Originally Posted by
squidge
Firstly Prestwick Airport has not been nationalised. It has been taken into public ownership. RagnarRocks I am sure that you know the difference.
Secondly, a publicly owned "public service" to deliver mail to Caithness, Sutherland and all the outlying rural areas is vital. If anyone thought that putting postal services into the hands of private companies is a good idea then looking at what happened at Grangemouth over the last few weeks should change your mind. Private companies with the need to pay shareholders have no loyalty to the wider public. Legislation to ensure universal deliveries will only matter as long as the shareholders are happy. If they arent then watch the situation change. Hands out for subsidies from a privatised mail service ( like the railways, like the energy companies) and soon we are subsidising private companies to deliver mail to rural areas to ensure profits go into pockets of shareholders and board members. Maybe even higher subsidies than we were paying to run the damn post as a public sector business. However, this is all speculation because the renationalisation of the post office depends on the SNP securing enough votes to form the first government of an independent Scotland. As Golach has pointed out, that is certainly not a given.
So what would Independence give to Caithness.
It would give the people of Caithness as part of the wider Scottish Electorate, a government which they vote for. This government would be more accountable and representative of the needs and priorities of Caithness. This is simply a numbers issue. Population of Caithness appears is around 27 000 this is 0.04% of the UK Population and 0.5% of the Scottish Population. Thats a huge difference and will make a difference in the voice Caithness has particularly given the opportunities for renewables the county can offer. If you look at rural scotland the population living in rural Scotland makes up around 20% of the Scotland's electorate. Scottish Rural issues will be much more important to an Independent Scotland than they are to the UK. You ignore 20% of your electorate at your peril.
In an independent Scotland money raised in Scotland will be spent on Scottish priorities. This can only benefit Caithness as the county will be more of a priority for an independent Scotland than it is for the UK.
Another area where an Independent Scotland will benefit Caithness is likely to be around public sector jobs.... Look at how the tax services, the DWP have reduced their presence in the county over the last couple of years. Look further back and see the loss of other government offices not only from Caithness but from the Highlands as a whole. As independence does mean new opportunities for taxation systems, welfare systems and other areas of government then there will be opportunities for better placed public sector resources. Caithness will have opportunities to exploit that and create jobs in this sector.
An Independent Scotland with its own voice in Europe will be better placed to represent the views and priorities of Caithness in europe. Scotland's needs and Caithness needs have only ever been represented as part of a wider UK remit and no one I have spoken to in the fishing industry for example, thinks Scotland, never mind Caithness has got the best deal it could have. Scotland's representatives will negotiate for Scotland across every aspect of policy. They will have the best interests of Scotland as the WHOLE of their remit, in a way that the UK cannot. Thats not a criticism - simply an observation.
Private Sector employment will benefit from a more accountable government in an Independent Scotland. As Alex Salmond said on BBC radio this week, Independence would enable the Scottish Government to offer Loan Guarantees as well as grants and cash loans to companies. This flexibility would help struggling companies or those needing investment to grow and it is far far more likely that an Independent Scottish Government would firstly, know where Caithness is lol, and would be prepared to take care of Caithness in a way that the UK government cannot and will not.
Now much of what I said depends on having the right people in office, doing the right sort of work to stand up for Caithness. It all depends on who is in government too. However, many of these things are not about policies.... They are about democracy. A greater voice, a government closer to the electorate, more accountable and more able to respond to the needs of the population than it is now. Fiscal autonomy will allow Scotland to spend its money where its priorities are in a way that doesnt happen today. Im not saying that Independence will create a hugely wealthy Caithness, or some utopia with wonderful public services and full employment. I am saying that rural issues, rural priorities will be better served in an Independent Scotland than they are served either through Westminster or through a hog tied holyrood today.
Wrong again Squidge!
Caithness voted for the lib dems in 2010 remember? We have got a govt we voted for right now in Westminister, or at least in part. And what about 2005/01/ and 1997 when we voted labour? I asusme it was OK then because those north of a line we drew voted for that?
And loan guarentees? What about the £125m westminster just gave grangemouth as opposed to the £9m the Scottish govt did? Why doest Holyrood care as much about grangemouth? Why squidge why? Why are westmminster doing more where in your eyes they should be doing less?
Thirdly, and this is a point all nationalists ignore consistently when it comes to their wee bit of the country, especially from rural areas. Scotland has one of the most centralised populations in the world. You constantly criticize London-centric policies from Westminster (This is a fallacy, infact the opposite is true but thats another argument for another day), how can you square that with the fact Scotland is far more centralized that the UK is? Almost all our population is in a 70 x 45 mile box.
Last edited by weezer 316; 30-Oct-13 at 16:32.
There are basically 3 type of people in this world, those who can count and those who cant
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