Hey RMDU.

[stewarty27]

Thanks again for your list of question re Scottish Independence.

I have posted this for your and other doubters consideration. And would value your thoughts.

Just to point out how weak the Scottish economy is and how much subsidy the UK provides.
Unionists should hold their heads in shame. Scotland's economy has suffered this last 2 years due to the drop in OIL price, but they conveniently forget that same OIL has propped up the UK economy for the last 40 years. Scotland gets no thanks for that, we are just told we would become a basket case out with Westminster Rule, they conveniently forget Scotland asked for an OIL fund decades ago and this was refused, wonder what our deficit would be if they had said YES perhaps more like Norway who has no deficit and the largest savings in the world of almost 1 trillion. They completely ignore if Scotland is in a mess it's because the regime they support has failed Scotland, yet they want more of the same.
The media rarely mention that the UK for the last 40 years has had a deficit and debt, that debt now sits at 1.7 trillion. Scotland was in surplus for 38 of those 40 years.
Scotland has no deficit as we have no borrowing powers, our false deficit comes from the UK borrowing on our behalf, however, let's look at that false deficit.
1) We didn't create it.
2) The total worth of the UK assets are approx £8.8 trillion!! We own 8.3% of this! DEFICIT GONE.
3) Scotland contributes to London projects like:
CROSSRAIL, LONDON – £18 BILLION
OLYMPICS, LONDON – £8 BILLION
REFURBISHMENT OF UNDERGROUND, LONDON – £16 BILLION
NEW AIRPORT/3RD RUNWAY, LONDON (god knows how many billion)
NEW SEWAGE TUNNEL, LONDON – £16 BILLION
REFURBISHMENT ST PANCRAS STATION, LONDON – £1 BILLION
HS2 RAIL LINK, LONDON TO BIRMINGHAM – 50 BILLION
and many more future projects like Westminster renovations etc
TOTAL COST £109 BILLION PLUS our share 8.3% DEFICIT GONE.
Scotland and England have been in the Union for 308 years, Westminster has had full control of Scotland's economy for 289 of those years. When Scotland was given her own parliament 17 years ago it had 6% devolved power, numerous years later this increased to 15% by the year 2017 we will have approx 25% if Scotland is in a mess that blame lies squarely at Westminster's door.
Scotland is a country with an embarrassment of economic advantages that any small to medium-sized independent country would give their left arm for.
Just look at similar-sized populations to Scotland
Norway owns half the OIL in the North Sea, 30% of their GDP is reliant on OIL when the OIL crashed our GDP dropped by 1% of course they have an OIL fund that Westminster refused for Scotland.
Denmark would love to have a national drink that generated £120 of exports per second.
38 bottles were shipped overseas each second.
99 million cases (12 70cl bottles at 40% vol) were exported worldwide.
Laid end to end they would stretch about 30,000kms - or about six times the distance between Edinburgh and New York.
More than 10,000 are directly employed in the Scotch Whisky industry - many in economically deprived areas.
Over 40,000 jobs across the UK are supported by the industry.
Scotch Whisky accounts for around a quarter of UK food and drink exports.
Scotch Whisky is sold in around 200 markets worldwide.
Scotch Whisky sells three times its nearest rival whisky.
Drinkers in the UK often choose to enjoy it with just a little water, but in Spain, they mix it with cola. In Japan Scotch is enjoyed with lots of water and ice, and in China with cold green tea.
More Scotch is sold in one month in France than Cognac in a year.
Belgium would love to have such a tourist attraction as the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival attracting 500,000 visitors and adding £261m to Scotland’s economy, never mind the beauty of wild Scotland or golf tourism.
Ireland would kill to have Scotland’s online gaming industry which has grown over 600 percent – GTA the world’s best-selling game is made in Scotland and industry experts claim the gaming sector could grow to be worth more to Scottish economy than oil ever was.
Sweden would like to match Scotland educationally, Scotland according to the ONS states Scots are the most educated in Europe, we have 45% who have experienced university degrees and further education, Luxembourg, Finland and Ireland all fight for 2nd place with 40%
Not forgetting we have 16% of world acclaimed Universities and they're Free
Finland must be massively envious that Scotland possesses 25 percent of the EU’s entire tidal and wave energy potential, a source of energy that doesn’t pollute and won’t run out.
Scotland is rich in resources like Whisky, Renewables, Tourism, Financial Services, Food and Drink, Fishing, IT. Farming, Manufacturing, Creative Industries, Construction, Global Transport, Engineering, Medical Research, Oil and Gas.
Scotland represents just 8.3% of the UK population. Remember that number 8.3%
We have the following share of UK resources -
32% Land area
61% Sea area
90% Surface freshwater
65% North Sea natural gas production
96.5% North Sea crude oil production
47% Open cast coal production
81% Coal reserves at sites not yet in production
62% Timber production (green tonnes)
46% Total forest area (hectares)
92% Hydroelectric production
40% Wind, wave, solar production
60% Fish Landings (total by Scottish vessels)
55% Fish Landings (total from Scottish waters)
30% Beef herd (breeding stock)
20% Sheep herd (breeding flock)
9% Dairy herd
10% Pig herd
15% Cereal holdings (hectares)
20% potato holdings (hectares)
All with 8.3% of the population!
We also have a...
17 billion pound construction industry
13 billion food and drink industry
10 billion business services industry
9.3 billion chemical services industry
A 9.3 billion tourism industry
7 billion financial services industry
5 billion aero service industry
4.5 billion pound whisky exports industry
3.1 billion pound life sciences industry
Scotland still has 350 million pounds worth of textile exports
Gold-- one working mine in production last month. Second mine or gold field, found by Aberdeen University, This field has been extended to 200 square miles in Aberdeenshire
There are very few countries in the WORLD that rival Scotland's resources per head and in such rich diversity. We absolutely, unequivocally can be an extremely successful independent country.

[Rangersmandownunder]

Stewey, that's a cut and paste job from some crackpot, please only provide your own views mate.

[54FairAndSquare]

Jesus H Christ does IQ27 actually expect anyone to sit and read all that on a Sunday morning?

[noahrab]

Stewey, that's a cut and paste job from some crackpot, please only provide your own views mate.

Wee Willie Wallace only has views from somewhere else.

Not an original thought in him.

Independence at any cost and he'll cut and paste any crackpots views to forward the 'case'.

[Rangersmandownunder]

Wee Willie Wallace only has views from somewhere else.

Not an original thought in him.

Independence at any cost and he'll cut and paste any crackpots views to forward the 'case'.

His cut and paste job has been doing the rounds for well over two years and has been torn apart by folk far better equipped than me, the GERS figures for a start tear this shyte a new @rsehole.

[stewarty27]

Stewey, that's a cut and paste job from some crackpot, please only provide your own views mate.

These ARE a 100% my views. They are also completely factual ! I know all you want to hear is how Scotland will fail in all areas so I'm sorry to disappoint you on this. I have complete faith in my country .I have informed myself of Scotland's wealth. I know you reject ANY alternative view it really wouldn't matter who says it if it does not fit with your dogmatic Ulsterised vision of the Union. I suspect if it could be proved beyond all doubt Scotland would be a massive success as an Independent country. You would still oppose it. The difference between you and I is I don't give a flying phuck what goes on in NI you very much do and it completely poisons your thought and views on your own country. Of course you will deny this but you and I know it heavily influences you.

[mogwaiCSC]

Jesus H Christ does IQ27 actually expect anyone to sit and read all that on a Sunday morning?

naw I dont think reading a lot of words is really your thing.

This is much more your posting style

[ZombieSkelper]

I see tartanscrote has lost some weight

The big house must stay open

[Taintedice]

hopefully stewarty now realises the utter pointlessness of trying to engage with sectarian filth whose only solution to things is the same as the natzis in the 30s. Elimination. Eliminate catholic schools, eliminate muslim schools, eliminate jewish schools, hindu schools, eliminate anything which isn't them.

[stewarty27]

His cut and paste job has been doing the rounds for well over two years and has been torn apart by folk far better equipped than me, the GERS figures for a start tear this shyte a new @rsehole.

I actually thought we were getting somewhere with you RMDU .I very much welcomed your question and enjoyed unequivocally answering them. But sadly you resort to type. Calling people "this shyte" for having an informed view. I expect this from the noahclue halfwit, Why don't you have a look at the OP and give us your considered view on it. Seems when you are stumped you fall back on childlike abuse. I have indeed over the years layed out my view of how an Independent Scotland would look and how it could be achieved. And in all that time I have yet to hear a convincing and positive case of why we're better within this Union.