Scottish "Independence" manifesto

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

These included:

Thirty hours of childcare per week in term time for all three and four-year-olds, as well as vulnerable two-year-olds
Trident nuclear weapons, currently based on the Clyde, removed within the first parliament
Housing benefit reforms, described by critics as the "bedroom tax", to be abolished, and a halt to the rollout of Universal Credit
It would be in Scotland's interest to keep the pound, while the Bank of England would continue as "lender of last resort"
Basic rate tax allowances and tax credits to rise at least in line with inflation
A safe, "triple-locked" pension system
Minimum wage to "rise alongside the cost of living"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-25088251

So the plan is a lavish welfare state, and if the money runs out England has to bail them out. Didn't see that coming.

[Colonâ„¢]

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!" it is not.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Life, liberty, and a nice, reassuring umbilical cord still attached to Mother in case bad things happen.

[Alexander's Horse]

Scots are on a loser here.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

They also want a "defence force" of 15,000 troops (not reservists). That 1 per 400 head of population. UK as a whole currently has 1 per 500.

This is all looking like an enormous public sector expense. Sure, they could probably afford it for a decade or two, but when the oil and gas start becoming uneconomical it's going to get interesting.

[DinoDoc]

It would be in Scotland's interest to keep the pound, while the Bank of England would continue as "lender of last resort"

Don't you retain the right to tell them to go **** themselves on that point if they wish to leave?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Yes, but you have to consider the consequences. They might cut off our supplies of shortbread and Irn-Bru.

[kentonio]

I love their argument that if we refused their generous offer to keep our currency on whatever terms they want, they will just walk away from their share of the national debt. I assume that in that case we reserve the right to build a wall across the north and insist on passport controls etc.

[kentonio]

Although the latter is actually not impossible (the passports not the wall). They still haven't explained how they'd expect to get around the Schengen issue.

[regexcellent]

They also want a "defence force" of 15,000 troops (not reservists). That 1 per 400 head of population. UK as a whole currently has 1 per 500.

This is all looking like an enormous public sector expense. Sure, they could probably afford it for a decade or two, but when the oil and gas start becoming uneconomical it's going to get interesting.

Smaller US states have larger forces of national guard reservists. They should be able to afford 15,000 active troops, but not with a massive welfare state by European standards.

Also, hang on, universal child care? Seriously?

[kentonio]

Smaller US states have larger forces of national guard reservists. They should be able to afford 15,000 active troops, but not with a massive welfare state by European standards.

They want a bigger welfare state than everyone else here.

[regexcellent]

I noticed. This reads like two cars in every garage and a chicken in every pot. We wave our magic wand of independence and it shall be so.

Maybe they could raise the money by leasing the Faslane naval base for nuclear-armed submarines? Nahhh...

[Wezil]

They've obviously been listening to Quebec Nationalists.

Enjoy the show Britain. Fun days ahead.

[molly bloom]

Scots are on a loser here.

They did so well out of being in the British Empire and the United Kingdom it's only natural they'd want to depict it as all enclosures, Highland Clearances, Cullodens and Flodden Fields.

[Dinner]

Scotland is too small with too small a population to survive on its own. Their previous plan called for banking deregulation and speculating on real estate but that flopped in Ireland, Spain, Iceland, and even in the US so why would anyone think Scotland would be any different? Hell, even oil production is crashing so how exactly do they expect to economically survive again?