If you were Scottish would you ditch Sterling for the Euro ?

Euro

You are assuming that, should Scotland become independent that they would automatically be accepted in to the Eurozone.   

God help us all

If Scottish Independance went ahead, I give it three years before some disaster causes us to go cap in hand back to the UK asking to be let back in as with the Darien Scheme which allowed the Act of Union to proceed in the first place.  

Is life under the tyranny of England (and Wales & NI) so bad? I don't recall anyone turning up on my Wedding night for the first go with my new wife.

One huge unanswered question.

If Scotland votes for independence, what portion of the national debt are they taking with them? The money borrowed by governments has been spent as much on Scotland as anyone else, so a portion of it is Scotland's debt - not ours. I wonder just how that figure will be worked out, and just how Scotland proposes to pay it?

As a Scot

first of all I should declare that I do not see independence happening.

However if it does, England should beware.... Alex Salmond will run rings round George Osborne in the negotiations about the share of the debt assumed by Scotland, and also the share of oil etc retained by Scotland.

There is no possibility of Scotland being forced to leave the EU - the French and Germans will get together to find a way of ensuring that this is the case, just for the sheer fun of sticking it up the English!  it is only if they are forced to leave and rejoin that they need to join the Euro and also the border control agreement (Schengen?)

I think that Scotland should either have complete independence with its own currency, border controls, etcetera, or, become a full part of the UK ruled entirely from Westminster. The current half way house is unsustainable.  Why should one part of Britain have different rules and different benefits to another. Elderly people going into care in England have to sell their homes to pay for it, in Scotland they don't. Either we are one country, or two independent countries.

Federalisation

Roger

The one country argument is an [***] - its just a case of different priorities in life!  If you dont like the differing rules then vote accordingly!

Scotland has always had a separate legal system and education system (in my view in both cases for the better!).

I have always been of the view that a monolith England is not the ideal solution either - a better solution would be to federalise England, thus diluting the power of the South East and giving England a better, perhaps more equal society.

Just a thought

If Scotland is getting a vote opn whether it wants too stay in the union - why isan't Enland getting a vote on whether we want them to stay ?           EDIT - posted at same time as JC - great minds thinking alike ?

North Sea oil

Just wondering - is there anything preventing the Shetland Isles declaring independence too, and taking their North Sea oil with them..?

Disagree with the original analysis

I'm afraid I disagree with the Flying Scotsman here.

While I share some unease about the spread of the euro (in its current state) and the EU, I think Osborne has played a really stupid hand. By appearing to deny an independent Scotland the right to continue using the pound, he's reinforced all the stereotypes of the English as imperial masters.

I'm sure the implied threat will drive thousands into the independence camp.

If we're being Machiavellian here, could he be doing it on purpose? Would an independence vote, followed by the decline envisaged and then application for reunion somehow play into long-term Tory plans?