Thanks once again, Englishmix, for posting such informative stories! The last story was very good, but the last line in the article raised my hackles a bit (I know, you're just posting, not taking sides ) If you'll bear with me, I'd like to toss my two bits in.
The Scottish independence movement is gaining momentum, and quickly. Word is getting out about the slant the BBC puts to their newscasts (even BBC Scotland) towards keeping Scotland in the UK. Efforts are being made by many different Scots groups to get the facts out to the people amid the British propaganda, so more and more Scots are losing their fear of independence.
Some recent facts brought to light in direct contrast to BBC reporting:
--Unlike BBC run polls, the Wishaw Press reported 84% of Scots support independence.
--Scotland contributes 4 billion to the defense budget, yet only 2.6 billion is spent directly in Scotland. As an independent nation, Scotland could spend 3.5 billion on its own defense (at a half-billion savings from what it is spending now) and be spending more than Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, and others.
--Scotland's population comprises 8.4% of the union, but financially contributes 9.4% in tax revenue. That's an extra £1,000 for every man, woman and child in Scotland.
--Unionists claim that an independent Scotland would not retain EU membership, one of their biggest and most compelling arguments to deter Scotland from seeking a divorce. However, legal and constitutional experts, including Eamonn Gallagher, a former director-general of the European Commission, and Lord Mackenzie-Stuart, a former president of the European Court of Justice, both confirmed that an independent Scotland would continue in EU membership if it so desired.
--Another argument from England is that Scotland would not be able to support itself, having "relied" on Tory coffers for 300 years. One of the biggest sources for Scots financial stability is North Sea oil. According to the chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the oil reserves in the North Sea (Scotland territory) will last another 100 years, and at the moment, only half of the potential is being drilled for. Add to that the whisky trade and tourism, and Scotland can look forward to a black ink future.
It seems to this outsider that England's true motives for retaining Scotland in the union is financial. Perhaps, once England bankrupts itself, Scotland will make a bid to unionize her!
Sources: The Wishaw Press Herald Scotland The Telegraph Newsnet Scotland
To comment on the above Scottish indepence story. A friend of mind who is really big into the whole goverment conspiricy thing always says follow the money. I'm guessing some of those who oppose Scottish independence are looking at those oil fields and are thinking alot about the profit those pull in. But one has to wonder how much will Scotland get out of those. Which big oil company owns the rights to those fields and are they willing to work with a independent Scotland?
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Unavoidably Detained by the World
"Irishness is not primary a question of birth or blood or language; it is the condition on being involved in the Irish situation, and usually of being mauled by it."-Conor Cruise O'Brien
Pour mouth to mouth
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