / subsumed into the "English" (for which you can read Normans and their mercenaries) invades from the south
So you could regard the Irish movement into Scotland as being just a reprise of their earlier invasion and genocide of the Picts (without the slaughter)
The real BIG question though, is whose money is it? If Scotland go their own way, will they adopt their own currency? Or will they join the Euro? If they stay with sterling they would be at the financial mercy of the Bank of England
Last edited by jamesdevice; 30th Oct 2011 at 12:52.