I will just leave this here and duck for cover

Latest Poll today from the New Statesman:

Question
How would you vote if there were a General Election today?

Results for Scotland - seats won.

SNP 56 (+8)
LAB 2 (+1)
LIB 1 (-3)
CON 0 (-6)

www.businessforscotland.com/the-great-british-electricity-swindle-how-scotland-subsidises-the-uks-energy/?fbclid=IwAR2IgCWkbLeeYmm_2r9A7guUWTcRt5HG-CZhJ32cIVZsd8kMwt-LA2nEPIE

This is a long read but it explains very clearly why investment in Scottish Energy production is being held back because of the way OFGEN operates. Scottish consumers are being charged as if the power generated in Scotland has to travel all the way to London and back before it reaches our homes.

Is this another example of the 'Union Dividend'? It certainly benefits those in London & the SE.

well put

Holysox Depends on the environment you want to save. In general, wind farms are placed where there are wind tunnels and migratory birds use those wind tunnels as well so not so great for them. Besides the turbine blades will be built in the Isle of Wight and the turbines themselves will be built in Denmark not i Scotland. Looks like a lot of our money will not be supporting Scottish workers.

Fine, let them vote! BUT, as long as they realise, as it is so important to the whole of the UK, then the rest of us can also vote for Scottish independence, after all, it will affect all of us, seriously too.
We need each other.

Nope. Wrong Jane volver. You'd know all about it if I was her!!

Interesting insight, Volver, into the 2014 campaign, thanks.

Nicola Sturgeon believes that men can become women and she wants to change the GRA. I don't think many women will vote SNP.

Jeezy peeps.

Give it up, will ye?

You're not Jane Lax, are you?

I see where you're trying to go. Big difference though - Ukraine is competently governed.

And Ukraine is part of the USSR.

See where I'm going with this?

Is the UK a single, actual, individual country, or an amalgamation of different kingdoms e.g England, Scotland Wales? To help you with this answer, consider how the UK was formed, and when.

Scotland is part of UK

Is Scotland a 'nation' or a 'province' or a 'shire' or a 'region'? What do the words United KINGDOM actually mean? More than 60 other countries have declared independence from Britain. Independence is normal for a sovereign state. Why is Ukraine at war with Russia? They are fighting to keep their independence.

So we're all agreed then.

Norway isn't in the EU and the United Kingdom is independent.

Glad we've got that sorted.

Yes the United Kingdom is independent!

Norway participates in the European Single Market through it's membership of the EEA. I was in Norway, being told by a Norwegian that they have the highest food prices out of the whole of the EU. Their words not mine. I know they rejected EU membership, but was not going to correct someone talking about their own country( and who obviously knew much more than I did). Just in my own experience, I found Norway to be very expensive, along with Sweden, Finland and Denmark. As I said, Im just quoting what a Norwegian person told me themselves. They also pay massive amounts of tax, again, not my words.Will leave you to your arguments.

Independence is not 'normal'.

Quick. Somebody tell Australia. And New Zealand. And Malta. And Ireland. And.... (fill in the blanks)

As I’ve said before, I was pretty active during the 2014 referendum campaign. I noticed that there were four kinds of people. Those for whom Union was the only option. I don’t agree with them, but it’s a valid view. I do get a bit perplexed when they start opining that we should be happy with what we’ve got and stop complaining, that we’d never manage on our own; but its what they think. Ever since St Margaret married Malcolm in the 11th century there have been Scots who would really rather be North Britons.

Then there are the ones who think our future is as a nation not in partnership with anybody, and that we should have watchtowers on the English border. Least said about them the better.

Then there are the ones in the middle. Some, like many I met in 2014, can see what we could be and are willing to roll their sleeves up and make us a nation again. Many of them are still in the Holyrood and WMs parliament today, many of them are in other roles in Scotland but I guess I see them as sort of King Arthur types who will wake up again when we need them .

Then there’s the fearties. The ones who tell us how bad the SNP are, how they can’t even run a ferry contract. How they are ruining the future for our wee bairns. How we best just stick with this union because we’ve been in it for hundreds of years, and things might just get worse. (Although the details of exactly how many hundreds of years and how we got here are often a bit hazy). Well whether you support a particular political party or not, the question is much bigger than that. It’s about whether we are a country or not. If you think we’re not, fair enough. Like Rory Stewart, maybe you think that the idea that Scotland and England are different countries is insane. But you’re wrong. We are a different country and many of us think we should do something about that. I just hope it happens while I'm here to see it

Independence is not 'normal'. Where would it stop? Should Lothian be independent? Strathclyde? Grampian?
United we stand.

Within our 'Realm', it is not only the Union that is being challenged. What is happening to the Commonwealth? Young Royals being advised to not visit certain countries. 'Independence' is breaking out. Independence is normal. Change is coming, whether we wish it or not.

Well. Each to their own.

I don't understand why anyone votes Tory, but they do. I don't understand how anybody think references to a 25 year old film is clever, but they do.

Funny old world.

volver I don't really understand why people vote for the SNP. Their performance is pitiful. Scotland has withdrawn from 2 of the 3 international student assessments and we report on student results from PISA as follows:
Science - dropped from 10th to 19th since 2006
Reading - from 11th to 23rd
Maths - from 11th to 24th.
By 2019 Scottish students performed at the OECD average in maths and reading and below it in science. Their are also concerns about how accurate the PISA results are the number of students withdrawn more than doubled from 4.1% in 2015 to 9.3% in 2018.
Seriously letting down our children and not doing a great job in protecting the economy of a future independent Scotland. I could go on and list many more areas where they are failing but the list is too long eg ferries, waiting times, nursery care etc. I just wish people would look at the facts instead of rallying to their braveheart rallying cry. Believe it or not, I'm not against independence I'm just against committing economic suicide. There is a reason why the SNP won't publish the financial figures. This is the party who were relying on oil in Indy1 to base an economy on. Madness basing it on a fluctuating commodity.

varian I don't agree with you but I do appreciate the opportunity to have a sensible conversation about this instead of the comments we've been used to about scrounging and so on.

Calling supporters of independence separatists is very inflammatory and implies extremism and possibly even violence. Its usually used to describe violent groups like the Basque separatists.

Although we have been united for 300 years we were not in union for much longer. I see us as different countries bound on a different paths, and with very different ideas of how countries should behave. That is what makes me want independence.

It seems to me that the appalling damage done to the UK by brexit should serve as a dire warning to anyone seriously promoting Scottish separtatism.

Scotland and England have been united for hundreds of years. Although there are differences in the law and education, we are very much bound together in many more ways - our history as British people, our shared values, in particular our shared currency .

The damage which could be done to both Scotland and England by separation is uncalcuable.

As a Scot living in England I fear that the reaction to our appalling Tory government may increase support for the Scottish separtatists.

I have no say in the future of the country of ,my birth but I plead with those who have a say to reject any move to tear us apart.