Does anyone seriously support Scottish independence?

[Lincoln Republican]

Would it be a Republic of Scotland or would they invite the House of Stuart back? 

It'd be like Canada; the Queen would still be the monarch.

Either that or a Republic - SNP officially favors a Republic but proposes to put the issue to a separate vote.

Incidentally, the heir to the House of Stuart is the greatgrandson of the last King of Bavaria.

Or perhaps the Scots would consider taking as their king Prince Andrew of the House of Windsor, second oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and brother of Prince Charles.

[Associate Justice PiT]

The fact that the United Kingdom is a relatively unitary system

Only with regards to England.

     But isn't the United Kingdom as a whole more unitary than, say, the United States?

Obviously. But in specific cases 'as a whole' is not relevant. Scotland has more 'independence' in some areas than any U.S state.

     I do suppose that my question encountered the same issues that any form of generalized comparison between two items does, as some aspects are not properly represented by the generalization. That's one of the difficulties of life, isn't it?

[afleitch]

Yes.

Economically it's viable particularly as the Scottish Goverment reported a 'surplus' for 2009/10 (Even without favourable figures that the SG used, we would be in a smaller defecit than the rest of the UK) There is still money in oil, plus potential reserves off Orkney, Shetland.

But the real 'liquid gold' is water. We have higher water rates because of the infrastructure, but pump huge quantities of it south of the border. There's already a robust hydroelectric structure as well as emerging wind power.

We are not as heavily subsidised as the Daily Mail thinks we are, certainly in comparison to Northern Ireland, Wales, the North of England and indeed most of England north of the Severn/Wash. We have the 4th highest income (IIRC) out of the economic regions and 3rd if you exclude London (due to the insanely rich messing about with the average )

We won't vote for it of course and the demographics make it more difficult with each passing year.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Most Americans probably support it because they've seen Braveheart and are too dumb to know anything about the actual issue.

I've never seen Bravehart, but I'm in favor of it if the Scots want it, sure.  I guess that puts me in the second of Winston's groupings. 

[Free Palestine]

I'm in favor of it if the Scots want it, sure.

[Phony Moderate]

Yes. They would be better off methinks. Wales and Northern Ireland too.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Yes. They would be better off methinks. Wales and Northern Ireland too.

No.

[k-onmmunist]

I have nothing but contempt for the SNP, Plaid, Sinn Fein, the English Dems and all other parties who would destroy our nation.

[Bacon King]

I think the Scottish people have a right to determine themselves if they want to be an independent nation, but if I were Scottish I'd vote against it.

I have nothing but contempt for the SNP, Plaid, Sinn Fein, the English Dems and all other parties who would destroy our nation.

A tad excessively vitriolic, no? I never pegged you as a "nationalism at all costs" type.

[Dr. Cynic]

Most Americans probably support it because they've seen Braveheart and are too dumb to know anything about the actual issue.

I never saw that movie...

Scotland was independent before England took possession of them. I'm actually only a third generation American (Family emigrated in 1911-1912) and I've been to Scotland and England only recently. I went to Devonport where my family officially emigrated from. I have Scots background on one side and English on the other. If Scotland, a once independant nation wishes to leave the U.K. they have that right. I don't think I would support it if I was Scottish, I don't think I would vote for it, at least not at the moment.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Most Americans probably support it because they've seen Braveheart and are too dumb to know anything about the actual issue.

I never saw that movie...

Scotland was independent before England took possession of them. I'm actually only a third generation American (Family emigrated in 1911-1912) and I've been to Scotland and England only recently. I went to Devonport where my family officially emigrated from. I have Scots background on one side and English on the other. If Scotland, a once independant nation wishes to leave the U.K. they have that right. I don't think I would support it if I was Scottish, I don't think I would vote for it, at least not at the moment.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouFailHistoryForever

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

If they want it... let them.

I don't think they'll benefit from it though.

[Јas]

I have nothing but contempt for the SNP, Plaid, Sinn Fein, the English Dems and all other parties who would destroy our nation.

Dissolve, not destroy. And state, not nation. (excessive hyperbole, much btw?)

By the by, it's interesting that through all your various ideological moves that your intense hyper-nationalism(/imperialism) remains unchanged. It fit better with your right wing persona than your current leftist one, fwiw.

[afleitch]

Scottish History/Culture 101

Scotland remained an independent nation until 1707 when the Parliament voted in favour of Union. The reasons for this are numerous. True, Scotland lost a bucketload of money trying to found a colony in the Darien and the English, despite a union of the crowns, was unfavourable to giving Scotland access to it's own colonies. Secondly, the parliament was composed of landed gentry and lairds all of whom for the past 2 or 3 generations since the union of the crowns in 1603 had acquired profitable pockets of land in England and Ireland. Indeed many of the lairds hardly set foot in Scotland at all so the union, being in the hands of such people was inevitable.

The Union produced immediate benefit economically contributing the the 'Scottish Enlightenment' and the making of Glasgow for example. It also highlighted the Highland/Lowland division in the country which transcended even religious lines and led to the Jacobite uprisings. So we essentially became 'North Britain' until Walter Scott, for personal and political convenience 're-invented' Scotland and it's culture.

I am not trying to sh-t upon my own national heritage, simply accepting that national heritage has always been an invention. It happened within living memory in Wales for example.

Scottish culture and identity then became a battle between the Germanic and the Celtic, the former loosing favour post WW2. This was followed in the 1960' and 70's by a rejection of 'Walter Scott-land' in favour of more localised and perceived untouched culture from Doric to Gaelic 'waulking.' This left an identity crisis in the Lowlands and as the last vestiges of Britain-wide working class uniformity dissapeared left Edinburgh to be mired in tartan kitsch and the Festival and Glasgow to go 'continental' in the 1990's.

The End.