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Gordon Booth · 02-08-2010, 18:48

While the towns of Northern England slowly slide into dereliction and jobs disappear down the deserted mine shafts,suitcases full of our money continue to fly past us, slowing down only as they cross the border and settle in the Scottish Parliament.
The English currently subsidise Scotland to the tune of 4.5 billion pounds(that's 4,500,000,000 of those coins in your pocket or purse,imagine how heavy those suitcases must be).Source-Telegraph,1/02/10.That means every person in Scotland gets over £1500 of every English persons tax-no wonder there isn't much left for us!
Free prescriptions, free OAP care,free university tuition(I read a while ago that any student from the EEC would get it if selected,except English students,can anyone confirm that?)half the working population employed in the public sector etc.etc.
The money is shared out according to the Barnett Formula(set in 1978). He was Treasury Chief Secretary and has said for several years it is now unfair.Quote-'I didn't create this formula to give Scotland an advantage over the rest of the country'.So why did he create it?
So do the Scots REALLY want Independance? They have given us some of our best engineers and scientists and are a lovely,friendly people but most of all they are 'canny' about money. Would you want to loose all that money?
By the way forget the argument about 'Scottish oil'.It's UK oil and even if they got the whole of the revenues it wouldn't cover the subsidy.
Can we do a poll on which of us think Scotland should be given Independance IMMEDIATLY?Perhaps now we haven't got a Scottish Chancellor/Prime Minister and not quite as many Scottish ministers someone might listen.

02-08-2010, 18:48	#1
Gordon Booth Senior Member+ Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 2,402 Liked: 715 times Rep Power: 46611	Do the Scots REALLY want Independance? While the towns of Northern England slowly slide into dereliction and jobs disappear down the deserted mine shafts,suitcases full of our money continue to fly past us, slowing down only as they cross the border and settle in the Scottish Parliament. The English currently subsidise Scotland to the tune of 4.5 billion pounds(that's 4,500,000,000 of those coins in your pocket or purse,imagine how heavy those suitcases must be).Source-Telegraph,1/02/10.That means every person in Scotland gets over £1500 of every English persons tax-no wonder there isn't much left for us! Free prescriptions, free OAP care,free university tuition(I read a while ago that any student from the EEC would get it if selected,except English students,can anyone confirm that?)half the working population employed in the public sector etc.etc. The money is shared out according to the Barnett Formula(set in 1978). He was Treasury Chief Secretary and has said for several years it is now unfair.Quote-'I didn't create this formula to give Scotland an advantage over the rest of the country'.So why did he create it? So do the Scots REALLY want Independance? They have given us some of our best engineers and scientists and are a lovely,friendly people but most of all they are 'canny' about money. Would you want to loose all that money? By the way forget the argument about 'Scottish oil'.It's UK oil and even if they got the whole of the revenues it wouldn't cover the subsidy. Can we do a poll on which of us think Scotland should be given Independance IMMEDIATLY?Perhaps now we haven't got a Scottish Chancellor/Prime Minister and not quite as many Scottish ministers someone might listen.