Thanks to Jacob for finding this website on Scottish Independence. Sorry it has taken me so long to upload. Please remember when reading this, that it is from the Scottish government and therefore a pro independence website. Click here to access.
What are your thoughts?
What would you vote?
In my experience, I've learned that people are often naive about the consequences of independence for Scotland. Sentiments such as 'Scotland wouldn't be able to cope without money from Westminster' are misguided; Scotland as a nation pays more tax to Westminster than funding that is receives through central distribution (or something to that effect). Their GDP per capita ranks 8th out of 34 OECD countries, and statistics reveal that they provide '98.8% of UK off-shore potential oil production', possess '10% of the EU's wave-energy potential', and compensate for '11.6% of UK farming production'.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Sterling zone, a lot of England and Wales see it as a "messy solution" due to various reasons - see this for detail: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-25034379 - and on the whole, I agree.
But I sympathise with Scotland in that, their case for independence is so widely misunderstood and their ability underestimated. Being part of Westminster which has been occupied by a government that was 'rejected at Scottish ballot boxes... for 34 of the last 68 years' has surely hindered their world image, not least as their majority oppositions to bedroom tax and privatisation of the Royal Mail (2010) has been overlooked.
With an economy heavily focused (approximately 72%) on providing services as opposed to agriculture, production (etc.), they seem a nation capable of independence in foreseeable circumstance.
In the UK's case (one free of Scottish influence), the WLQ is settled, and Westminster restores sovereignty and some funding, despite losing out on the tax paid by the nation.