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Scottish Independence: With More Pandas Than Tory MPs, Scotland Doesn't Need to Be Dictated to By David Cameron

Posted: 11/01/2012 00:00

No one cares more about Scotland's success than the people who live here and that, ultimately, is why independence is the best choice for our future.

Independence is about making Scotland more successful. At its most basic it is about the ability to take our own decisions on the issues that affect life in Scotland, Scotland's economic prospects and our position in the world. And that is something the people of Scotland understand.

Being able to take those decisions in Scotland would see a Scottish Parliament able to bring an end to nuclear weapons off Scotland's shores and the billions of pounds spent to maintain them.

Independence would enable a Scottish Parliament for example to develop a pensions system that supported our elderly properly.

It would mean that when the people of Scotland oppose illegal wars we cannot be forced into them and it would see a Scottish Parliament able to make the economic decisions on taxation and investment that would grow our industries and take full advantage of our second energy windfall.

In the most recent survey of social attitudes in Scotland 43% of people in Scotland wanted the Scottish Parliament to make all decisions for Scotland. That is independence and support for making all decisions in Scotland is on the increase.

The fact that only 21% wanted to keep things the way they are may hold the key to David Cameron's panicked intervention.

People in Scotland also understand clearly how independence will be achieved.

In May's elections the SNP said we would hold a referendum on independence in the second half of this parliamentary term and that is exactly what we will do.

If others who favour more powers - the devo max option - want to ask a question on that we are open to their ideas, but for us and for me it is independence that presents the best opportunity for Scotland.

What David Cameron and his colleagues do not understand is that a referendum on independence is an exciting opportunity for the people of Scotland, not a party political game, and we owe it to the people who voted in May to stick to our word.

The unwise intervention of Westminster politicians seeking to dictate the timing and questions of a referendum for which they have no mandate demonstrates that the only confusion on the issue is amongst the anti-independence parties who don't seem able to accept that as a government we will stick to the promise we made to the electorate.

Instead of putting themselves into a state of disarray the anti-independence voices at Westminster and the prime minister would be wise to hold to the position that they have all previously acknowledged, that the Scottish Parliament has the right to hold the referendum and that all these matters will be determined by the people and parliament of Scotland.

And the PM's argument that this is all about economic uncertainty does not hold up to scrutiny. When the same claim was made by George Osborne and Danny Alexander neither could produce any evidence to back it up.

The prime minister himself unveiled record new investment in the North Sea by BP and the Scottish government has worked hard to attract new investment into Scotland from global companies such as Avaloq, Dell, Gamesa, Amazon, Doosan Power Systems and Michelin, to name just a few.

So what should the UK government be doing? In May the SNP said one of our priorities would be improving the economic powers of the Scotland Bill - a piece of Westminster legislation that currently does little to transfer the levers of economic growth.

Last month a Scottish parliamentary committee sent the UK government our recommendations for enhancing that legislation and for limiting the damage it will do. Next week the House of Lords will begin to discuss the bill. While David Cameron interferes with Scotland's referendum he has yet to confirm if he will make the changes Scotland is asking for to his own legislation.

Instead of sabre-rattling on the referendum, the UK government should be amending and improving the Scotland Bill to give the Scottish Parliament the economic and financial powers so we can do something about the disastrous impact of Tory/Lib Dem policies in Scotland.

Whatever the prime minister and his colleagues do, independence will be decided by the people of Scotland in a referendum taking place in the second half of this parliamentary term.

The anti-independence parties will have their case to make - once they've worked it out - but that case is increasingly damaged by blundering interventions seeking to dictate terms to the Scottish people and their democratically elected Scottish Parliament as voters contrast the behaviour of the Tories and their allies with the Scottish government's commitment to the people of Scotland.

 

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No one cares more about Scotland's success than the people who live here and that, ultimately, is why independence is the best choice for our future. Independence is about making Scotland more succes...
No one cares more about Scotland's success than the people who live here and that, ultimately, is why independence is the best choice for our future. Independence is about making Scotland more succes...
 
 
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Spanky McFarlane
ILLEGITIMUS NON CARBORUNDUM.
01:50 AM on 01/12/2012
It pains me to see democratic alliances being put under the strain of political nonsense.
This endevour will do little to improve the lot of any Scotsman IMO, at home or abroad.
These myopic separatist individuals fail to see the threat to modern day Scotland & her culture & economy may not even be bourne on the Britsh Isles but rather it hanging in the electronic either that confronts us all on a daily basis around the globe.

Any ' Googleoigist' can see that back in the day 'Clan Donald' (the largest Clan) became what it was not through isolationism, but through strategic alliances that were in its best interest.
In that context Scotland it self is a Modern day 'Clan' of sorts, allied with two other (England & Wales) for the strengh of all three., each in support of the other & each in the pursuit of peace, liberty & happiness, all similar yet different in their own right.

Romantics be dammend, 'Summerled' was on to something!

( & the fact I can weigh in from Canada should be food for thought)

Cheers.
11:24 PM on 01/11/2012
i will be really sad if uk splits up but If every group of 5 million can become independent without the other 60 million agreeing I want home rule for .....insert county or region here ..................
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Nomccain
11:14 PM on 01/11/2012
There's no way that England should retain "ownership" of Scotland. If anyone ever saw Braveheart, it's easy to understand the anti-England sentiment that many Scots still feel toward England. Sean Connery, a Scottish actor leads the way for Scottish independance and I say kudos to him. The days of the so called "british Empire" should have ended. My ancestors were Scottish and I understand.
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11:58 AM on 01/12/2012
Well. Interesting post.

I guess that having seen Braveheart you must be pretty knowledgeable on the subject of Scottish 'independence'?

And I guess that having Scottish ancestors is a bit of a bonus when it comes to discussing the British Empire.

Still, as you say:

"...Sean Connery, a Scottish actor leads the way for Scottish independance..."

What a pity he's decided that his retirement is best spent in the Bahamas rather than an 'independent' Scotland.
12:46 AM on 01/14/2012
lenuk,
Connery's already said he would seriously consider returning to Scotland if Independance came to fruition. He's a big financial backer of the SNP and has become good friends with Alex Salmond over the last few years. But then, the English Media won't report that, as it doesn't fit in with their agenda.
08:49 PM on 01/11/2012
Can anyone give me one good reason why English people would want to retain the link to Scotland. Without Scotland we would not have Scottish MP's voting on purely English matters and we would have missed out on Gordon Browns stealth taxes and and premiership. Result!
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07:41 PM on 01/11/2012
As long as they pay back the excess of tax funds received versus paid over the past 30 years and repay the costs of developing the oil fields, I have no objection to seeing the back of Scottish MPs voting on UK laws that do not apply to them.
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08:19 PM on 01/11/2012
What a shame it will seem to you to be informed that Scotland subsidises the union to the tune of about £800 per head per annum. Read the GERS Report (reviewed and accepted by Westminster's treasury dept.) to see the facts on that.
The banks that we all bailed out (Scots did so to a disproportionate degree) are international corporations trading mainly in the City of London's casino circus by rules set by Westminster. They have the word "Scotland" in their names, but they are not Scottish and have not truly been so for some time now.
Oil in the Scottish sector of the North Sea was mainly developed by international oil companies with a little startup help from UK taxes. The UK taxpayers' investment in the enterprise has been repaid many many times over.
Scots MPs voting in Westminster matters that do not relate to Scotland is mainly a Labour party ploy. The Labour party is based in London. Talk to them about it; it is a gross anomaly and should be ended. SNP members at Westminster never vote on non Scots matters there. That is a matter of party policy and democratic decency, something the Labour lot are apparently strangers to.
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06:53 PM on 01/11/2012
As an outside observer from the U.S. it will be interesting to see how this pans out. Far be it for anybody from my country to dismiss a group wanting to break away from English Rule. ;)

I do know that when it seemed as though Quebec might be getting close to secession they seemed to have a problem with corporations pulling out because their deals were with Canada and not Qubec. Has Scotland avoided that issue because of the SNP?
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07:26 PM on 01/11/2012
"Has Scotland avoided that issue because of the SNP? "
Completely. Our devolved government is bringing in copious amounts of inward investments to work with and develop our industrial base. The potential is enormous for a small nation of only 5 million.
09:25 PM on 01/11/2012
Interesting, looks like they are going about this in a smart fashion.
11:05 PM on 01/11/2012
WLQ Would prefer to be mates with the German people than the English people, that tells you something about this guys politics dont it !
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Merseysidefella
I read the news today oh, boy
06:43 PM on 01/11/2012
Whatever it takes to escape the Thatcher-Reagan model of economics. In the US this has produced a country of Wal Mart and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Whatever happens, I hope that both Scotland and England move away from the neo-liberal economy dominated by financial speculation, either together or as separate countries.
In order to escape from the slavery if the existing economic model, I would even be in favor of the USA splitting into several autonomous countries - a kind of Commonwealth of North America. That way everyone would get to enjoy their version of the American Dream.
Cheers to a happy people of Scotland, England, California or Vermont, as independent countries!
Anything except the slavery of the World-Wide Corporate Regime of Financial Speculation!
06:38 PM on 01/11/2012
Give us independence and the first thing Scotland will get is a brain drain, as everyone who does want to succeed at life knows they won't have a hope in hell of doing it if they stay there. Investigate how many graduates already go south, or abroad to look for work. We have no means of gaining an independent economy (i'm sorry but a Glasgow Ned has more pairs of trainers than we have gallons of oil in the North Sea) and no idea how to spend the money we do have - look at the Edinburgh Tram System debacle, seen any improvements in pass rates in schools recently?
The entire social framework of our country needs to change, we will not be any more proud if we are handed independence on a plate, we will just ask "Where's my piece?", We will not miraculously transform into a peaceful, scandinavian style democracy - we are too poor, to hateful, to unambitious, and too pessimistic. Self-determination will not solve our social or economic issues; Kosovo is entirely propped up by UN peacekeepers, Slovakia is profoundly less well-off than the Czech Republic. First educate people to the fact that 'freedom' is not running about half-naked, and painted blue like Mel Gibson so artistically articulated, and 'independence' is state of being, not a magic wand of prosperity.

Any questions?
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07:28 PM on 01/11/2012
"Any questions? "

Yes. Do you really hate Scotland as much as your cringe filled post seems to indicate?
01:13 PM on 01/12/2012
I love my country, but there are huge inadequacies in our society that we are not confronting. Look at cases around the world of minority peoples granted independence since 1990, and the overriding feature is their dependency: on foreign aid - financial, social, military and political. A state that is serious about independence has to prepare its people and it's economy, Scotland has done neither. Any human rights argument is completely invalid as we really do live in one of the freest countries in the world. I think there are many far more deserving cases in the world of peoples who are truly being marginalised, persecuted, and ethnically cleansed from their homes - are Scots experiencing any of that?
01:05 AM on 01/14/2012
Easton Shen
With regard to the Edinburgh Trams debacle, this was voted through by the combined Labour,Lib Dem,Tory parties 4 or 5 years ago. SNP didn't vote for the Tram fiasco.Just thought i'd clear that up for you.
You go on about being poor,hateful unambitious and pessimistic. Don't generalise a whole Nation by what you see looking back at you in the mirror every morning!
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Mark B Robertson
06:05 PM on 01/11/2012
Freedom will be ours soon. Hopefully, our journey to escape from Westminster control will not be as fraught as the War for Independence that the USA had to fight in order to free itself from the nightmare that is control by Westminster.
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05:49 PM on 01/11/2012
Reading the comments here shows that many people don't know very much about this subject, except West Lothian Questioner - Cheers from California, WLG! There are many opinions but precious little understanding.

For many Scots the most important thing is Independence; this will give many people the will and desire to do more for their country, instead of sitting back doing nothing because England is in control. Every nation should rule itself; it gives people pride and that can propel them to act in ways to make things better.
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05:57 PM on 01/11/2012
I'm in full agreement with your 2nd paragraph there Johnny and I hope that our people will opt for going down that road when the time to vote comes along.

Flattering though yur opening remarks are I would seriously hesitate to give myself any such eminence. I'm really just one more guy with a keyboard and maybe too much time on my hands these days. I'm happy to quote the SNP leader Alex Salmond and apply the words very firmly to myself in saying that i "have no monopoly on wisdom."

Thanks for your kind words and your expression of support. Those and your surname get you a fanning from me, Picasso being one of my favourite artists ever.

A' the best.
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12:06 PM on 01/12/2012
"... Reading the comments here shows that many people don't know very much about this subject ...".

So I see.
04:09 PM on 01/11/2012
All very interesting some comments here but the figures dont back them up. at the 2010 election the tories were only 79,000 less votes than the SNP they were only 3% behind them in the over all total. Both labour and the Lib Dems support the view from Westminster which means that over 80% of voters in the general election voted against salmons view. in the Scottish election of 2011 only 31% voted for salmon so 69% could be argued dont support his moves.
in fact an ipsos mori poll in December 2011 supports this by showing
Nearly two-thirds of voters now want a referendum to be held either as soon as possible (33%) or within the next two years (31%), contrary to the intentions of the Scottish government who are planning to hold the ballot towards the end of the current Holyrood session.
05:50 PM on 01/11/2012
Your post suffers by you choosing to say ''salmon'' instead of Salmond. It's kind of creepy and insulting.
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craiglll
03:47 PM on 01/11/2012
Be careful, you might get what you wish for.
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ScottishScript
"I am not a number, I am a person!"
02:29 PM on 01/11/2012
It’s true, we have more Pandas - an endangered species - than Tory MP’s, which means Scottish Tories are on the verge of extinction. And yet a Tory Prime Minister believes he has a right to dictate policy over the party the majority of Scots voted for?

I wonder how the English would react if they had to accept ultimatums from a party they did not vote for? A party that in no way shape or form represented their views or principles. Would they accept it the way they tell us WE should? Not - on - your - life.

I do not trust ANY party whose members are committed solely to landing cushy cabinet jobs in London. They do not have Scotland’s best interest at heart and never will. All they seek is power and for them Scotland is too small for their ambitions. Fine, but Labour politicians should least admit it.

They should admit they’re doing the bidding of the boy Miliband in the hope of currying future favour. They should admit Labour’s abject fear that without Scottish support they may never see power in London again. They should admit for them Scotland is little more than a political rung on a ladder to Westminster.

Salmond’s victory was in part due to the Scottish people expecting protection against a new Tory Prime Minister. So just remember, when Salmond locks horns with Cameron he’s doing what we expect of him. He’s doing his job.
04:21 PM on 01/11/2012
we do, from 1997 to 2005 B-liar had 56 Mp`s from scotland who voted on matters relating to England ( this support allowed several changes to come into play) there were also another 16 libdem snp who tended to vote with B-liar. even after 2005 this still stood at 58 giving support to both B-liar and his Broon stuff. the figure is the same today.
so we have this little group voting on issues that did not affect them including University fees when B-liars 46 scots made the difference
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05:34 PM on 01/11/2012
The SNP members never vote on non Scottish matters. That is a matter of both party policy and democratic decency. Look to the London based parties for the people to blame for the anomaly of the West Lothian Question.
It is the right of members of the house of commons to vote on any and all matters brought before the house, but, as you very rightly point out, there are some times when it is positively anti-democratic for them to do so. It is a practice which Scottish independence would not bring to an end for as long as there are MPs from Wales and N. Ireland in Westminster. The only cure wuld be a devolved parliament for England. That's an English matter that Enlgish people need to raise with Westminster on their own behalf.
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05:41 PM on 01/11/2012
Another second thought... I don't know about later parliaments, but in the first blair government at least, Scottish MPs votes were not needed to pass Labour legislation. England voted Labour into power without any help being needed from Scotland.
04:04 PM on 01/12/2012
Well, rven if it is true, since the modern parliament (from 1834) English MP`s have told Scotland , and Wales, what will happen.
England having what, 500 or so against 150 and dropping, for the rest of UK (or England as most English call it!)
In Scotland, we got the poll tax, check how the North Sea "border" was drawn to ensure our oil was initially almost all in "English" waters. The line was about three miles off the East coast then across unbelievably at Aberdeen.
Our so called UK MP`s made sure Scotland plays second fiddle on most matters.
If you listen to the News, how often does a problem in England get the rider, "in Scotland this problem has been resolved". That`s in only 11 years of devolution. Just think how we could do without the burden of England.