Saturday 31 May 2014

Independence for Scotland - Yes or No?

A referendum on whether Scotland should be an independent country will take place on Thursday 18 September 2014.
My opinion? I think Scotland should vote No.

A little history: Scotland and England united to form the "Kingdom of Great Britain" in 1707, by virtue of the Acts of Union. From 1801, the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" and from 1922 the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

Why Scotland should vote no:
  • Scotland gets the best of both worlds: A powerful Scottish parliament with power over things like schools, hospitals, police and transport and Scotland gets the strength and security of being part of the UK, one of the biggest economies in the world
  • Influence and impact: As part of the UK, Scotland is on the UN security council + more than 250 UK embassies and consulates worldwide help Scots companies and travelers
  • More security: The UK armed forces are one of the best trained in the world. As part of the UK, Scotland is protected by an army, navy and air force far bigger than Scotland could pay for on its own
  • Keep the pound: Today, the UK pound is the currency in Scotland and the mortgages in Scotland are backed by the Bank of England. If Scotland leaves the UK, it would have to set up a new currency from scratch or join the Euro, leaving the Scottish people with higher mortgage bills and trade with the rest of the UK will become more costly
  • More jobs and more customers: Scotland is a country of 5 million people, and sells its goods and services to a home market of 60 million customers. The SNP government's own figures show that Scottish firms sell twice as much to the rest of the UK as to the rest of the world combined
  • Strong ties: There are strong historical and contemporary ties between Scotland and the rest of the UK from the Reformation and Union of Crowns to Scottish involvement in the growth and development of the British Empire and contribution of the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. Almost half of the Scottish population have relatives in England, almost a million Scot-English live and work in England and 400,000 Anglo-Scots now live in Scotland
source (facts above): bettertogether.net


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