Scottish Independence Vote 2.0

The political landscape in the UK is in such disarray at the moment it's very hard to pick where the country is going.... The Country.... Even that is a loaded term.  When I say "The Country" I mean the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland the collective "We Brits" if you will allow me to say.

I have always fervently believed the union makes us stronger as an island nation and even lets us have fun with it, especially on the sports field.  But politically, globally, trade & positively as a nation better together.

I even tip my hat to the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands in that; perhaps even as far as the overseas dependencies which have maintained the "Brit" connection and retain their self-determination.

So why am I waxing lyrical about this?

Scotland.  I keep seeing John Swinney of the SNP banging on about Scottish Independence and another vote, sure fine, go ahead, rock the boat John; I'm positively sure there's no problems at SNP headquarters anymore... Right?  (Queue the Anakin Skywalker Padme memes here).

What is it John Swinney is banging on about which has irked me?  Well, it's the way he blindly goes into this independence conversation, seemingly without any thought for the Scottish Public; what he seems to be focussing on is what the big sweeping brush he can achieve for Scotland might be.

Such things as closer ties to the EU, France especially, possibly Scotland rejoining the EU as an independent country from the UK's exit, he bangs on about Industry and opportunity for Scotland.

But he blindly ignores so much of the whole picture and that's what annoys me about the mans position and policies.

He wants to remove the UK Nuclear deterrent from Scotland, so what happens to all those jobs supporting that infrastructure?

What happens to all the Scots in the UK armed forces themselves?

What happens to all the free University places?

All the NHS infrastructure if he took it to being the SHS?

With modern data and searching it's quite trivial to see the baseline numbers on this, numbers he is ignoring and none of it works out for the Scottish public.

Scottish Government Revenue (2025-2026) was £98.3 billion.

Public expenditure for Scotland (2025-2026) was £123.3 billion.

That's a deficit, that means Scotland cannot run the services it currently has to the quality they currently are as an independent country.

This means free further education, adult social care, housing and personal benefits as well as probably infrastructure like the road and rail would all suffer in order to close that hole in the public finances.

Then add to the fact that Scotland needs a defence system of its own, unless the Scots wish to routinely welcome Russian over flights or threats of invasion by Donald Trump.

It's bizarre that the numbers are so stark and there are so many members of the Scottish public ignoring this simple and perfectly understandable situation.  And it's one the devolved Scottish government itself puts upon the people, they kept free further education in Scotland, that's all out of the public purse, the  revenue from the North Sea fields off of Aberdeen & Dundee, will likely walk off with the private investment owners - which won't be Scottish for the most part.

It's just bizarre that the SNP and John Swinney are rocking the national boat like this, seemingly for their own notoriety.  And the current Westminster gaggle are too spineless to address them with the simple reality - Scotland cannot afford to be independent without making the Scottish people very much poorer financially, functionally and fraternally.

People of Makerfield

Here I am again, being political, I watched Question Time last night... And I have to say I wasn't impressed with very many of the members of that panel.

The standout moments being the childish faces the Green Candidate pulled when members of the Green Party were quoted back to them.

The Liberal Democrat candidate and Reform candidates coming across as very nervous, or certainly not as confident as the others on the bench.

And then the Labour and Conservative candidates.... Often trying to bounce off one another as if they were jovial colleagues "We've had conversations at length".  To use a very English turn of phrase, they all piss in the same pot.

Really, people of Makerfield, you have an opportunity here to avoid voting for the current "mainstream" parties, those parties whom have hog tied and destroyed our democracy, spent our money and left this country a husk of itself in just a quarter of a century the decline in this country is unfathomable.

You Makerfield, you have the opportunity to simply null and void this party political shenanigans in the Labour party.

You Makerfield, have the opportunity to agree with many of the voices in that audience and indeed the candidates, that politics needs a root & branch reset.

That means simply not voting for the parties whom have proven themselves full of self-serving, lying, traitors.

I'm not telling you who to vote for.  I am however suggesting whom not to vote for.

I love Wales, and I like Scotland..... So IndyRefs?

I'm British.... If we want to delve further into that I was born in England and can trace an 8th of myself to very strong Irish Ancestry, the rest is a bit of Norfolk and a lot of Nottinghamshire.

As a kid I spent time holidaying in North Wales; and of late I've spent a bit of time holidaying on Anglesey.  I like Wales a lot.

I also like Scotland, I had a lovely friend who is Scottish, I've many acquaintances who are Scottish, and I toured Scotland once with notable stops in Dundee and Edinburgh.

Lately the wife and I have even contemplated moving to either country.

However, the thoughts of moving to Scotland were tempered with all this me-gudgeon about IndyRef2.  Now, I thought the matter was settled in the first, it was a close vote, I think every Scottish National voted; and they were out voted by everyone else; there were even a bunch of apathetic people who didn't even bother to vote and still the nationalists were out numbered.

And to be perfectly honest, I think recent times have taught us you're stronger together.  Doubly (or is that quadrupley?) so in terms of the UK.

So hearing all this hoo-haa about the possibility of another referendum and wanting to put things into perspective I took a look at the Scottish Governments own publications; they make for interesting reading.

And I of course focussed on the economy and how Scotland may fair as an independent unit, my question came down to one of Revenue versus expenditure, and to be perfectly honest if I were a Scot asking for independence I'd be scared stiff.

As an Englishman this is perhaps easy for me to say, and feel free to dismiss me; but I'm talking about the FOI-202200277763 publication of the Scottish Government; where it clearly states that "Around 40 per cent of the Scottish Budget 2020-2021 was funded from revenue raising powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament."

40%? Where does the rest of the 60% to keep the country afloat arrive in the coffers from?  "a block grant from the UK Government".

Right, so a lot of money goes into Scotland which it itself can't afford to provide, and I've taken a look, no-one; not one single party calling for IndyRef2 has an answer to this problem.  Indeed they don't ask it, and I find that so very worrying.

I'd even proffer my own opinion that is I, or anyone in Whitehall, asked the question they would have a decorative Shortbread tin stuffed down their gullet faster than you can say "Nicola Sturgeon".

So how do these politicians pulling on the strings of Nationalist Sympathy think the money will come from?  Honestly, I can only believe they think the UK would continue to stump up the cash; forgetting there would be no more UK.

The United Kingdom would cease to exist.

There would be Scotland and then the rest of the Kingdom; England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Assuming the latter did not continue to fund Scotland, which I believe they would in some way, but assuming that "we" didn't what would the Scottish Expenditure Portfolio become?

Well, I believe Health and Sport would take a hit, particularly Sport.   Quite what the split is between the two is not made clear in 202200277763.  But I think sport would go.

Communities and Local Government is the next big ticket item; well there would not be any "Local" in Government, there would just be the Scottish Government; but does that necessarily spell a saving?  I don't think so, for there would suddenly be a requirement for institutions to facilitate the functions of state.  For example, the Bank of Scotland would have to issue actual currency, Passports, Drivers licensing and control; so many things assumed to cost zero to Scotland today as they're provided services of the state would have to migrate and be picked up by Scotland.

Indeed in the current portfolio "Government Business and Constitutional Relations" shows as zero; because there is none, that cost would sky rocket; more so in a hostile departure from the Acts of Union.

Similarly the "Audit Scotland" would rise, Scottish Parliament too... So many things.

And I can only see the people of Scotland suffering, or the people remaining in the Union being forced to bail out the situation; so I don't get it.

Personally I do not get it, I do not see any need for England, or Wales, to depart the Union, and neither can I see this for Scotland.  It's almost an emotional reaction from some Scots, that they want to be independent, but asking them quite what that means, it means they want the status quo AND freedom; but looking at the books that can't happen.

Whatever your thoughts mine are quite sad, I'm personally strongly against moving to Scotland with this question poised as it is.  I would only move to Scotland if it were part of the Union anyway.

My References:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202200277763/

https://www.gov.scot/policies/government-finance/setting-the-scottish-budget/

https://yourviews.parliament.scot/finance/scotland-public-finances-23-24/

https://fraserofallander.org/scottish-budget-guide/

https://ifs.org.uk/articles/scotlands-underlying-public-finances-are-improving-oil-and-gas-revenues-rise-long-term

BBC Top Gear - To Argentina - DO NOT APOLOGISE!

If they apologise I'll have a fit... I will seriously throw my rattle out my pram... Fuck Argentina, they conducted an illegal war against a British protected territory, whom has repeatedly stated its people wish to remain British... I am so suck of Argentina and this topic...

Just go on YouTube find a documentary about the Falklands war and read the Argentine comments...

One guy was trying to claim the Brooklyn class CRUISER the General Belgrano was a transport ship... Are you fucking retarded?... It was a CRUISER when it was laid down in the '30's and it was still a cruiser when we sunk the bastard!

It just seems whenever there's something to distract the Argentine people about they wheel out the Falklands... And the people follow like kittens being shown a ball of yarn.... Wake up people your politicians are hiding shit from you.

Like the Military Junta of 82 was hiding it was disappearing thousands of people... Remember them, not some trifling war they used to try and swing your opinion, and grow up you lost, grow a set of balls over it!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29706449