True. I don't really think the government in Westminster is going to send the Army across the border.
A few remarks: 1. I don't really see the added value or even reason for a sort of "Celtic Union". Schotland, Ireland and Wales are very different and have seperate identities and histories. Obviously cooperation is desirable and useful, but they can achieve that as independent member-states of the European Union. 2. With all due respect to the Welsh, but the situation in Schotland and Wales looks different to me. If Wales would want to go for independence I certainly wouldn't be against that. But I doubt there is the same drive in Wales as in Schotland, for historical and socio-demographic reasons.
Yes and no. The EU is one vehicle for cooperation, of course, but I can see some benefit in them working very closely together as a group at least. The problem of the EU is one of scale, though, and remoteness of the organsiation itself from the people contained within it, and in the case of the Celtic nations, we are very much 'out on the fringes' of it. Wales is certainly some way behind Scotland in that process, but the indpendance campaign here is certainly not something that can be ignored completely - Plaid Cymru (the independance party) have, within the Welsh Assembly, been the second largest party, the main opposition party, and also part of a coalition government. It's currently slipped into third place after a few disappointing years, but it is still a significant force in Welsh politics (it also has 3 UK MPs, and 1 European MP). There are indeed different 'socio-demographic' issues here, but economics is also a much bigger factor here - parts of Wales are among the poorest regions in the EU (which is itself a scandal, when it is within one of the richest EU states!). Scotland still has some of its oil, but the coal in Wales (by which the Industrial Revolution, which gave the UK much of its relative wealth, was powered) has gone, and successive UK government have failed to address the post-industrial desolation of large parts of the country. Unlike Scotland, Wales just isn't really in an economic position to seriously contemplate full independance from the UK at the moment, unfortunately. The feelings are still there among a large portion of the population, though, even though many recognise that the time for that kind of move has not yet arrived. As for 'historical' reasons, Wales has possibly suffered even more, and certainly suffered for longer, at the hands of its powerful neighbour than Scotland. As time goes by, more of the people of Wales seem to be recognising some of the more disturbing parts of their history of association with the government of the people next door. Alongside that there seems to have been a growing positive attiude to 'Welshness', the Welsh language, and the Welsh culture over recent decades (after centuries of being told, officially by 'our own' government in London, that our language and culture were wrong, bad and backwards, and we should abandon them and 'become English', 'for our own good' - keep telling a people that for centuries, and treating them like second class citizens if they don't agree, and it has an effect). The issue of increased self-government in some form certainly isn't going away here, and the process of devolution might well eventually reach the point of contemplating a full break with the UK. That's some time away yet, though.
I believe Scotland should sod off out of the UK. England paid for all the oil exploration so that's ours and we won't need to bother paying your dole money so that'll save us a fortune. Scotland would go bust in a year because they have sod all anyway and the population, who are always drunk, will vote for left wing idiots who'll waste what little cash Scotland has on a new airport and a dome. Add to that, the British Labour party will never win an election again without daft Sottish MPs so we can get on with a Conservative government for the next 200 years. Please, vote to bugger off.
see this is another reason we need to leave, stupid attitudes like this, and I'm afraid you'll find international law dictates 97% of the oil and gas would be ours, you've already been well compensated for any initial investment
And some people wonder why the people of Scotland (and Wales) might want independance from their near neighbours! Silly, ignorant comments like that are unfortunately all too common from across the border. The superiority complex of some (certainly not all - many English people are thoroughly decent individuals) of the poplation in England is quite staggering in both its depth and its lack of logic and sense, and it's pervaded government policy for generations.
Welsh people have to spit when they pronounce their place names and the Scottish spit because they're filthy creatures. I know many Scots but no sober ones.
As for the Welsh. I recall visiting a pub in Wales. The moment the locals, who were speaking in English, heard my accent, the ignorant pigs switched to Welsh. That lot can get lost as well. Another pile of dole money saved.
Hang on. If I buy a car, can someone tell me I've had a good return for my money so it becomes theirs? Newsflash, if you buy something, it's yours until you sell it. I'm sure the Americans would agree when you consider that's what soured the milk in Libya. Gaffers took over oil production and gave America the finger. Let's agree to make that Roman wall thingy twenty feet higher and you lot can stay up there. And no sneaky ransacking York at weekends. You lot have a history of that one.
newsflash, you didnt buy it, you invested in its development, for which you were paid, when it comes to ownership intl law clearly states its ours
So fight for it. The RAF and so on is English so that leaves you a couple of regiments of drunks and no navy. Perhaps you have a few fishing boats with kilt clad men sporting spears.
no need, our right to self determination is enforced by the un charter and intl law dictates the oil is ours, we wont have to fight for it, but if we did we have britains nuclear deterrent based here, which means we win hands down straight away unless you can breathe plutonium
They're all too common everywhere and no more or less in Scotland. It's one of the reasons it's proven so difficult to have a serious discussion on this subject.
I see your point. But there is no need to have a Celtic state for that. Something akin to the BENELUX, which provides a forum for cooperation among Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg will do for that.
No one mention the nuclear subs I can see from where I'm sitting (in Scotland), or http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/stations.cfm?selectLocation=Scotland. Or the SAS training grounds you're not getting into any more except for target practice, f Indroned.
Why don't you go and learn another language and break out of the stereotypical English ignoramus who expects and insists everyone else speak his language and raises his voice when they don't.
