Backing Research and Infrastructure

It's no wonder our streets in Scotland are full of pot holes - which are highly dangerous for both cyclists and car drivers! .

According to the Sunday Times our devolved Scottish Parliament is only responsible for 15% of its budget! This surprised me. The latest is that Labour, Lib Dems and Tories may 'allow' MSPs a 50% responsibility of the parliament's 35Bm budget and allow MSPs to decide on rates and income tax.

I also hear that English academics claim Scotland punches above its weight with regard to scientific research and as a result gets more than its share of the UK budget for research.  The argument then goes, much as it did back in the 1979 vote, that academics will receive less funding under an independent Scotland?  This is harking back to bribery again and again which has proved false in the past. I don't believe for one minute Scotland is financially better off within the UK. I believe that a Scottish government after independence would offer MORE funding for both academic and industry research and not less!  

Academically we greatly benefit by having our own Scottish education system.    

All makes we wonder greatly.. over the state of our roads and trains! The paper also said that 72% of the money spent on the UKs infrastructure is spent in London

The Big Banks

Its so predictable - now the Insurance companies and Banks are threatening to pull out of Scotland if Osborne won't 'allow' a common currency (which is in England's interests too). I say good riddance to the big banks! They try to claim they rescue us, when actually their financial speculations are what has been ruining the economy! Its not in England interests to threaten and bully.

After an Independence vote the idea is that we all work together for an even more successful economy!  We'd be much better off with smaller high street banks that care about local businesses. I believe in de-centralized government. 

The Financial Times, which is respected worldwide for economic news, has not been putting forward arguments against Scotland's Independence.

I don't like this expression used by some - 'going it alone' - Scotland does not intend to float out into outer space but to work closely for trade with Europe and elsewhere.

The problem is that the 'Better Together' campaign have not been able to come up with any convincing arguments  - so instead they resort to old fashioned scare tactics. If anyone has heard any thoughts as to why we are better tied to London's financial apron strings I'd be happy to hear them!   

I decided to set up a BLOG on the Scottish Independence debate as I have so many blogs on it -  http://yesforscotland.blogspot.co.uk/

 

The Scottish Narrative

With our present system the Scottish Narrative gets lost. I know that many talented young Scottish people – young film directors, young economists, young songwriters, young accountants, young health workers and more – feel they have to move to London for work reasons.  

This can be called a brain drain, which is not at all good for Scotland  

For example – a young Scottish film maker has to attend London pitches and put forward a Scottish story to a London executive who may not understand the Scottish perspective and narrative.  

Much riskier staying in the UK! The vote is not about nationalism or borders, and hopefully for a better partnership with England. The vote is about an economy that suits Scotland, removing Trident, owning our oil, and the hope for a more equal society. Norway and Finland are both success stories of why independence works!   

Years back we were driving through France – we drove through Nice over to Marseille, thru Lyons and by Paris – and I thought France has several major cities and Paris isn’t the largest either. Also with Italy there are several important cities – Naples, Rome, Milan, Florence and Bologna.  The UK has one major city of London.

This Scottish Independence conversation....

This Scottish Independence debate is not about ‘nationality’ but about where power lies.

Both Germany and America have a Federal style of government – that is every state runs their own affairs and the central government decides on foreign policy and roads.  

The questions for me are moving Trident from the Clyde for starters, devolving powers in both education and the health service, and one of confidence and choice!  If we look at the Scandinavian countries Finland and Norway - both have done very well since gaining their Independence from Sweden a 100 years ago. Norway is a sea faring nation very similar to Scotland. 

This is not about 'breaking away' but a new type of government - the UK model is a broken one.

A Conversation. We in Scotland all need to have a ‘conversation’ about Scottish independence and mostly this is not happening.

Also …. perhaps the rest of England needs to break away from Superstate London also.

Those that support independence feel inhibited about voicing their views.