Scotland Independence Party

[Boozeburglar]

Isn't it about time that the SNP redesignated themsleves?

Thier name has negative associations, rightfully or not.

We are campaigning for an Independent Scotland, not an independent Scottish populace. We are looking to free our country from the shackles of the two party jiggy jiggy running on and on South of the border, we don't need to align on the basis of our nationality, merely on the basis of being part of Scotland, incomer or not.

I would prefer anyone from anywhere who likes it here to feel free to campaign to get us a 100% say in our affairs, and to take part in that with all of us.

Naive maybe, but we need to distance ourselves from the general perception of Nationalism and Zenophobia associated with us, rightly or wrongly.

I feel it would improve support and realign the existing support along the correct principles.

[pultneytooner]

Makes me laugh how country the size of luxembourg has more say in it's affairs then scotlans has.

[sjr014]

scotland should be free and have our own independence

[Dreadnought]

Makes me laugh how country the size of luxembourg has more say in it's affairs then scotlans has.

You've got a hell of a lot more say in your affairs than the people of England have in theirs. We have no English Parliament or assembly, and Blair has outright stated that we never will have. That is why this has come into being.

[Boozeburglar]

What ssssshhhyyyyyy


The day nth Ireland, wales and scotland are freed by YOUR gvnmnt you will be an englsh prlmnt.

Pish takers.

[Dreadnought]

What ssssshhhyyyyyy


The day nth Ireland, wales and scotland are freed by YOUR gvnmnt you will be an englsh prlmnt.

Pish takers.

Westminster is no more 'my' government than it is yours. It is the British government. Nth Ireland, Wales and Scotland all have their own Parliaments or Assemblies, England has none. We are ruled by all the Scots in Westminster, look at their names: Blair, Cameron, Menzies-Campbell, Brown...where are the English in that lot?

[Boozeburglar]

That has site all to do with it, under our system they are all entitled to run the show.

You are hoist on your own petard.

If you don't want Scots running England, then set up exclusion legislation preventing non nationals participating in the English parliamentary system.

Go on.

Of course, you will have to devolve completely to the Scots, Irishg and Welsh to do that, and face the prospect of being castigated as a zenophobic totality.

[Dreadnought]

That has site all to do with it, under our system they are all entitled to run the show.

You are hoist on your own petard.

If you don't want Scots running England, then set up exclusion legislation preventing non nationals participating in the English parliamentary system.

Go on.

Of course, you will have to devolve completely to the Scots, Irishg and Welsh to do that, and face the prospect of being castigated as a zenophobic totality.

Again you totally fail to understand. How do we pass legislation favouring England when there is NO representation for England in Westminster? There is NO ENGLISH PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM. There is a Scottish Minister, a Welsh Minister and a Minister for Northern Ireland, but there is NO Minister for England.

I suggest you read this and learn some facts, then you may speak on the subject without sounding like an English hating xenophobe spouting nothing but blind rhetoric.

[David from Stockport]

Although it sounds a romantic notion to have an independent Scotland where do you stop with independence for Scotland - i believe there are people in Orkney that want independence from Scotland , would you grant it ? perhaps then we can be all polititions , what we need is a strong UK with Scotland retaining its own identity within it and less polititions all round and those that we keep it d be nice if they were honest and worked for the good of the UK and not just to feather there own nests.

[JAWS]

Lets go the whole hog and bring back the Clan System! Lets do away completely with the paraphernalia of Parliaments.

Freedom for the Clans! Who needs this "One Nation" rubbish, it's just another form of Domination from elsewhere!

[Rheghead]

Again you totally fail to understand. How do we pass legislation favouring England when there is NO representation for England in Westminster? There is NO ENGLISH PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM. There is a Scottish Minister, a Welsh Minister and a Minister for Northern Ireland, but there is NO Minister for England.

I suggest you read this and learn some facts, then you may speak on the subject without sounding like an English hating xenophobe spouting nothing but blind rhetoric.

At least someone understands.

[Kenn]

In my wildest dreams that would be a reality but unfortunately we are now integrated into the the global economy and it would be impossible for us to exist as a seperate entity.
I suspect that the same thing applies to Scotland, if you had been allowed to keep your oil and gas revenues and wisely use the money then the political map could look very different.
Strange that you get devolution just when the stocks are runing out!

[JAWS]

What puzzles me is that the very people who are anxious to win their Independence from a load of Foreigners in London are the same ones who want to hand it over to a different load of Foreigners in Brussels.

Seems to be rather a strange concept of Independence to me.

[Rheghead]

Let us not forget that it was Scotland and the Monarch who pressed for Union in the first place, English politicians were fairly indifferent to the idea.

[peter macdonald]

Is that why there were riots in Edinburgh after the Union ?? Is that why there was 2 rebellions?? the ordinary people of Scotland were largely against Union whilst some of the pro Union politians of the day had their morals decribed by Burns "a parcel of rogues etc"
As for Scottish domination of the UK parliament cast your mind back to 1997 and remember that the government of the time could not even have a Scottish MP as secy of state as they(Conservatives)had been totally wiped out in Scotland We also in the 1st develution vote in 1979 The Scottish people voted in a referendum to set up a Scottish Assembly. For a Scottish Assembly 1,230,937 votes (51.6 %), against 1,153,502 votes (48.4 %). However, London Labour, later SDP, MP George Cunningham had proposed that 40 % of the electorate must vote Yes, thus effectively counting abstainers as No voters. 32.9% of the electorate had voted Yes I have never heard of this being done anywhere else
In 2004 the people of North England were given the choice of having an elected assembly The people voted NO
"Too small to go it alone"?? Go read the Economists data on Finland Iceland Norway Eire Luxemburg and compare the standard of living in Scotland

"Tony Blair is Scottish" ? 'Sovereignty remains with me as an English MP and that is the way it will stay.'
The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair.

A wee thought provoking question ...the Barnett Formula is based on need as it stands today ..Why have Westminster politians resisted calls from Scottish MPs to have the payments linked to TAX revenues ??? Hmmm I wonder could be they are afraid to let us know where the oil revenues have gone perhaps
Anyway we will all be British when it comes to paying for the London Olympics !!

[Rheghead]

It only takes a minority to make a riot, even in Edinburgh. The Act of Settlement was voted and agreed upon by Jacobites in 1701 thus precluding the pretender cause, 6 years before Union!

Burns speaks for a nation? Are you wanting a poet for dictator now?

I think the big problem is 'Maggie', before her the SNP had no support. She has gone now and her ilk are never to return

If you think that one bad PM is the basis for a separation from a Union that has favoured both nations, the northern one imparticular, is a very dyfunctional view of what is best for Scotland.

Every one knows that the flow of taxation flows northward rather than southward.

Just think about this, Scottish oil, what Scottish oil? The oil is British and if Scotland cedes from the Union then she will lose out big style. Like it or lump it, but that is the reality of it all.

[weeboyagee]

Ahh, Rheggers, you know that this is my favourite subject of all time!

Let us not forget that it was Scotland and the Monarch who pressed for Union in the first place

Oh we don't forget that - in as much as we don't forget the rest of history where instead of the English politicians being rather erm,...indifferent to the idea, the English Monarchy of the earlier periods were brow beating and battering Scotland into submission.

It's not a romantic notion to have independence - it's as real as you and I are. Why couldn't or shouldn't we be independent? Why should we be one nation with the 50 million below the border that are jammed in 6 times more per square mile than us - of course our environment costs more per head as shown in the statistics we have been told to go and look up. The fact that we are so sparsley populated means our country will cost more per head to administrate. Of course, if we were able to have the entire "real" income that our independent nation would be able to realise at our disposal then our neighbours south of the border would not be able to laud it so much about paying for us. And as for home rule for Kernow, give it to them - they are a nation in their own right as well!

[DrSzin]

I think the big problem is 'Maggie', before her the SNP had no support.

The SNP had their most successful general election in October 1974 when Ted Heath was still PM - 11 SNP MPs were elected. Look here for a pic. Thatcher became Tory leader soon afterwards (in February 1975), but she didn't become PM until May 1979.

Note also that the worst SNP general-election performances in the last 30 years came in the three elections that Maggie contested as Tory leader - namely '79, '83 & '87. (Look at the graph here.)

The SNP "recovery" in '92 (when Major was Tory leader) was in part due to Maggie's poll tax, but I think a lot more Scots voters were anti-Maggie rather than pro-SNP.

The SNP are riding high in the polls right now, but this is partly due to anti-Labour sentiment. Again, the situation is pretty complicated.

[golach]

Let us not forget that it was Scotland and the Monarch who pressed for Union in the first place, English politicians were fairly indifferent to the idea.

Why was it then that the Earl of Queensberry was going around with approx £1400 of English silver in his grubby little fist bribing all the Lowland nobles at the time, to sign the Union of the Parliaments?

A little note of history here below, poetic justice I think

Located on the Canongate in Edinburgh, backing on to Holyrood Road, is Queensberry House, which now forms part of the Scottish Parliament complex. Built in 1681, it was bought by the 1st Duke of Queensberry in 1686 to provide him with an Edinburgh residence. It is best remembered as the site of the incident whereby James Douglas, the lunatic Earl of Drumlanrig (1697 - 1715), eldest son of the 'Union' Duke of Queensberry, escaped confinement to roast and devour a kitchen-boy in 1707 on the same evening his father was signing the Act of Union

[Rheghead]

It's not a romantic notion to have independence - it's as real as you and I are.

Well I think it is up to a point, as with all romances, they fade.

The fact remains is that the SNP stand for independance for Scotland with a seat at Brussels. Can you be sure that independence will come with a vote to join Brussels. I assume that Scots will be allowed a separate referendum on both issues? The anti Brussels feeling is rife in Scotland, out of both Unions could be a very high price to pay indeed. Better to stay put me thinks.