2141 replies to this topic

[Rosssco]

I said "much more attractive" - I did not claim it was in any way currently attractive however..

[Winstar]

They've made a mistake of validating it with a response. You do know a petition to the uk government requires 100,000 signatures to even be discussed in parliament?

 

which is 0.15% of the UK population, that makes the 0.19% of the islands population you quoted look significant. 

 

/lies, damn lies and Statistics

[convict]

They've made a mistake of validating it with a response. You do know a petition to the uk government requires 100,000 signatures to even be discussed in parliament?

A petition in the uk of 100,000 equates to 0.15% of the population. 136 signatures represents 0.3% of the population of Shetland and Orkney. You're absolutely right that they shouldn't have validated it with a response, but they did and the response was exactly the response that the SNP have criticised the Westminster government for making to the independence question for years - we don't agree with it so it's not going to happen. You also state there's no evidence that Shetland wants independence, but the absence of evidence does not equal the evidence of absence. Has there been a poll of Shetlanders?

[Rosssco]

Would be an interesting scenario, in the event of a Yes vote, that specific parts of Scotland could offer up their own "re-join the UK vote"..

 

After all, the people of Shetland represent such a small percentage of the Scottish population, that its unlikely they'll never get the government they vote for, or be able to change the course of future Scottish elections.. So maybe they'd prefer the strength and stability of the UK over a Scottish government and people hundreds of miles away taking THEIR oil to support central belt policies..

[LY_Scott]

Can anyone bring forward compelling evidence the shetlanders feel that way? The only poll ive seen is the one from the debate article where they were split the same way the rest of Scotland is. convict you didn't add the Western Isles to you population count.

[LY_Scott]

Ross, nice devils advocate but I don't think the Shetland would be any better off joining a bigger drain on their resources, do you?

[LY_Scott]

The whole story comes from this btw http://www.shetlandt...dence-tory-lord

[Rosssco]

Why would Shetland have a bigger drain the UK? It negotiated its own investment fund years ago, and the only real risk to this is a skint Scottish government (not unlikely) eating into this when they realise "things aren't going to be as good as we'd hoped this year.."

 

They would have a very similar level of political representation or influence, and arguable more if they retain a significant proportion of mineral rights..

 

As you say, Devil's advocate..

[LY_Scott]

Its still a complete non story

[Rosssco]

But its an interesting topic of discussion - now that the "right to self-determination" card has been so unremittingly pushed by the YESNP, and more people are involved in politics, the next logical step is individual assessment by separate areas, rather than having to follow central belt policies, dominated by the left..

 

I think we'll see more of this over the coming months / years, as many don't just want what's being offered by the SNP - recentralisation of power to Holyrood..

[myles]

Is it not vote time yet?

[Rosssco]

Is it not vote time yet?

 

No.. Still another 2 weeks of an "invigorating and lively debate" to go...  

[Gedi]

We can say one thing will come out of all this, the England/Scotland relationship will be irrevocably damage for at least one generation.

 

The hatred used to be a one way thing, but I expect the English will be singing for 'anyone but Scotland' just as often in the future.

 

Such a shame that the SNP has led us to this 

[techieboy]

 

Is it not vote time yet?

 

No.. Still another 2 weeks of an "invigorating and lively debate" to go...  

 

I'm so gutted I'm going to miss the climax (and the fallout to follow) as I'll be in the South of France for 10 days.

[KurtVerbose]

South of France is about to join Barcelona in a new Basque region.

[techieboy]

I'll be in the Basque region, so maybe I'll get a vote. 

[Rosssco]

Watch out for Basque Separatist Mice...

[Mangham54]

 

 

Is it not vote time yet?

 

No.. Still another 2 weeks of an "invigorating and lively debate" to go...  

 

I'm so gutted I'm going to miss the climax (and the fallout to follow) as I'll be in the South of France for 10 days.

 

 

Don't worry too much... Salmond will ask for the nuclear weapons to be removed too quickly from Faslane, and they will accidentally fall into terrorist hands and be fired directly at Holyrood and Shetland at the hands of Captain Darling.

 

The UK government will then 'officially unveil' it's new oil & gas pumping stations in Kent, as no-one will have realised that the new underground line they are building co-incidentally links with the gas and oil feeds oop north. 

[techieboy]

The mice I can handle. It's Alexis Sardinas that's the problem.

[VXT Tim]

 

The hatred used to be a one way thing, but I expect the English will be singing for 'anyone but Scotland' just as often in the future.

 

this.