SNP acting like "spoilt children"

[mistermack]

Fuck the SNP.
Let's hear it for the large and sensible majority in Scotland, who have no intention of voting for this shit.
It does them credit.

[Beatsong]

Despite the Scotch Fundamentalist wishful thinking, the "remaining" UK, ie, overwhelmingly the majority of the current UK, economically or demographically, will be the successor state of the "old" UK. Scotland will be a new state and will have to start accession negotiations with the EU.

Thing is, if UK is the sole successor state, and Scotland a brand new state with none of the international liabilities and assets of a successor state ...... we will have no debts.

If a continuing UK keeps the assets, both physical and international, they keep the liabilities.

"Assets" including the entirety of North Sea Oil, right?

The division of assets and liabilities is an entirely different question from the future of sterling. Sterling is the currency of the UK. England and Wales will still be part of the UK. Scotland will be making a free choice to leave - nobody is telling it to.

[klr]

Sad as that makes me, I fear Lord Hux is right there, Scotland won't be at once a full EU member, like nothing had happened, and given how the governance at 28 is, I doubt we'll take a 29th at once, even if it fully qualify otherwise... and the New Scotland WILL be fast tracked into the Euro system if and when admitted as a full member, because if it wants to play UK, it will be denied membership plain and simple... at best the negociations for admission will go the Turkish way... remember, existing members can veto a new guy... so it's play nice of play out.

assuming, of course that SSNP wins the referendum...

Quite right. Adding new members is a tricky business on so many levels*, which is why it usually happens in batches. The likes of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are waiting in line, and you can be sure the Greeks (and others) will be playing hard-ball.

*Re-jigging the voting and parliamentary arrangements is not for the faint-hearted.

[klr]

Despite the Scotch Fundamentalist wishful thinking, the "remaining" UK, ie, overwhelmingly the majority of the current UK, economically or demographically, will be the successor state of the "old" UK. Scotland will be a new state and will have to start accession negotiations with the EU.

Thing is, if UK is the sole successor state, and Scotland a brand new state with none of the international liabilities and assets of a successor state ...... we will have no debts.

...

We all look forward to Scotland being a big net contributor to the EU coffers from day one then.

[Svartalf]

Despite the Scotch Fundamentalist wishful thinking, the "remaining" UK, ie, overwhelmingly the majority of the current UK, economically or demographically, will be the successor state of the "old" UK. Scotland will be a new state and will have to start accession negotiations with the EU.

Thing is, if UK is the sole successor state, and Scotland a brand new state with none of the international liabilities and assets of a successor state ...... we will have no debts.

...

We all look forward to Scotland being a big net contributor to the EU coffers from day one then.

IF Scotland does get the North sea oil fields, it just might... or are the infrastructures so dilapidated since Thatcher set out to destroy everything that they'd need our money to put everything back on level?

[DaveDodo007]

Wee Eck's flim-flam about walking away from a share of national debt if Indy Scotland is not allowed to use Sterling demonstrates that he is no statesman. Such a course will, as Dave notes above, look like a default to international investors.

Who is flim-flamming? Salmond and the Scottish government (and the YES campaign) have said Scotland WILL accept our share of the debts of the UK. Because there will be a splitting of assets and liabilities on independence.

If Scotland is refused a share of the (edit)assets, which will never happen, Scotland simply wouldn't be *expected* to accept a share of the debts.

The threat isn't from Scotland ...

This is news to me as so far Salmond has said he doesn't recognize Scotland share of the debt, if he has changed his mind then I would like to see the quote from him.

[Hermit]

...Salmond has said he doesn't recognize Scotland share of the debt, if he has changed his mind then I would like to see the quote from him.

Actually, what he did say was that Scotland would not take on its share of the national debt if Westminster refuses to share the pound. I think it's meant to be just a bargaining chip, or if you like - a blackmailing attempt to gain independence while retaining a currency union. Such a proposal of course can only be entertained by people who live in cloud-cuckoo-land, but there you go. The bit left out after the threat to renege on debts places the quote in a completely different context.

I hope for the sake of the Scottish people that the referendum will result in a resounding "No".

[Rum]

Frankly I will be astonished if they vote 'yes'.

[Clinton Huxley]

Scotch Fundamentalists

With all due respect to the forums rules, you are an idiot.

Now we see the violence inherent in the system.

[Clinton Huxley]

I see the entire UK cabinet is heading to North Britain today. Not sure that is a great idea.

[cronus]

I see the entire UK cabinet is heading to North Britain today. Not sure that is a great idea.

It is if they don't come back.

[Audley Strange]

Fuck the SNP.
Let's hear it for the large and sensible majority in Scotland, who have no intention of voting for this shit.
It does them credit.

Heh, you've never been here have you?

[Clinton Huxley]

I see the entire UK cabinet is heading to North Britain today. Not sure that is a great idea.

It is if they don't come back.

I hope they remember the booster seat for Clegg.

[Audley Strange]

I see the entire UK cabinet is heading to North Britain today. Not sure that is a great idea.

Wiser than turning up here yesterday, it was payday for many places in friday, most of the population would have been half-cut and burned the fuckers in a wicker van. (It used to be wicker man , but the wicca are a pain in the arse about gender fluidity.)

[Rum]

The costs of going it alone seem to keep mounting (unless of course this is another example of fact actually being 'bullying'):http://bettertogether.net/blog/entry/eu ... -bombshell


The European Commission has warned that a separate Scotland would have to increase VAT on items that are currently exempt, like food, children's clothing and construction projects, hiking up costs for families and businesses in Scotland.

In a letter the head of unit at the EC taxation department, Donato Raponi, said:

“Under the current EU VAT rules, member states are obliged to apply a standard rate of at least 15 per cent and may also apply one or two reduced rates, set no lower than five per cent.

“Once the accession treaty is agreed along with any VAT derogations, it is no longer possible for a member state to introduce special VAT rates.

“The member state must apply the EU rules.”

At the moment the UK enjoys an exemption from VAT on 54 items, including food and children's clothing, because of a longstanding agreement, which Scotland would not be able to apply should we break away.

The news follows recent warnings by supermarket bosses that the cost of doing the weekly shop would rise in an independent Scotland. Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's have all said that the increased cost of doing business in Scotland could be passed on to customers if we leave the UK. Today, the extra costs are spread out across consumers throughout the whole of the UK.

Commenting on the letter from the European Commissioner, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson MSP said:

“Yet another potential cost of independence has been exposed.

“We know that within the UK families don’t have to pay VAT on vital items such as books or children’s clothes.

“The European Commission has now confirmed that, as a new member, an independent Scotland would be forced to give up those hard won tax breaks which help ordinary families every year.

“That means a minimum five per cent increase on thousands of goods.

“No ifs, no buts – those are the rules for any new member.

“It’s not just Scottish families that would be affected, but Scottish business too.”

“Thousands of people in Scotland are employed across the construction sector in areas like shipbuilding and aircraft repair – areas which benefit enormously from VAT exemption and would be hit hard by such tax breaks being taken away under independence.

“None of this has been spelled out by the SNP.

“We now need Alex Salmond to tell us fairly and squarely – what will VAT rates be on all these household items after independence?

“How much more will already hard-pressed families have to pay for children’s clothes and books?”