Questions to answer over independence (From Daily Echo)

Questions to answer over independence

12:47pm Monday 23rd January 2012 in Readers' Letters

THREE-hundred years ago, on January 16, 1707, the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of ratification of the Treaty of Union with England. On April 28 the Scottish Parliament was dissolved by proclamation. Three days later the state of Great Britain formally came into existence.

As a newborn, independent nation, Scotland would have to have its own currency. Which currency would it have? Not the pound underwritten by the Bank of England, perhaps the euro with all of its frailties and uncertainties? Or how about its own currency? How would that work? Would The Royal Bank of Scotland be the equivalent of The Bank of England? Well no, because the taxpayer has an interest in the bank after Fred the Shred ran the bank into the ground with some “unusual”

banking practices that relied upon Westminster for a bailout in order to survive.

Would Scotland apply for Commonwealth membership or qualify for EU membership? The track record of the EU appears to allow in any country that is lacking politically and economically, so perhaps they would be granted membership and qualify for billions of euros of aid, just like Ireland did.

It is likely that Scots would have to have some sort of identification. A Scottish passport, or a Scottish drivers’ licence for starters. Would Scots be entitled to benefits? People from a country outside the EU may not qualify. What about residency qualifications? Would Scottish prisoners in jails be sent back home? What of Scots serving in the armed forces? Would they be employed as mercenaries?

What of other crown jobs such as the civil service, intelligence services, naval dockyard workers etc? Would Westminster repatriate jobs and employment back to England, Wales and Northern Ireland? Near full employment at the expense of the Scots would perhaps be a by-product of independence.

The instability that independence could cause to Scotland could inhibit investment in such an unstable economy. While in England, growth and prosperity through a vibrant banking and financial system, with the money that was ploughed into the Scottish economy through of the Barnet Formula now possibly spent in England on free care, perscriptions and tuition fees as the Scots previously enjoyed sounds good.

In my view, devolved governments for all four home nations and an elected upper house would offer stability and strength for the coming challenges that face us all.

John Edwards, Hampshire chairman, English Democrats