Scottish Independance

C1 Its only loose change we are talking about here

 

I don't know. Already the government claims it can't afford to pay for higher education, so in England people have to pay up to £9k per year tuition, yet somehow, I believe the Scottish parliament can still afford to subsidise it. That's one perk already. I believe prescriptions are free in Scotland already too. There is already inequality between England and Scotland, for better or for worse I don't know. I just think its unfair that my kids wont get a chance to go to uni even if they wanted to, because I can't pay for it, and hopefully I'll succeed in raising them with enough common sense to not take out a small mortgage themselves for their education, while someone in exactly the same position as me but in Scotland can know his kids can go to uni. That's just one example of inequality as it is now. I'm sure the people of Scotland could argue that we have some perks in England that the Scots don't (although I don't know of any). The government is talking of widening that inequality, which can only create more resentment on both sides of the border, and it is just not right that ordinary people should resent each other for the actions of an incompetent government.

 

Dithery Dave is getting so worried now that he is actually offering Scotland so much power and money that he is practically giving away England to them.

As it is such an important vote I think that every Scot,should have a vote whether they live in Scotland,England or abroad,and while they are about it they should get the English to vote as well.

I am sick of hearing about it now and then we have to go all through the polls and canvassing next May when the election comes round.Q

 

C1 I Totally agree with you their my friend...Its wrong that students here in scotland get free Tuition fees (Yes i have a daughter that is at uni)...Also the free prescriptions i feel is so wrong too...Yup i see were you are coming from C1

 

I don't think its wrong that people in Scotland get free prescriptions or free tuition fees. I think its wrong that one side gets these things and the other doesn't. I'd have no problem with Scottish kids not having to worry about their education if English kids didn't either.

 

Thats what i meant C1...We all live in the United Kingdom (well for the next 2 days anyway)..so it should be no different when it comes to Tuition fees and free prescriptions..What is it they are saying in the polls its BETTER TOGETHER..

 

Just think how even more irritating Ed Miliband would be!!!


Val

 

Dont worry, he is a politician.
They are allowed to lie, and go back on what they said once the voting is over.

Its all part of the democratic system.

 

I'll just be glad when the whole thing is over. I am hearing daily about intimidation on both sides and how people are frightened to actually admit how they are going to vote. A friend of mine's daughter was really upset yesterday when 8 large and aggressive male YES voters turned up on her doorstep demanding to know how she was going to vote. She said she was going to vote YES just to get rid of them. I have a nasty feeling if the vote is a NO that there will be riots this weekend. If Alex Salmond gets his YES vote I wonder if he will look back with any satisfaction on how he was responsible for splitting Scotland in 2. A wound which could take years to mend. At least I have The Ryder Cup to look forward to (got tickets for 2 of the days). Luckily you had to order tickets months ago and can't just "rock up" so hoping there won't be any kind of protests at the event whatever the outcome of this bl...y referendum.

 

Perhaps there should have been 2 referenda (AKA referendums these days), a Yes/No vote for the Scots and another for rest of UK on what all the terms would be, for example Shared Pound Yes/No, etc.

 

Where Scotland leads, Wales seems to follow. Subsidised tuition fees and free prescriptions here too. I couldn't bear another referendum

 

Me neither, except that Scotland only has 10% of the population so if the government gives them, say, £100 each then that is diluted to £10 tax per person in the UK.

More of a problem is that the increased imbalance that will create (as you articulately described already exists) will mean that Wales, England, Cornwall, Manchester, Ambridge! ... will all want devolution, local taxation powers, et al. (I have no idea whether that level of decentralisation would be good, but if it brings more layers of bureaucracy, higher percentage of employment by the state, then I can't see how it would become a net benefit)

I'm not paying for mine to go ... I doubt they, themselves, will either ... you certainly won't need to / be expected to pay for yours.

Olden times they got a grant. Now they take out a loan. In practical terms less than 50% will pay that loan back (they won't achieve the minimum salary that triggers repayments), so the state will wind up paying for those instead (just like a grant ...). Its yet another instance of the aggravating Smoke and Mirrors that politicians do - instead of the grant, which would show up in the current accounts deficit NOW they have moved this debt to some time in the future, where it will show up WITH accumulated interest I don't think I can pay off my daughter's Uni Loan, there is some penalty for early payments or somesuch - persumably so that there is an Even Playing field between Rich and Poor - so the government will incur the cost of long term borrowing for even those students who, for whatever reason, would like to pay off their loans early. In other countries I believe there are Golden Hello's offered by employers to "wipe" the student fee loans - that would be a good idea to reduce the government's borrowing in this area.

You can't blame Dave for that as all three party leaders are making the same pledge. It makes them all look terrible, like they are running scared, whereas in fact their message is clear as day: voting YES would be a dreadful mistake.

I hope that Gordon Brown's excellent rhetoric, over the last few days, will make a difference. I don't have much time for him, but he did an ace job getting international agreement to a plan of action after the banking crash, and he looks like being cometh the hour, cometh the man for Scotland now.

 

... and thus not reading or replying to chatter on social networks?