(Independent) Scotland and the pound?

[mynameissi]

So does the rest of the UK now get their own referendum to decide whether Scotland stays in the UK or not?

[Smudger]

David Schneider's Tweet, quoting David Cameron's reaction to the vote...

[peterb]

David Schneider's Tweet,

Who?


That apart - I hope we don't get a knee jerk reaction to putting the 'promised' changes in place - promises that will need to be agreed in Parliament. However, if it resolves the "West Lothian" question, that will be a good thing, although as one commentator remarked that if it was easy to solve, it would have been solved by know, bearing in mind it has been rumbling on for 40 years.

The Barnett formula is easy - spend additional funding per capita on projects in England! But of course that isn't quite so simple, and there is a lot of fluff about that. There is quite a good explanation of it here


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnett_formula

[Smudger]

Who?

This guy...


He was in The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge, etc. He was the BBC Controller that AP said "Smell my Cheese!" to...

[ik9000]

A large part of issue preventing houses being built is planning regulations. So yes the government are very able to control this.

There's no disconnect. I'm in theory happy with the idea that a person who is living in 3 or even 2 bedroom flat house or whatever get downgraded to a 1 bedroom flat, they are getting subsidiesed by the government what I'm not happy is the way they have gone about implementing it.

Actually, believe it or not that planning stuff is the only thing forcing developers to not only build luxury appartment blocks. They *HATE* being made to do more affordable housing because it hurts their profit margins. I spend a large amount of my time trying to be the voice at the table for those "affordable" occupants and the conversation goes something like "They don't need it" [be that a lift (they can move in and out via a staircase to the 4th floor!), secure fob panels and video entry at each landing (too expensive - but we can do it for the luxury wing - they don't want the affordable tenants getting to their part) etc etc.

Also some local councils in London are actually blocking redevelopment of unoccupied brownfield industrial/office sites because they "don't just want to be a suburb". They then moan there is no land to develop. They have little clear strategy I can find to get businesses back into those areas, so they remain ramshackle and land that could easily be housed upon just lies there getting graffitied and arsoned. It's madness. Government planning just needs to mandate local councils to free up those sites.

Again, developers push for greenfield development because it's easier for them. Old industrial land is more expensive to build on due to demolition costs and probably more contaminated ground making muck-away costs greater, and they will need to import clean top soil for landscaped areas. Without clear government planning laws they would just go for route 1 and profits. And that is not hearsay or speculation. I know this first hand.

[ik9000]

Great day for democracy, because: high turnout; SNP have been told that the Scottish didn't vote for them because they wanted independance,they just didn't hate SNP as much as the rest - arrogant,deluded politicians should maybe get a new job - SNP disband?; and your vote is never wasted, or the saying "my vote will not make a difference" has never been so wrong - if the all abstaining voters had voted YES then there would have been a contrary result.
I've personally decided to only drink Irish, American or Japanese whisky - doing it to them 1 wee dram at a time

wow mentioning American Whiskey as an alternative to Single Malt. Mind you they do say some people have no taste buds I suppose...

[ik9000]

Well done Scotland, and all who voted. 84.5% voter turn out! Fantastic to see people get out there and have a view. Also glad to see common sense prevail!

And now also a great piece of serendipity - UK politicians discussing how much influence Scottish MPs should have this side of the border. At last! I wonder if Salmond thought of that before he started this merry little debacle.

Anyone see Farage on breakfast BBC this morning? He actually sounded reasonable?! Shocking. The lib dem Alexander chap who came on after him said he was being nationalist and ridiculous to suggest that devolving more power to Scotland needed properly reviewing and not rushing through in just a few months. Alexander then made the point that Scottish MPs had been looking into it for over a year - whereas the UK hadn't done so. Unless I misheard (I was eating my cornflakes) he seemed to be implying they should just take Scotlands recommendations and implement them. WTF??? And he was a Scot himself I hasten to add. If it's taken Scottish MSPs that long maybe it is not unreasonable to suggest our parliament might need at least as long themselves.

[peterb]

This guy...

He was in The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge, etc. He was the BBC Controller that AP said "Smell my Cheese!" to...

(Although I did have to look him up!)

[ik9000]

the guy who tested those monkeys in the day after tomorrow.


they're infected with RAGE

[SeriousSam]

Cough... 28 Days Later

The day after tomorrow was an abomination of a movie which should never be mentioned, or even whispered to yourself in the darkest recesses of your mind

[ik9000]

Cough... 28 Days Later

The day after tomorrow was an abomination of a movie which should never be mentioned, or even whispered to yourself in the darkest recesses of your mind

right you are. My bad. Always get those two muddled up.

edit in fact it gets worse. I seem to have a three-way confusion between 28 days later, the Day After Tomorrow, and from Dusk Til Dawn! I know the films but always get the names muddled up

[adidan]

Salmond resigning as party leader of SNP.

[Saracen]

Salmond resigning as party leader of SNP.

And first minister of the Holyrood government.

[adidan]

And first minister of the Holyrood government.

Aye that too. Not sure how well he'll do in his on constiuency as Aberdeenshire voted 60/40 in favour of no.

[Saracen]

Aye that too. Not sure how well he'll do in his on constiuency as Aberdeenshire voted 60/40 in favour of no.

Well, being English, and a southerner at that, I won't claim to be an expert on SNP local voting patterns.

What I would say, though, is that from Scottish friends, there's a lot less correlation between SNP support and the Referendum vote than many might think.

People pick a political party for a wide variety of reasons, and it's quite plausible to vote SNP because, for instance, it's the party that's broadly what you want, or because it's the least-worst choice, or even as a protest vote to keep someone else out, and that none of those necessarily preclude not supporting independence.

[adidan]

a lot less correlation between SNP support and the Referendum vote than many might think.

Aye, it's what I hear too from friends up north of the border.