UK offers Scotland more autonomy ahead of vote

If Scotland wants a share of the assets post divorce, they have to take on a share of the debt too. Not condescension but reality.

Elizabeth Heath wrote: ||Scotland join the Euro? Not for a long time, they don't even have a central bank.||

Agreed. However, recognize that the essential purpose of a central bank is to manage national debt (repayment of loans made to government). So, at present, there is no need for a Central Bank of Scotland.

'Labour's role as eager contractors in Cameron's PR war against the Aye vote have revealed them as desperate.'

A key factor in the growing yes vote is a growing number of Labour voting Scots saying aye. I don't know who should be more terrified, Cameron as the man who could go down in history as the PM who saw the breakup under his watch or Miliband seeing Labour's chances of beating the Tories get slimmer.

they don't even have a central bank

an example of the "wee Scotland" condescension fuelling the Ayes?

Scotland join the Euro? Not for a long time, they don't even have a central bank.

an independent Scotland would not be able to use the British pound

Ever tried to spend a Bank of Scotland tenner in London, anyway?

If the YES vote wins on Sept 18, the English will lose Faslane, and the ability to store nuclear weapons there

Portsmouth's ewekippers would love 'em!

If the YES vote wins on Sept 18, the English will lose Faslane, and the ability to store nuclear weapons there. The Brits DO NOT have a plan B.

Interesting times for Blighty. This latest straw-clutching by London is really the icing on an unpalatable cake that not even sweet Scottish teeth will have any of.

Labour's role as eager contractors in Cameron's PR war against the Aye vote have revealed them as desperate.

And it was no Hobson's choice: Ed Miliband - and the No vote - would have been in a much stronger position had he vowed to respect the wishes of the Scots regardless of #indyref's outcome.

When will politicos learn that you rarely weaken movements by attacking them?

wtfjapan wrote: ||an independent Scotland would not be able to use the British pound||

To the contrary. The new government of Scotland will be diplomatically solicited to join (retain) a currency union with G.B. Whether it will accept or not and under what terms remains an open question. Ireland's experience with the EURO will augur against but the cases are very very different. Ultimately the Pound Sterling must be (ought to be) retained as a united currency in the interests of both the London City financial institutions and the energy business interests who will be immediately pushing more FDI into independent Scotland. For that reason the Tory party will backtrack once the hand is played, and push Currency Union as their idea. Other ideas (potentials) would require too much bottom up support to be politically realistic for the time being.

an independent Scotland would not be able to use the British pound. so they can use the Euro or even make there own currency.

“There is no guarantee whatsoever that if Scotland votes ‘No’ we will get a single additional power for the Scottish Parliament.” exactly why didnt they give them this offer whatever the vote is, looks like panic is starting to move in.

'It looks like Scotland is slipping away. Who would believe anything Cameron says? The mere sight of his ruddy, dissembling face would be enough to make me vote for independence.'

I don't know why that comment was thumbed down. It's a running joke that whenever Cameron or his pathetic sidekick Osborne open their mouths on this issue the yes vote goes up in the polls. Eton-educated southern English Tories telling the Scots we are better together is a comedy sketch.

"She said that if the British government was serious about giving Scotland more financial powers it would not have waited until two weeks before the referendum."

Zing!

I think the Scots will cut their nose off to spite their face unfortunately.

Why?

Are you of the generation that also thinks the loss of empire is something to regret?

The short term economics of independence, at least, look encouraging. Also, and more importantly, having the political ability to do what the majority of Scots want without being overruled by westminster is very attractive.

Potential disaster in the making. Get your money out of sterling and watch this all go tits up from a safe distance.

I think the Scots will cut their nose off to spite their face unfortunately.

Cameroon's ruddy faced spectacle at the NATO gathering in Wales has won the vote for Yes (peeling away a super majority of the former undecideds who now solidly favor Yes). Scots want no hand in UK meddling with fractured Ukrainian politics; or another long drawn out adventure in Iraq.Syria.Jordan of the kind Tony Blair conned them into; or more distorted BBC media programs supporting Tory initiatives. This calculated gesture of offering to loosen the grip Westminster holds on the national purse just a fortnight before the vote was never mentioned by Darling in the debates while he pounded away on demanding to hear about a Plan B. Watch now how keeping Scotland in a Currency Union suddenly becomes top of the Westminster agenda and gets reborn and rebranded as a Tory plan (exposing the Plan B rhetorical gambit as a deliberate deception). Goodnight Mr. Darling. Goodmorning Scotland.

Will be sad if they go but looks ever more likely. Jimizo - don't think the Tories devastated their industries, think it was competition from the East and excessive costs and low productivity. But take the point that Scotland has a visceral hatred of the Tories (didn't used to be like that).

Looks like the Jocks might choose to go it alone. Uncharted waters. could be messy and could have real effects in Europe - Basques, Catalans, split of Belgium all more likely if Scotland goes independent.

Full-blown panic now and this offer of greater autonomy has already been greeted by many in Scotland as coming from a government which has never had the interests of Scotland in mind and only decided to act when they saw scary opinion polls. The temptation to evict the Tories from Scotland after they devastated their industries, humiliated them with the poll tax and now this shower in Westminster insulting their intelligence with this panic measure, must be very tempting.

Zichi - You have hit the nail on the head. Westminster (and especially the Tories who run it) really are desperate.

Take the opportunity Scotland - you will be doing us all a favour by creating the ensuing discussion and reform of UK politics.

Zichi - one question - why the dig at 'little England'? You will find vastly similar views on politics and society just south of the Scottish border down to the midlands as you will above it.

It looks like Scotland is slipping away. Who would believe anything Cameron says? The mere sight of his ruddy, dissembling face would be enough to make me vote for independence.

The UK government has no mandate to do this. Any vote for independence is for Scotland alone. Any change of the existing financial/political makeup of a UK in which Scotland continues as a member is for the whole of the UK to agree upon. No British citizens have been consulted on this.

This is why Scotland should go it alone, knee jerk reactions with no public mandate from out of touch Tories.