Scottish Referendum No.2 (Scexit ...?)

Why would we have to use the Euro ? There are a lot of coutries in the EU who dont use it ,including quite new joiners like Croatia
I think they are obliged to join the eurozone and they are using the euro alongside the kuna now. It will not be an overwhelmingly popular move.
It's odd - years ago when we visited Yugoslavia (the Croatian part), the deutschemark was used alongside the Yugoslav currently and perfectly acceptable as a currency in shops and other places.

I'm hoping for a clean break with Scotland.
Then we'll get rid of the moaning minnies who can't stop chewing the bone.

I do know that Scotland 'exports' a valuable commodity in pin dust.
It's used to dry the feathers of shire horses after their feet are washed.

There's no "believe" about it Jane10. It's certainly the Scotland I live in....and love.

A leading light in the movement to make sanitary products more available to all who need them is Monica Lennon, a Labour MSP. It's delightful that cross-party co-operation is shown at its best north of the border where social cohesion and justice can take precedence over politics with enough good will on all sides.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/24/scotland-to-offer-free-sanitary-products-to-all-students-in-world-first

So nice that it's true.
No jane you aren't the poster I have in mind.

It's so nice that you believe that.

Excellent post but stand by to read a post from a bitter but ill-informed poster who will inevitably insist that we have these advantages because we are heavily subsidised by WM.
Same old, same old!
(I have a name in mind but will bite my tongue meantime.)

"From free medicine to free education, taxpayers in Scotland get the best deal anywhere in the UK.
Here are just some of the reasons why.

We continue to have the fairest income tax anywhere in the UK with 55 per cent of taxpayers paying less in Scotland than they would elsewhere in the UK.
Council Tax bills are lower in Scotland than in England – average Band D bills are £499 lower.
We are delivering a minimum 3 per cent pay rise for public servants earning less than £30,000, a 2 per cent rise for those earning more and a cash cap on increases for those earning more than £80,000.
We have offered the highest NHS pay rise in the UK – meaning pay rise for NHS Agenda for Change of at least 9 per cent over the next three years.
We are protecting the concessionary bus pass for everyone aged over 60 and eligible disabled people in Scotland. 1.3 million older and disabled people have benefited from free public transport through the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme.
Scotland benefits from £185 spend per head more on health than the UK average. Health spending is at a record high and staffing is up 10 per cent since we took office.
Prescription charges were abolished in Scotland in 2011. South of the border, patients are still forced to pay £9 per item.
We have introduced a scheme to make free sanitary products available in schools colleges and universities – making Scotland the first country in the world to do so.
Free tuition has been reintroduced and protected, saving students in Scotland over £27,750 compared to the cost of study in England. In Scotland the Tories want to tax students £1,500 a year.
We’re providing a healthy school meal for all children in primaries 1 to 3 – around 135,000 pupils – helping improve their health and ability to learn.
All families with newborn babies are entitled to a Baby Box, full of essential items for their child’s first weeks and months.
Free, high quality childcare has been increased. up from 12.5 hours in 2007 to 16 hours a week for all 3 and 4 year olds – and extended to 2 year olds from low income households, saving families up to £2,500 per child per year in total.
No one in Scotland has to pay the Tories’ hated Bedroom Tax. We’ve ensured 70,000 households, 80 per cent of which have a disabled family member don’t have this unfair tax hanging over them.
We’re protecting the most vulnerable households from Tory welfare cuts. Over 316,000 low income households in crisis have been helped to buy essentials such as nappies, food and cookers through our Scottish Welfare Fund.
By keeping Scottish Water in public hands, customers are paying less for a better service. Water and sewerage charges for the average household in Scotland are £46 lower than in England and Wales.
Free personal care has been extended to people of all ages who are assessed as requiring it – regardless of their age, condition, capital or income – backed up with £30 million of new funding to local authorities across Scotland.
In Scotland bridge tolls are a thing of the past. Commuters have saved around £2,280 since bridge tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and Tay Bridge were scrapped.
And we’re committed to strengthening the social contract further.

We are establishing a social security system with compassion and dignity at heart. Following last year’s successful launch of two new benefits – the Carer’s Allowance Supplement and the Best Start Grant pregnancy and baby payment – Social Security Scotland will launch four new benefits this year.
We will almost double provision of free childcare and early years education to 30 hours per week by August 2020, saving families more than £4,500 per child per year.
Free healthy school meals will be extended to three and four year olds as well as eligible two year olds who will benefit from the expansion of childcare provision.
We are extending the concessionary bus pass to companions of eligible disabled children under five. We will also continue to explore options to provide free bus travel for Modern Apprentices."

Call it SNP propaganda if you will, but surely there is something in this list that benefits everyone in Scotland.

You are right Jane, but the OP asked a question about currency and it is a legitimate one which was certainly an issue during the indy ref.

Right now though, if we can't convince Mrs May and Mr Corbyn to give us a second confirmatory vote once we know what Brexit truly looks like, and we still don't know what will happen on Friday, nobody I know is remotely worried about what Scotland is planning for the long-term future as we practically don't know where we will land tomorrow or next week or next month.

We just have to hope that there will still be some damage limitation measures we can take before gathering ourselves for the next battle ...even if that is just to stop us being at the mercy of economies like the US, China, India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Goodbye (for now) 27 peaceful democracies. Hello cruel world.

You are right paddyann it is far from perfect. Council tax was capped for years by SNP govt which has only recently been slightly loosened.
I'm sure you're well aware of all the arguments against independence for Scotland so no need to trot them all out again.

Far from perfect but we have at least some hope of people who are in need getting help .Like all governments the SNP should be criticised where its deserved .As its councils who are pushing up CT it's best to see where their political allegiance lies before complaining SNP bad.Our neighbouring council is a coalition ,they have raised PARKING FEES.. by up to 800% .Theres a public outcry by the very folk who voted the tory/labour coalition into power .

That's a very good point about the lawn Gillybob. I think prescriptions should be free for all who need them.

Nobody thinks what we have here is perfect, but I'd rather stay somewhere which cares about making healthcare more accessible and other issues like the Rape Clause and the Bedroom Tax. I am paying less tax since the changes, as are about 55% of Scots.

And while this might make it difficult to attract EU citizens earning over £30,000, it won't stop us getting back some of the people who kept out soft fruit industry going or the people who looked after our great grannies so well.

I noticed that my Council Tax has gone out of the bank account today. It's well over £300pm in this area of Scotland and that's not even in the highest band. No one I know in England pays anything like that amount.

What a shame the referendum results were announced constituency by constituency. This has been the cause of a great deal of the division we now have. It should have been 'one nation, one result'.

Scottish pharmacists have said they would not like to see the return of prescription charges because the free prescriptions have ended the number of times they have less-well-off people asking which of the medicines the doctor has prescribed they really need because they can only afford one of them

Sadly an all to common occurrence here in England Caledonial .

I would never want to see these benefits removed (pissing on your lawn won't make mine any greener) I just wish we in England could benefit too.

Great reply Granny23.

I'd like to add that Scottish pharmacists have said they would not like to see the return of prescription charges because the free prescriptions have ended the number of times they have less-well-off people asking which of the medicines the doctor has prescribed they really need because they can only afford one of them.

They have also noted the confusion and distress being caused in England where vulnerable people have mistakenly ticked the wrong box (and in some cases even when they ticked the right box) and have been fined £100. Our pharmacists want nothing to do with that.

My own experience is that most Scots who can afford non-prescription (as in also available over the counter) medicines long term just pay for them.

Jane10 I was expecting better examples than those.

The Parliament tried to introduce local Income Tax but it was thwarted by Labour/Tories.

It was the LAs (particularly Edinburgh) who wanted workplace parking charges. It is now up to the individual LAs whether they implement it or not. My own local Council has said that it will not introduce the WPC and will in fact continue to have free parking in the town centres. LAs who choose to implement WPC will retain the funds raised, with no benefit to the SG.

55% of tax payers pay less under the Scottish scheme, only the better off pay more - I like that.

The SG has continued bursaries for nurses - withindrawn in England/Wales. Have also introduced new bursaries for STEM subject graduates who wish to undertake a teaching qualification.

I am not sure what you mean by 'freebies' but if it is e.g. Free Prescriptions, then it has been proven that once the checking of all prescriptions is removed the change is cost neutral.

the South has higher council tax

I don't think there are many places in the UK that have higher council taxes than we do here in my part of the North East icanhandthemback and lemongrove . We also have the lowest paid jobs and some of the lowest house prices.

Granny23. Where to start! Get rid of land and buildings tax, don't implement the workplace parking levy, stop the relentless centralisation, don't make Scotland the highest taxed place in the UK, stop giving freebies to people who don't actually need them, look at the workplace planning disasters that have led to shortages of teachers and health professionals, implement the powers you've already been given re benefits, on and on it goes...
Take some responsibility for the problems that you've have more than a decade to address and stop blaming Westminster.

Scexit ...?

Scotchit?

Examples Jane? What would you do differently?

Scotland does its own damage to its own economy as currently run.

How have they managed in Ireland so far? It's Sterling north of the border and Euros south of the Border. Maybe you can use both?

Also, I'm fairly sure the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have their own currencies. We do have Scottish notes and people still sometimes try to get rid of them before going south but you hardly hear of it these days.

Shouldn't we wait and see whether we are in or out of the EU and on what terms before we start worrying about Scexit.

We already know the Westminster Government will make as big a mess of Scexit as they have of Brexit ... except it would be worse because they would be the bigger partner.

And the damage will already have been done to Scotland's economy.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-47847576

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-47840566

Indeed it was. However surely its name should have changed following the Act of Union?

It should have been called the Bank of the UK or the British Bank
It was founded before the Act of Union in 1694.