We are indeed "Better Together"..

[grandad-dave]

As I predicted it wasn't particularily Close..  All the scare stories around post costs can now be put to bed.. I must admit I sat looking at a blank TV screen this morning when i got up at 5.30am unable to switch on just in case the worst had happened and Soapy Salmond had indeed Crowned himself King!!..  Only time will heal the divisions but I'm so glad the majority voted to go forward with England, Wales and Ireland and hopefully build a better future and a stronger Union..   Is IT to late or to Early for a wee Dram to toast everyone from both sides>>>>>

[grandad-dave]

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@biomedbabe wrote:
well, we might be getiing some of that fine rain, that soaks you right through! one consolation is that you won't have a bbq with that funny bread.

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Do you mean "Garlic Bread"..    Garlic....   Bread

[cke786]

At least we don't have to worry about sending stuff to Scotland now, or how we would get any business from them with no currency to buy stuff with 

[highlandlassie123]

One thing that hopefully we have all learned is that these Isles will never be the same again. Things will change & hopefully for the better.

There has been a load of scare stories & down right lies told all across the media. There has been real debate across alll sections of society with 16/17 year olds included in that. The turn out at the polls was unprecedented. 

To reduce the results to 'we won, they lost' argument is ridiculous.

[borismcdoris]

they're going to amalgamate the two countries now, they are going to take the "Eng" from England and the "land" from Scotland and then put them together. a disaster for Scotland.

same old same old.

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[highlandlassie123]

I think things will change. The electorate are more savy than they were a few years ago.

Angus - 100% turn out. Incredible.

[babylons*burning]

Angus - 100% turn out. Incredible.

At least they didn't vote like cattle.

[twohelmets]

At least 45% voted more like Turkeys than cattle, for Christmas. A benefits dependent society voting themselves more as promised by Alex, a bill they could never pay. According to at least one (Scottish ) source, 9 out of 10 Scottish households receive more in State benefits than they contribute in taxes.

Then there is their grossly disproportionate public sector, always a net loser for any Country.

It's interesting to see that the "yes" areas are the areas with high unemployment and benefits bills, such as Glasgow. I can't say I would have taken pleasure in seeing the result of a YES vote, but I also feel it would save the English from having their own independence vote which would have had a far better financial basis.

Not that white middle class England would ever get a vote, for they are the truly oppressed, not the Scottish.

[m1llsyno1]

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@daffodiltulip wrote:

Do they still get free prescriptions in Scotland?

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Yes we do 

[m1llsyno1]

What I cannot understand is why the No's are so bitter even though they won.

Here's another point of fact. English folks living here in Scotland were allowed to vote. Scottish folks living in England could not.

[biomedbabe]

next you'll be telling me you can put a chicken in a bag and roasting it!

[ben-a-hee]

The Scottish benefits bill is only 3% more than Englands per capita (as of 2012). Not maybe up to date, but it has steadily been coming down since 2006.

My source: Economic and Social Research Council.

Your source: Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, in a Daily Mail report.

I wonder which one is closer to the truth and less biased.

White middle class...oppressed? Don't make me laugh.

[borismcdoris]

alls fair in love, war and independence votes. there was a yes concert in Edinburgh 4 days before the vote, it was packed out to the rafters. it got a mention on the BBC because someone was attacked outside. the " big NO " concert on the other hand was sparsely attended and got lots of coverage for r bremner and co.  i got the distinct feeling that if Jesus had come back and said vote YES he would have been ignored and if across the road a dog had farted something that sounded like "no" it would have reached the front page of every paper in the land

bitter, yes,  if that is democracy then i am a goat.

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[twohelmets]

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@ben-a-hee wrote:

The Scottish benefits bill is only 3% more than Englands per capita (as of 2012). Not maybe up to date, but it has steadily been coming down since 2006.

My source: Economic and Social Research Council.

Your source: Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, in a Daily Mail report.

I wonder which one is closer to the truth and less biased.

White middle class...oppressed? Don't make me laugh.

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She only has to be half right to bring up a shocking statistic. Scotland is a a high state dependency society, fact. It does not surprise me to see Glasgow in the YES camp. Unemployed voting for more. Yes, I truly believe that middle class white England is now a oppressed part of the UK. Heck, they have been virtually demonised in their "oppression" of Scotland, Northern Ireland and good old Wales. Except all these regions seem to benefit from England.

I would suggest an England independence campaign except I would of course be accused of being an anti social racist if I suggested England would be better off without "the regions". Only works one way, so it seems. Many would have been happy to see Scotland commit suicide. Me? No. But it would have been interesting to see the capitol flight from Scotland and how Alex reacted to it.

Perhaps he would just say it would not happen, because that seems to be his style. We WILL use the Pound, people will NOT take their money elsewhere, the banks will NOT move base, the EU WILL give us membership etc etc. On a personal level. If I had money in a Scottish bank, it would now be long gone.

Your socialist paradise, comrade, will come at a price. One you can't pay.

[aernethril]

This makes interesting reading

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/11108848/Scottish-Referendum-My-Barnett-Formula-need...

[ben-a-hee]

I'll re-iterate the main statement in my post since you seem to have pretty much ignored it.

"The Scottish benefits bill is only 3% more than Englands per capita (as of 2012)."

So, that makes us 3% more a high state dependency society than England? Hardly a shocking difference, is it?

To say that that 3% difference is made up by the wealth coming through London alone would probably be understating the fact.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Perhaps now some of the poorer regions if the Uk can get fairer treatment. In the South West we have some of the lowest wages and highest house prices. Last night when the debating was still on our local news ran a story about local hospitals closing beds respite care homes closing down a kids centre closing and a centre for disabled children closing and 2 old peoples day centres closing down. We however still pay for prescriptions here and have less money per head spent than in Scotland we too are fed up with being ignored by Westminster in favour of London and the South East.

I am however pleased we remain a united country.

Lets hope things can be done fairly from now on

[grandad-dave]

The wife tells me WEE Eck has thrown in the towel and resigned.. Get ready for WEE Nicola Sturgeon   She'll frighten the life out of poor Dave Cameron..

[upthecreekyetagain]

Strikes me that the Scots have now got the best of both worlds - if pledges made during the campaign by the Prime Minister and other government ministers are up held then by this time next year the Scottish Parliament will have virtually the same powers they would have had if the 'Yes' vote had won the referendum - without any of the costs nor disadvantages of independence.

The above table doesn't seem to match some of the figures quoted on this thread but it does demonstrate how pointless quoting such figures are!  If they weren't pointless then the obvious conclusion would be that drastically more should be spent in the South East than it currently is!

[ed_blackadder_1]

But isnt less spent because it is a richer area or am I wrong.

[upthecreekyetagain]

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@ed_blackadder_1 wrote:
But isnt less spent because it is a richer area or am I wrong.

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And isn't more spent in Scotland because it's a poorer region.

As I said the 'expenditure figures' on their own are irrelevant - far more factors have to be taken into account.

London for instance - more per head is spent than in other parts of England but conversly far more per head is paid into the Exchequer than other parts of England - which wouldn't be the case without the additional expenditure.