I'm not saying that it's right, but it's happening.
Jeez, Offshore Addict, you'll feel better for getting that off your chest, I'm sure.
I don't share your doubts about Beagle saying it to PWs in public. He's never been shy to say how much he despises us. He's allowed to have an opinion, and to share it.
By tomorrow morning we will know what the will of the people is, and we can start to make the best of it.
As for Men & Equipment, if it's a Yes, and there is a shortage of volunteers for the Armed Forces of Scotland, the basics of "better than no job" might be all that it takes to entice enough people to come and work here. The BritMil NEM might be all the recruitment incentive that Scotland needs.
We are not going to need much of an Army, we only have a land border with one country, so we only need to defend against England (or whoever conquers England) invading us. The Scots managed that before when the Romans came up here.
I doubt that the US will let England be overrun and I also doubt that the rest of Europe, or the US, will let England invade an independent Scotland, so... a small Army will do fine.
If we get a Yes, then we might well piss away the Oil Revenue on short term Social Justice, as some have suggested, but what matters more than what we do with it, is that England will not be able to do anything with it. That's what has provided the focus for the mainstream politicians.
So, Nuclear subs to the USA for all the support they currently get at Faslane/Coulport. If the RN can operate with them in one foreign country then why not another?
A much reduced Army needed up here, as well as in the south, which will generate both a talent pool for Scotland to cherry pick from, and a wave of unemployment in England.
As for Typhoon, my view is that we really don't need any of them.
For those who insist that we need to "defend" against the soviet hordes I'd suggest reading back over the old posts on pprune about how they can't do away with the Nimrods or reduce the number of Police Helicopters.
People said that we can't operate the Trident boats without the Nimrod, in one guise or another, to operate in conjunction with them. Well...... the world still turns.
As an island nation, we need to have LRMPA it seemed, but hey ho, the world still turns.
The loss of the Harrier was going to be sore and was the wrong choice to make when it was the better aircraft for the job in hand. Harrier scrapped, world still turning.
Civvy tankers on huge PFA contracts destroying capability, British Aerospace ripping the arse out of the budgets, wars being fought in order to spend money with arms manufacturers rather than to protect our own people. Look at who is getting that money and you'll see who is really running the country.
Scotland can avoid that by not having a huge military budget to be pilfered.
If it's a No vote, then we can expect to see revolt in the Tory ranks when DC has to give us the Milk & Honey. His alternative is to backtrack and be shown to be a liar. He, and the Tories will not be able to pull that one again next time. That's what makes it so funny that all main parties have said they will give us more autonomy.
If we vote No today, and ask the question again in five years, nobody will believe anything from Westminster unless they have kept to their word, which the MPs from the deep south are not going to let them do.
Either way, the short term future for Scotland & England is not great, but we will turn the corner sooner if we get a Yes.