“Its Shetlands oil!!!!”

Well said. Many Scots assume that the benefits of the Union are purely economic, and that if those soul-less accountants determine that England would be financially better off without Scotland, then the English should support Scottish independance.

Equally, there is this assumption that just because Scotland has not returned a Conservative majority for 50 years it must perforce be Conservative policy to cut Scotland loose so as to improve the chances of forever dominating England.

Other parties may be so unprincipled in advancement of their desire for political power, but that is not the Tory way. We are unionists for historic and cultural reasons, not pecuniary or political advantage.

I suspect that the whinging is part of a deliberate strategy to annoy the English into agreeing with the distruction of the Union. This reflects iller on the Scots who promote it tahn on those English who fall for it.

This English Tory remains steadfast in his support for the Union. My reasons may be misty-eyed romantic drivel, and have got nothing to do with which oil fields lies in which territorial waters (though I suspect many Scots would be horrified how little would be left them if the Orkneys & Shetlands chose to stay in the UK) but I firmly believe that all Britain is stronger as a United Kingdom than we could ever be as a series of regional provinces in a federal Europe.

I have often thought the same – why do the English want us. It is because they have a sense of Britishness – a oneness with us, which, sadly, many here in Scotland lack.

Im pro devolution, indeed i believe in fiscal autonomy and much of what the calman report suggests-infact i think we should be a federal britain (quite how England would form a `state` of a federal Britain is unsure-the regional rivalrys within England more than outshine those in Scotland. Maybe a parliament for England further sub devolved into english regional assemblys?)

The issue i want to raise is that of the EU. Much SNP discussion is centred around the notion that Scotland would march out of the UK and straight into the EU. This is not guarunteed. As with Russia post the fall of the USSR, the UK remnant, as the population and militarily dominant of the 2 new states, would retain the international legal personality of the current UK-Scotland on the other hand would start from scratch, which also means applying for EU membership.

Proof of such a reality is found in the comments of Joe Borg, former EU commisoner (2007) who stated

“if, for one moment, we were to assume that Scotland gained independence and therefore is eligible as a new member state for the European Union, I would see that, legally speaking, the continuation of the membership would remain with the rest of the UK – less Scotland. And, therefore, Scotland, as a newly independent state, would have to apply for membership.”

Now, in order to gain entry to the EU, you need unanimous consent from pre existing members-would Spain vote Scotland in, given the messege it would send to Catalonia and the Basque-or France re Corsica, Belgium re Wallonia dn Flanders, Germany re Bavaria and Italy re Padania………………..not guaruntee, and what if Scotland doesnt get in straight away-tough times methinks