Registering to vote at 14

[parcbara]

Anyone with a mortgage, or any other debts in British pounds, any public service worker or indeed any person on a wage paid by a Scottish employer, and any person drawing a pension in Scotland would be, in my opinion, mad to vote for independence. Set aside the politics. The impact of Scotland changing its currency will have a devastating effect on the spending power of the afore mentioned groups. It can only be assumed that the Scottish Nationalists either have not got the fiscal foresight or they are being very dishonest about the serious implications of such a move. I am pretty certain that it is the latter. Johnson is a chump and a chancer, but Sturgeon is as no better. All in my opinion of course.

[islaydarkblue]

Not sure that McVities biscuits would ever make such a statement. Think the truth will be more along the lines of the age of the production facility in Scotland and the cost of modernising it. Would love some rich Scottish businessman to buy the factory and keep the workforce together and try to win business to supply the same biscuits under contract to McVitie and possibly other biscuit manufacturers.

Of course the owners of McVitie’s would not make such a statement but you do not have to be Einstein to work it out.
Jim McColl might have purchased it but he got his ‘fingers burned’ after he was persuaded by Alex Salmond to purchase the ‘ailing’ Ferguson)s shipyard in July 2014 out of administration and look what had happened to it.
There is no point in throwing good money after bad.

[islaydarkblue]

Anyone with a mortgage, or any other debts in British pounds, any public service worker or indeed any person on a wage paid by a Scottish employer, and any person drawing a pension in Scotland would be, in my opinion, mad to vote for independence. Set aside the politics. The impact of Scotland changing its currency will have a devastating effect on the spending power of the afore mentioned groups. It can only be assumed that the Scottish Nationalists either have not got the fiscal foresight or they are being very dishonest about the serious implications of such a move. I am pretty certain that it is the latter. Johnson is a chump and a chancer, but Sturgeon is as no better. All in my opinion of course.

You have hit the nail on the head.
Of course anyone in Scotland with any sense would not vote in favour of independence but there are a lot of deluded people throughout Scotland who think that Scotland becoming an independent country would be wonderful and all our problems would be solved.
The Scottish Nationalist politicians will not give the answer because they know the serious implications of a Scottish currency would be disastrous with the Scottish Groat being a fraction of the value of the British Pound.
When I ask the pro independence supporters on Islay what the currency would be in an independent Scotland they cannot give me an answer and tell me that I should stop reading Tory run newspapers.
What a bunch of tossers who will be the first to complain when they discover that the Barnett Formula gravy train has ended and the Groat in their pocket is worthless.

[BCram]

You have hit the nail on the head.
Of course anyone in Scotland with any sense would not vote in favour of independence but there are a lot of deluded people throughout Scotland who think that Scotland becoming an independent country would be wonderful and all our problems would be solved.
The Scottish Nationalist politicians will not give the answer because they know the serious implications of a Scottish currency would be disastrous with the Scottish Groat being a fraction of the value of the British Pound.
When I ask the pro independence supporters on Islay what the currency would be in an independent Scotland they cannot give me an answer and tell me that I should stop reading Tory run newspapers.
What a bunch of tossers who will be the first to complain when they discover that the Barnett Formula gravy train has ended and the Groat in their pocket is worthless.

Islay, these arguments have been the same ever since the SNP came to rplace the tories as the official opposition to Labour. the SNP are still the biggest party, by miles, and they are not going to lose supporters through failing to answer the economic questions you ask. We need to find a way to bring sensible pressure on Westminster, in my opinion. The flaw in voting SNP for Westminster is that there is little political gain for Westminster parties, Conservative, Labour or Lib-Dem in trying to produce policies that will help the other countries that make up the United Kingdom. All it does is drive Scotland to the margin. Now that's a great result for the SNP but in my opinion a very poor result for the Scottish people. I think we should not vote SNP for Westminster. We should try to assess who is going to win a majority in Westminster and what the outcome is likely to be. Voting Labour isn't a hard thing for many Scots to do and perhaps we might manage to get real influence if Labour plus Scottish Labour MP's were in government in Westminster? SNP MP's just ensure that Scotland is ignored. That suits the independence agenda but it's a disaster, I fear, for the Scottish people,

[parcbara]

Islay, these arguments have been the same ever since the SNP came to rplace the tories as the official opposition to Labour. the SNP are still the biggest party, by miles, and they are not going to lose supporters through failing to answer the economic questions you ask. We need to find a way to bring sensible pressure on Westminster, in my opinion. The flaw in voting SNP for Westminster is that there is little political gain for Westminster parties, Conservative, Labour or Lib-Dem in trying to produce policies that will help the other countries that make up the United Kingdom. All it does is drive Scotland to the margin. Now that's a great result for the SNP but in my opinion a very poor result for the Scottish people. I think we should not vote SNP for Westminster. We should try to assess who is going to win a majority in Westminster and what the outcome is likely to be. Voting Labour isn't a hard thing for many Scots to do and perhaps we might manage to get real influence if Labour plus Scottish Labour MP's were in government in Westminster? SNP MP's just ensure that Scotland is ignored. That suits the independence agenda but it's a disaster, I fear, for the Scottish people,

I think that you are right regarding Scottish elections and possibly Westminster ones. Corbyn wrecked Labour as far as average people from all parts of the UK are concerned. Difficult to see how that vote base will recover. Not impossible but Starmer doesn't seem to be progressing things very quickly, in terms of restoring the traditional vote. But a separation referendum is where the economic case will matter and come into focus. The nationalists will never win that vote until they can come up with a proper plan. Can't see that happening with the turkeys that run their show just now.

[islaydarkblue]

I think that you are right regarding Scottish elections and possibly Westminster ones. Corbyn wrecked Labour as far as average people from all parts of the UK are concerned. Difficult to see how that vote base will recover. Not impossible but Starmer doesn't seem to be progressing things very quickly, in terms of restoring the traditional vote. But a separation referendum is where the economic case will matter and come into focus. The nationalists will never win that vote until they can come up with a proper plan. Can't see that happening with the turkeys that run their show just now.

About three weeks ago I sent the new Scottish Government Transport Minister Graeme Dey a straightforward question about ferries which he did not/could not answer. He advised that he had forwarded my question to the relevant department in Transport Scotland.
Last Friday I received the reply to my question from Transport Scotland which contained a least one mistake.
When the freight ferry MV Arrow which had been chartered by the Scottish Government on a short term contract to run on the Ullapool to,Stornaway route broke down and was taken out of service after only being sailing on the route for 5 days the Western Isles Council Chief Executive asked for a meeting with the Transport Minister.
Graeme Day refused to hold a meeting with the Chief Executive because judging by his reply to my question he knows nothing about ferries.
Graeme Day who is a former sports editor of the Dundee Courier should in my opinion have been appointed the Scottish Government Sports Minister. Yet another square peg in a round hole.
If I had been Graeme Day I would have blamed previous Scottish Government Transport Ministers for failing to ensure that the Scottish Government owned ferry fleet operated by Scottish Government owned Carnac ferries had been kept up to date.
However Nicola Sturgeon does not allow dissension from the ranks so nothing ever gets done unless it is Nicola’s own ‘pet” projects.

[Deeranged]

About three weeks ago I sent the new Scottish Government Transport Minister Graeme Dey a straightforward question about ferries which he did not/could not answer. He advised that he had forwarded my question to the relevant department in Transport Scotland.
Last Friday I received the reply to my question from Transport Scotland which contained a least one mistake.
When the freight ferry MV Arrow which had been chartered by the Scottish Government on a short term contract to run on the Ullapool to,Stornaway route broke down and was taken out of service after only being sailing on the route for 5 days the Western Isles Council Chief Executive asked for a meeting with the Transport Minister.
Graeme Day refused to hold a meeting with the Chief Executive because judging by his reply to my question he knows nothing about ferries.
Graeme Day who is a former sports editor of the Dundee Courier should in my opinion have been appointed the Scottish Government Sports Minister. Yet another square peg in a round hole.
If I had been Graeme Day I would have blamed previous Scottish Government Transport Ministers for failing to ensure that the Scottish Government owned ferry fleet operated by Scottish Government owned Carnac ferries had been kept up to date.
However Nicola Sturgeon does not allow dissension from the ranks so nothing ever gets done unless it is Nicola’s own ‘pet” projects.

I read this post and have noted that it contains several mistakes.

People in glass houses..........................

[BCram]

I read this post and have noted that it contains several mistakes.

People in glass houses..........................

I love a good grammar question. Dey or Day?

[Deeranged]

I love a good grammar question. Dey or Day?

Carnac ferries - countless grammatical errors, no spacing between paragraphs, illicit use of commas - need I go on?

[BCram]

Carnac ferries - countless grammatical errors, no spacing between paragraphs, illicit use of commas - need I go on?

Actually I started to correct it and stopped because I felt wrong giving someone, who posts a lot of interesting stuff, a hard time.