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Scots

Should Scotland be independent?

Alex Salmond of the Scottish National Party has brought out a Scottish independence plan.



"The Scottish independence white paper, unveiled by the first minister Alex Salmond on 26 November 2013, was 'conservative' and 'unambitious'."

Did Alex Salmond miss his chance?

The richest countries in the world, in terms of wealth per person, are mainly countries with small populations and a moderate degree of socialism:

Singapore, Norway, Sweden, Denmark...

Scotland already has its own parliament, but it has limited powers.

Scotland, since it got its parliament has been attracting more foreign direct investment than all the other parts of the UK apart from London.

Foreign investment: Catching the Scots | The Economist



Scotland's top politician Alex Salmond says that if Scotland became independent 'next week', it would be the eighth most prosperous country in the world for GDP and have an income £2,000 per head higher than the UK average.

Scottish independence 'could lead to job creation'

The mainstream media tries to tell us that Scotland will have 'a debt problem' if it becomes independent.

An independent Scotland would of course take on a share of UK debt.

It is estimated that if Scotland took on 'a population share of UK public sector net debt', this would be equivalent to 72% of Scottish GDP.

This would be lower than the equivalent UK figure of 77%.



An alternative way to determine Scotland’s share of UK public sector debt could be to base the calculation on an estimate of Scotland's previous contributions to the UK’s public finances.

According to the economists, this would mean that Scotland’s share of UK debt would be 27.6% of Scottish GDP, lower than the population share calculation.

What about the UK's national debt? | Yes Scotland



According to Scotland's Alex Salmond:

"The one-size-fits-all economic policies of successive Westminster (London) governments have failed and are continuing to fail the people of Scotland.

"We perform well at the moment, but we should be doing so much better.

"A simple glance at many other European countries of similar size to Scotland, some without the natural advantages Scotland has, shows that we have lagged behind their growth rates for decades."

Scottish independence 'could lead to job creation'



According to Alex Salmond:

Scottish independence could lead to the creation of lots of new jobs.

According to Alex salmond, an independent Scotland would:

1. Focus on exporting more to countries such as China and Brazil.

2. Cut taxes on businesses.

3. Revive manufacturing.

There would be a revival of Scotland's engineering.

Scotland would copy Germany's Mittelstand model - promoting small firms with fewer than 250 employees.



There would be an expansion of the renewables industries, pharmaceuticals industries, financial services, food and drink, tourism and energy.

Industries would be helped through tax breaks, investment and the easing of red tape.

4. Make full use of its natural resources and huge human talent.


Conclusion

It is England that has the debt problem.

It is England that does not have vast oil wealth.

It is England that goes in for expensive foreign wars.

Vote YES for Scottish independence.

Amanda Slater 

"The Scottish National party has declared it 'game on' for next year’s referendum on independence from the UK after a poll it commissioned found support for a ‘Yes’ vote outnumbering that for ‘No’ by 1 percentage point.

"The result of the Panelbase poll, which found 44 per cent favouring independence to 43 per cent against, contrasted sharply with a number of other surveys in recent months that have suggested a clear lead for the ‘No’ campaign."

SNP buoyed by poll in favour of independence

A YouGov survey unveiled at the weekend suggested 59 per cent of Scottish voters would vote against independence, with support for independence at just 29 per cent.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) wants Scotland to be independent, but are the SNP being led by the wrong people?

According to commentator John Wight: 

"The SNP, and the broader YES campaign they are leading, are starting to pay a heavy price for their timidity in putting forward a vision for Scottish independence, which can be summed up as 'independence without independence.'"

Campaign for Scottish independence vulnerable

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Union soldiers 1863.

How easy might it be for Texas, or Scotland, or Western Ukraine to become independent?

In 1861, the USA fought a civil war to prevent a break up of the union.

Since the 19th century, the Kurds have been trying to break away from Turkey. 35,000 people have been killed in the recent Turkish-Kurdish conflict.



In 1905, Norway voted in a referendum to become independent from Sweden. 

Sweden briefly considered war.

Then the Swedes let Norway break away peacefully.


1916 Easter Rising in Dublin

Britain put up a fight to prevent Irish independence, but eventually gave independence to the South in 1921.

Britain has used violence to prevent the North from becoming independent.

In 1956, the Russians used violence to put down the Hungarian revolt.

In the 1968, the Russians used violence to put down the revolt in Czechoslovakia.



In 1991, the break-up of the Soviet Union was peaceful. 

However, the Russians have fought a war to prevent Chechnya from becoming independent.

In 1993, Czechoslovakia was peacefully split into two countries, one for the Czechs and one for the Slovaks.


Alex Salmond's plans.

Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party. (Photo Peter Brunskill)

Scotland's GDP per head is bigger than that of France and bigger than that of the rest of the UK.

Even pro-unionists accept that the country has all the ingredients to be a viable state - Financial Times, February 2, 2014

Scotland has 8.3 per cent of the UK population and produces 9.2 per cent of its gross domestic product.

Oil, whisky and a huge range of manufactured goods mean an independent Scotland would be one of the world’s top exporters.

An independent Scotland could expect to start with healthier state finances than the rest of the UK.

Even pro-unionists accept that the country has all the ingredients to be a viable state - Financial Times, February 2, 2014