Alex Salmond announces Scottish independence referendum terms (25Jan12)

[KillerAtWarzz]

We don¬t need England..Never have Never will..We will be one .Remember we fkn kiked your ass.You never kiked ours.Why London has the right to run the UK has always puzzled Scotland,N/Irelnad,Wales.I think N/Ireland & Wales should do the same.

[MrRobertJameson]

@KillerAtWarzz Oliver Cromwell conquered Scotland in 1651.

And it was King James VI of Scotland who decided to make London his capital.

I hope the Scots know they will have to take full responsibility for Northern Ireland.

[broadband01]

save the union,this guy is a anti english bigot,who is living on the hatred of the past

[phantomhacker90]

@broadband01 when the act of union was signed there was wide spread rioting this shows clearly Scotland never wanted to be in a union

[888Valkyrie]

the snp's policy is to remain a full member of the eu and as a scot this saddens me greatly that the snp are not really campaigning for independendence they are campaigning to be run by Brussels instead of Westminster which is just wrong.

the people of scotland dont want to be run by themselves not by Brussels who will rape our fishing agriculture and legal system our government playing second fiddle to them in every area ... That is not a vision do independence it is just another form of rule.

[MrRobertJameson]

@888Valkyrie Salmond fully supported Labour's unlimited immigration policy for thirteen years, and he has said many times that he wants more immigration for Scotland.

[BritishWarLord]

This guy is just anti English, anti British bigot.

[phantomhacker90]

@BritishWarLord with you traitors bending over to William of orange and everyone who came to the shores of england

[BritishWarLord]

@phantomhacker90 That does'nt make any sense

[apes850]

a full 747 full of snp went to represent scotland to be granted the commonwealth games , but as we know a dvd was all that was required as it was a seminar decision , why all the snp go

nicola sturgeon gives a asian fraudster 80k of tax payers money , he gets nicked for fraud , and nicola WRITES to the judge asking to be leniency

salmond and sturgeon make it no secret ,they will accept all immigrants

expect nomore shipping contracts from the navy

sturgeon and salmond = dangerous

[apes850]

99% of council housing staff are white,giving priority housing to blacks,but when the white complains ,theyre labeled racists,my somalian drug dealing neighbour gets attacked in the STREET,hes offered 5 houses in one week,25th jan i get a gang of thugs barging into my HOUSE looking for another dealer in my close,my housing office turn a blind eye. dont want to know ,im the carer for my dad ,he lives on the other end of the city ive had doctors mps, social work supplying letters,so whos racist?

[M1965Paul]

He's the least inspiring political figure around today.Wait a minute,none of the others are either!!!!!! :)

[NottinghamForest22]

he looks drunk.

[GamD2]

@youknowimright1 Disprove anything I said. Yes there are flaws in the euro, but Where euro is fighting to not fall apart, UK is coming loose at the seems. Few more years Frankfurt will be the head of banking not London. Euro as a trading zone has is the biggest in GDP, import and export. There is more to lose with the collaps then there is with its success. Its a really shitty out look for democracy, but democracy died when capitalisim got born.

[youknowimright1]

@GamD2 Once again FACTS!, Frankfurt is based in the eurozone if you have not forgotten meaning that i will be suprised if any banking institutional HQ's are based there due to the Financial transaction Tax, among other taxes, besides Frankfurt will have no edge due to tax harmonisation of the eurozone which means any low taxes germany currently posesses such as VAT,Personal Tax, corporation tax, PAYE tax and solidarity surchange which is lower than the average OECD figures wil be lost.

[youknowimright1]

@GamD2 True i do agree with you london will lose it's edge but banks will NOT go to Frankfurt, they will go to places with low tax and no levy's such as Hong Kong, Singapour and New York. While you are right that the eurozone has a very large GDP but there export import ratio is a bit more complex than that, When you said Eurozone had a big export base you mean't nearly every other country with a dificit and huge debt except Germany is boosting there economy and export base. Right?

[GamD2]

@youknowimright1 Well I think the banks will find t very hard in the future to find a " Home City " based on tax purposes, as they come with HUGE risk to collapse an economy. Only time will tell with that.

Scotland will have a massive choice to make and who to borrow the money from, Either the UK gov or the ECB either way they will start with a debt.

[youknowimright1]

He has asked the question "should scotland be an independant country", meaning by law that the vague word independence means not dependant on any institution even the EU, NATO and the UN.

[alynukemall]

TRAITER SALMOND YOU TRAITER WE WILL NOT KEEP THE QUEEN WE WILL NOT JOIN THE EURO AAAGGHH IM GONNA BURST A BLOOD VESSEL im making a democratic republican party opposed to the euro and keeping the queen WHOS WITH ME? god save scotland and curse the queen

[chancergordy]

@alynukemall pretty sure that OUR Queen will be head of state despite what Westminster want you to think! Don't fall into their traps and red herrings!

[selecktabo]

Psycho british Government....Their history is an embarrassment...Making Oswald Mosley a Sir, 18 years of they sicko bastards the tories lead by a true nutter who decimated Scotland whilst trying experiments like the Poll Tax...Having to listen to David Cameron makes me razzzzzzzzzzzzz....

[selecktabo]

Thought the King's speech today was magnificent...especially when responding to the conservatives who are now known as the Scottish Labour Party....Was nearly sick when he said we would continue to share the queen....like F;;- O,-'. this question should be included in the vote..... It may well be the Scots want rid of everything British...including war, Bullingdon club members,posh nutters who know nought about govering. Start by clearing Scottish Lochs of their weapons and put them in London..

[ukipwarrior]

What happens to the scots in the Army do them for treason???

[bassrugby12]

An independent Scotland is an interesting prospect... I think in 2 years he'll get his message across and it will be voted through... will still be at least another 5-10 years until it would officially happen though...

[revonvideo]

Surely it should be: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Rather than "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" because it is a leading question?

[jistaface]

@revonvideo

The "agree" part in the question is about consent. "Should Scotland be an independent country?" would simply be an opinion poll.

Analogy: In Scotland, when you get married and say "I will", you're not just saying "I am going to marry X"" you're saying at the same time "that is my will".

You're not just saying those two things - you're enacting or committing marriage by saying it.

To "agree" means you're undertaking a social contract with the rest of the electorate.

[revonvideo]

@jistaface Ah okay. Thank you.

[coffeefish]

They can start by getting some proper office furniture.

[DerBlitzStag]

The Scottish Parliament looks like something from Hitchhickers Guide to the galaxy.

[truefictions]

Good for Scotland!

Set yourselves free from the EU!

[gerryboy3699]

@DerBlitzStag they are pro euro but the issue of european membership should come up for debate out of this , hopefully.

[G6Colours]

@DerBlitzStag Everything you said is bullshit, they are not pro euro, what's pro euro about wanting to keep pound sterling, or leaving NATO. And pursuing a 100 percent green powered state.

And what's wrong with being anti British ? have you seen the maniacs that run this country, any person in their right mind would stand up to this tyranny. I might move up to Scotland at this rate, I mean.. SHIT.

[danwhittle]

@G6Colours If you are talking about SNP, then yes they are wanting to join the EU you fuckwit...

[MrKinloch999]

@danwhittleThe SNP are holding out to see how the Euro crisis unfolds. There is no solid declaration out there yet that they are 100% committed to join the EU as far as I'm aware of. Infact the opposite might hold true. Key SNP members praise Norway's economic model as a nation and they seem to have aspirations to function like them. The only question answered is the validity of Scotland joining the Union from day one of independence. Which doesn't imply anything concrete.

[jistaface]

@MrKinloch999 "SNP are holding out to see how the Euro crisis unfolds."

A a Scot, I'd say you have that about right: and most Scots are canny enough to agree with that cautious approach. We don't have the same anti-european streak in our culture/politics as England, but we are also fairly pragmatic, less ideologically driven regarding Europe.

But as for "joining" the EU - post-dissolution of the (UK) union, Scotland and England each inherits the same rights/responsibilities.

[youknowimright1]

@jistaface I'm guessing thats a joke you just told about scotland not being eurosceptic, i'm guessing you have a fantastic sense of humour or you have never seen an opinion poll in your life and are ignorant to that fact that the scotish are just as eurosceptic as the english and you are a pathetic embaresment to call yourself a pragmatist and rediculas that like you dare talk about politics without knowing all the facts.

[jistaface]

@youknowimright1 "i'm guessing you have a fantastic sense of humour or you have never seen an opinion poll in your life"

POf course I have a fantastic sense of humour, who hasn't? ;)

I've seen hundreds of opinion polls in the last 40 years. If they were right, we'd have voted overwhelmingly against devolution in 1997, the SNP would never have had more than a couple of MSPs or more than one MP, and in Holyrood that wouldn't exist, we'd have another coalition lapdog government.

[youknowimright1]

@jistaface I can say that the opinion polls cannot always be 100% reliable and can only act as an indication of the public mood and what tendancy they favour, all because the snp got a majority does not mean all those that voted for the growing party is in favour of their main principle Independence (obviously), It seems pointless for the scotish to gain independence since by the snp opinion they will still retain the pound, they will keep the queen and will not need a passport to cross boarders

[jistaface]

@youknowimright1 Opinion polls are notoriously unreliable where Scotland;s voting is concerned. The only sure thing about them is that they sonsitently underestimate support for Scottish governenace, whethr expressed in support for the independence parties or for "yes" in devolution votes.

Please - please! try to get over the conceptual "what will happen after independence" hump. After independence, Scots will CHOOSE WHATEVER governments with WHATEVER policies we support

[jistaface]

@youknowimright1 Pointless? Pointless for Canada to not become the 53rd state of the USA? Pointless for Northern Ireland to not just join Ireland. Pointless for Austria & Germany to stay separate?

It's not just about money. It's hardly even about money. It's about having a democracy accountable to us, that reflects our values, where OUR children participate.

PS One Scottish party intends to keep Sterlinguntil and if it becomes advantageous to do otherwise. WE do have others.

[DerBlitzStag]

@G6Colours Keeping sterling is a transitional measure designed to increase stability. Everyone knows that the Celtic Nationalist movements started to go mainstream because they thought they could recreate the 'success' of 'independent' Ireland.

NATO isn't mandatory for EU members, leaving it is just a sigh Scotland will not be a major military power and knows it, and green energy is neither here nor there.

[GamD2]

@G6Colours Its all guessing to be honest, Scotland will need a HUGE cash injection. This will probably come from the EU

[truefictions]

@DerBlitzStag

The good for Scotland part of my comment was to show support for Scotland becoming an independent nation. If indeed Scotland becomes an independent nation that should automatically get them out of the EU as well at least on a temporary basis.

I can't imagine the people of Scotland wanting independence and then see them give it up to a dictatorial EU project.

Peace

[DerBlitzStag]

@truefictions It's because the Common Market invalidates old state structures that all these regionalist 'independence' movements exist. An independent Scotland is merely an ego-trip based on historical misconceptions about the nature of the Union, inspired by Hollywood movies and crass cultural stereotypes.

Devolution is fine, being dissatisfied with the Westminster government is, but independence is just silly.

[jistaface]

@DerBlitzStag

If you don't mind me commenting, all the Mel Gibson pictures are what English media editors use to frame the discourse on independence. And the media is overwhelmingly unionist (and run from London).

Because independence is portrayed in a silly way, that doesn't make it a silly thing.

Independence has been under serious discussion in Scotland since I was a child in the 1960s. Scots are fed up, not with A Westminster governMENT but with Westminster governANCE.

[jistaface]

@truefictions "If indeed Scotland becomes an independent nation that should automatically get them out of the EU as well at least on a temporary basis."

International law is clear that "successor", emerging or seceding states generally inherit the treaty rights & obligations of the state they emerge from.

There's no exact precedent for the post-independence status of England & Scotland, but the default under UN law is that both would remain in. They'd have to DECIDE to exit.

[FreedomFighterUK]

@truefictions The SNP are Europhiles, they only want to break up a union that has stood strong for over 300 years. Salmond says he doesn't want 'foreigners' deciding how Scotland is run, yet he supports the EU and has only recently changed his position regarding adoption of the Euro. If the Scottish want to break the union, so be it; but as they would be subserviant to the EU, would they be truly free?

[truefictions]

@FreedomFighterUK

I hope they break away and have independence from the UK and EU.

I look forward to visiting a free Scotland one day.

Peace

[jistaface]

@truefictions Uh...Scots are in general not nearly so anti-european (in politics or in culture) as England. So Scotland's probably more likely to stay in than England is. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[truefictions]

@jistaface

No problem, the EU will fall apart soon anyway once it goes bankrupt.

[GamD2]

@truefictions you do know Britain has hit the 1 trillion debt mark? I think you will find EU has a massive manufacture/export and the weaker Euro is only benefiting the Euro countries exports, giving it a vital cash flow

[youknowimright1]

@GamD2 why do you even comment on something you know nothing about, If you were an economist, a business man or a politician, you should know your facts and have a balanced and pragmatic aproach to your opinion, the eurozone is institionaly flawed, their economic model is based on the german model ecnonomics which means that one size is supposed to fit all not based on any current curcustances, what is practical, the capability of the economy, the political situation, public opinion.

[omid145]

@truefictions Alex Salmond intends to keep Scotland firmly within the EU, he's a Europhile, no plans to leave it.

[DouglasKellock]

@truefictions an independent Scotland will remain in the EU

[cmatcmextra]

@truefictions Not only will they be in the EU, as a new member they will have to join the Euro.

Also, "do you **agree** that Scotland should be an independent country" is not an unbiased question.

[rollerballrico]

@truefictions free from the eu!! talking rubbish, if they get independance they will be like ireland and hanging off the ue's apron strings waiting for handouts, they would have to adopt the euro . scotlands not strong enough financially and industrial to stand alone and against the eu. plus it would have to take on its share of the uk debt which is about 180 billion. independance yes but as part of a uk group is the only way

[NottinghamForest22]

@truefictions loll the SNP are pro EU.

[djedd23]

@NottinghamForest22 That may be but they also said if Scotland became independent, then they would have a referendum on whether or not to join the EU. I think many would vote NO.