Scotland's BIG question, can I shine a new light?

BluesWalk
BluesWalk Member Posts: 48
edited 15. Jul 2014, 06:58 in Community Chit-chat archive
Hey all o/ I am a new volunteer with Arthritis Care and while I was away this weekend I had a thought about Independence. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

As it stands now, there are 650 seats in Westminster:

533 for England
59 for Scotland
40 for Wales
18 for Northern Ireland


The MAJORITY of the seats determine the outcome of:

benefits and social security
immigration
defence
foreign policy
employment
broadcasting
trade and industry
nuclear energy, oil, coal, gas and electricity
consumer rights
data protection
the Constitution



So we take these numbers and it works out the % say by country is:

England: 82%
Scotland: 9%
Wales: 6%
Northern Ireland: 3%


Close your eyes for second and think about a pie, with 4 people wanting a slice. What would be a fair slice for each of the 4 people? 1/4 or 25% right?
When you look at the above percentage we can see who ate all the pies :P

''but that percentage is based on population'' - I heard em' say.

This is where I present to you....

...the United Nations

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization established on 24 October 1945 to promote international co-operation. Today, the UN boasts 193 seats where everyone joins together in equality. Not seats based on population but as equals from all the countries.

Take your views on the pound, the oil, even the price of haggis and all this nonsense that fills the news and think back to that pie. Not only has England got, the lions share of the power; it dominates Scotland and her pitiful 9%.

So that's what I was thinking about and it has sealed me in voting YES! woop!

What do you think?

Comments

  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Be careful what you wish for; independent living is expensive. :wink: If Scotland votes for devolution it will take time to organise but one thing I hope the English parliament will do as a result is scrap the Barnett Formula. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    You would give ¼ of the money to Scotland and ¼ to England although England (56 million people) has eleven times the population of Scotland (5 million people?) What sort of maths is that?

    I have family in Scotland and we are all agreed that Scottish Independence is a romantic pipedream. As a northerner, I do appreciate the Scots' irritation with being governed by a Westminster public school elite but independence means much more than just getting rid of them.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • BluesWalk
    BluesWalk Member Posts: 48
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    No i would give 1/4 of the vote to Scotland. If we were viewed as an equal country that is. Same as Ireland Wales and NIreland.

    Its not like we don't have the infrastructure to run Scotland.. We have police, hospital and fire department. We have local councils who have been running things for us quiet well. We have a parliment building and means to conduct voting etc. Where is th part where Scotland becomes on its knees due to voting yes? Hahah I think we would manage just fine with all the extra money that the toffs have been lining their pockets with.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    So you would give a quarter of the UK vote to Scotland's 5 million people, presumably another ¼ to Wales' 3 million people and another quarter to N. Ireland's (less than) 2 million people and the final ¼ to England's 56 million people? And you think that is perfectly fair :shock:
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    So because you have buildings galore ergo you can run your own country -I don't think it's that easy. Don't confuse infrastructure with ability, you are currently over-subsidised by Government (thanks to the Barnett Formula) which enables you to have the benefit of free prescriptions, free care for the elderly and free university tuition. What would you do about Europe? Would you apply and take on the Euro or steer clear? What will you do about the armed forces? I see no reason why ours should fight to defend you if you no longer belong to the UK. What about taxation? Scotland is thought to be a deprived area of the UK (I'm not sure what your employment levels are) but how will you provide benefits if there is not enough income through tax? And then there's the biggie of the oil: that is a finite resource, I know that Scotland is currently trying to encourage overseas companies to establish headquarters etc. but they are not flocking to do so. There's no international airport as such, the geography of the country is challenging and you have the majority of the population settled in two cities. Salmond's dream is very short on detail and specifics. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I'm not good on economics but let's just take the situation on whisky alone. A good Scottish industry? Not entirely.

    Although Scotch whisky must be made in Scotland, and although it represents roughly a quarter of Scotland's exports, only about one fifth of the total output is made by distilling companies which are based in Scotland.

    The leading distiller is Diageo, which currently has more than 35% of the market and is growing. Diageo remains headquartered in west London.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20946411

    As I said, I'm not good at economics but I do know that things shouldn't be taken at face value. The world of business and finance is very complex.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright