Scottish Independence

Why should Scotland be Independent? According to Alex Salmond it would benefit both Scotland and the rest of the UK, but is this true? If you calculate the amount of money made through Scotland (including North Sea oil) and deduct the amount of money spent by the Scottish government, there is a £13,000,000,000 (13 billion) deficit. Of course it is true that the whole of the UK is in debt, but it is worse in Scotland. If Scotland were to become independent there would be huge difficulties in deciding who gets what. There’s the gold in the bank of England, how much of that would Scotland get? Also, would Scotland be in the EU? The SNP seem to think that because Scotland is currently a member through the UK that it would not have to re-join, but a letter from the EU seems to suggest that they would have to re-apply. It is also well-known that the SNP want to join the Euro at some point, but immediately after the break-up would they stick with pound sterling? The chancellor, George Osborne, seems to suggest that he would make it difficult for Scotland to do so. It would upset Scottish unionists if security checks were set up along the Scottish-English border, this effectively bans Scotland from joining the Schengen Area.

Another important question for Scotland is how much of the UK debt would they take on. Currently the UK’s debt stands at £1 trillion (£1,000,000,000,000) or roughly £16,000 per person. Is that how much Scotland would take on, or would she take on slightly more or slightly less.

The national identity will play a large role in the referendum. Scotland has been part of the Union since 1707 and has contributed to many aspects of the UK. Many Prime Ministers and other prominent politicians were and are from Scottish. It was the United Kingdom that stood alone in Europe in WWII against the Axis, it was the United Kingdom that enjoyed the Pax Britannica and held the largest Empire, and it was the United Kingdom that fought against slavery the hardest during the 19^th century. The United Kingdom is strong as one and would be weak apart.

If the referendum was held tomorrow I doubt that the Scottish would vote for independence, as the opinion polls show strong favour towards maintaining the union. My worry is that Alex Salmond will continue his campaign that is filled with lies and half-truths, such as Scotland being in surplus whereas it is actually in deficit. He could convince the Scottish people of the independence cause and the union would be defeated. What a sad day that would be.

I am pro-union and believe that Scotland would be worse-off outside the United Kingdom and England, Wales and Northern Ireland would be worse-off without Scotland.

The Flag of an independent Scotland