Independence- how was it for you?

[*Anya*]

Ever since I saw Braveheart in the mid-90's, I have wondered about Scotland and independence from the UK.

My youngest brother married a Brit and her conservative family was very much against Scotland's independence. I knew it was an off-limits discussion topic.

Even though you asked us for our opinion, I would really like to hear your perspective on why there are still folks in your country that want to vote no for independence.

Thank you.

[MsTinkerbelly]

I would think primarily financial concerns would apply.

For instance:

Gold backs up our monetary system; what if anything is in Scotland to back up your money, or is it based upon resources kept in England?

[Corkey]

There's a course on this very topic.



https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/indyref

[*Anya*]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

I would think primarily financial concerns would apply.

For instance:

Gold backs up our monetary system; what if anything is in Scotland to back up your money, or is it based upon resources kept in England?

I did remember about Nixon and found this:


"A true gold standard came to fruition in 1900 with the passage of the Gold Standard Act. The gold standard effectively came to an end in 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlawed private gold ownership (except for the purposes of jewelery). The Bretton Woods System, enacted in 1946 created a system of fixed exchange rates that allowed governments to sell their gold to the United States treasury at the price of $35/ounce.

The Bretton Woods system ended on August 15, 1971, when President Richard Nixon ended trading of gold at the fixed price of $35/ounce. At that point for the first time in history, formal links between the major world currencies and real commodities were severed. The gold standard has not been used in any major economy since that time."


http://economics.about.com/cs/money/a/gold_standard.htm

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by *Anya*

I did remember about Nixon and found this:


"A true gold standard came to fruition in 1900 with the passage of the Gold Standard Act. The gold standard effectively came to an end in 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlawed private gold ownership (except for the purposes of jewelery). The Bretton Woods System, enacted in 1946 created a system of fixed exchange rates that allowed governments to sell their gold to the United States treasury at the price of $35/ounce.

The Bretton Woods system ended on August 15, 1971, when President Richard Nixon ended trading of gold at the fixed price of $35/ounce. At that point for the first time in history, formal links between the major world currencies and real commodities were severed. The gold standard has not been used in any major economy since that time."


http://economics.about.com/cs/money/a/gold_standard.htm

If you're very lucky, you learn somethng new every day!

Thankyou for the article, i really enjoyed it.

[Redsunflower]

*Anya* most of my friends, family and work colleagues are going to vote 'yes' so mostly we hold the same views. Of people I've spoken to who are going to vote 'no' the main issue seems to be fear; fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of taking a risk. Also, 'no' voters seem to be non-Scottish people who live here and older people which is just my observation and not necessarily how it is everywhere. There seem to be no strong arguments for the union that I can find and surely there must be some!

We live next door to Ireland who have really struggled financially with being independent from the UK. Scottish people know this but we don't seem to be concerned, the question is something bigger.

Corkey, thanks for the link and helping to inform people. There is loads of stuff online about what's happening over here, it's really interesting.

Grainne, thanks for that info. The question for the referendum is 'should Scotland be an independent country?' There were some options for various degrees of devolution but this is the question decided upon. Commonwealth membership will not be automatic so I guess we'd need to wait and see.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone, much appreciated!

[Redsunflower]

The debate continues over here. The last statistics I read showed 48% yes 52% no. This is going to be extremely close indeed.

An argument I'm encountering a lot concerns racism. It is being argued that one of the main reasons Scottish people want independence is because they are racist against English people and therefore want to dissociate completely. This is not my experience but I'm not sure what to make of the argument as it seems to be stirring up a lot of resentment. The Scottish National Party have always been accused of being a bit racist but their left-leaning politics are a much better reflection of political feeling in Scotland. I've never had a feeling that the SNP think we are superior to England. Hmmm...

[Redsunflower]

Also meant to say *Anya* that the Braveheart movie is so historically inaccurate that it's practically a work of fiction. Take a look at this.

http://www.scottishhistory.com/artic...raveheart.html

Mostly Scottish people are aware of this as it was well debated when the movie was released. There is some debate about independence being based on the sentimental feelings evoked in movies such as this. I'm fairly sure that's not true although there are romantic ideas about how great an independent Scotland would be. Is that the same thing?

[Gráinne]

The little I know of Scottish history: 300 years after Braveheart, James VI came down to take the empty English throne. A century after that, the two countries were united. Sometime, Northern Ireland was added to form "Great Britain". Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's generally what happened (I think).

My paternal grandmother was born in Campbeltown and was very proud of her Scottish (not British and def. not English) heritage!

American History 101: There were many colonists who remained loyal to the British and didn't want full independence but more autonomy. Britain offered economic security and profit; independence would mean starting from scratch. Same with forming a government and constitution. Many colonists came over for religious reasons and didn't necessarily want to form a brand-new country. Many felt that we shared the same culture and were one people.

The independence cause began when Britain wanted to tax the colonies for their wars and business ventures, and the patriots wanted to keep that money for their own. Britain also annoyingly appointed the governors of the colonies, a task the patriots wished to do for themselves. The colonists also felt they should have some say in Parliament, which didn't happen. Many of the patriots were reluctant to go to war, and it was really the intervention of France that resulted in independence. Thirty years later, a "mini-war" came out partly from meddling over the border from British Canada. My family tree is chock full of these "Loyalists" who beat it for Canada after the Revolutionary War.

I sometimes wonder if the Revolution hadn't happened, if we would today be under a Canada or Australia-like system. I'm not sure how those countries "relate" to England or how they are different from N. Ireland or Scotland, but they have bigger ties to England than we do; recognizing the Queen and all that. Is it possible for Scotland not to be totally independent but to become a commonwealth such as Canada? Or is it all or nothing?