Will Scotland Leave the UK?

My guess is a junior, possibly in defence given the reference to Trident.

They are all hopelessly vain, they like to sound like they have the inside track and are worth being kept sweet by hacks. He or she has a view which they are entitled to and the quote fits the 'no campaign in disarray' narrative so eloquently elucidated by the Daily Wail this morning (a story carried in several of the papers, incidentally, without similar hysteria).

Note the Graun carefully describing them as someone who would be involved in negotiations in the event of a Yes, and not someone who has anything to do with things at present. To be frank, that means just about nothing, seeing as the process of separation would of necessity involve every department in Whitehall that currently exercises powers not devolved to Holyrood (which, by the way, is still most of them).

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by Damien

Who is the minister? It's just a quote from someone.

There's speculation as to who it is. However, clearly if it is indeed a "minister" it's not just "someone".

---------- Post added at 23:10 ---------- Previous post was at 23:06 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

My guess.......

And here we are worrying about speculation.

Originally Posted by Jimi

Well,that's one wee problem resolved.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...may-keep-pound

Wrong yet again Jimi


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-26791763

[Osem]

I think it's called clutching at straws...

Anonymous sources quoted in a newspaper obviously outweigh official, on the record, comments made by identifiable politicians and officials...

[Derek]

I can imagine that a currency union would be a pretty big carrot to dangle in return for Trident staying at Faslane and some other concessions.

If it does happen it will mean Scotland won't be independent as most people would understand it and Salmond / the SNP will have to reverse one of the central commitments of their campaign.

[Jimi]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Jimi, I know a man whose cousin knows a wee wummin whose son's teacher's aunty's adopted daughter has a dog that wee'd on your garden wall, and she says that you are Alex Salmond's sister, so it must be true.....

Wee'd on my garden wall,eh?
Have you forgotten already that we are in the Europeeein Union.

---------- Post added at 12:16 ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 ----------

Originally Posted by Derek

I can imagine that a currency union would be a pretty big carrot to dangle in return for Trident staying at Faslane and some other concessions.

If it does happen it will mean Scotland won't be independent as most people would understand it and Salmond / the SNP will have to reverse one of the central commitments of their campaign.

We don't need any carrots dangled in front of us,we are going tae win,we know it,you known it and so does Cameron and his cohorts.
The Yes campaign WANT tae win the day,the BT mob are resting on their backsides thinking its a formality,yeah right.

[Mr Angry]

These claims and counter claims become more tedious as this on going debacle unfolds.

Here we have Osborne and Alexander issuing another joint statement which includes this quote; "The UK would not put its taxpayers at risk of bailing out a foreign country and its banks. Parliament wouldn't pass it, and the people wouldn't accept it. Any suggestion to the contrary is wrong."

It would appear that George and Danny are casting aside the 2012(?) memorandum and further that George is suffering some sort of dementia or short term memory lapse as far as bailing out foreign countries is concerned.

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

These claims and counter claims become more tedious as this on going debacle unfolds.

Here we have Osborne and Alexander issuing another joint statement which includes this quote; "The UK would not put its taxpayers at risk of bailing out a foreign country and its banks. Parliament wouldn't pass it, and the people wouldn't accept it. Any suggestion to the contrary is wrong."

It would appear that George and Danny are casting aside the 2012(?) memorandumand furtherthat George is suffering some sort of dementia or short term memory lapse as far as bailing out foreign countries is concerned.

There is a difference between choosing to help out another country and signing a blank cheque for decades to come.

"Scotland would have no control over mortgage rates, and would be binding its hands on tax and funding for vital public services."

Isn't that supposed lack of control exactly what Salmond is meant to be complaining about in support of the "Yes" campaign? Currency union and a "Yes" vote are not compatible. You can't vote "yes" because you want more control and then also want an option which doesn't allow any control.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by nomadking

There is a difference between choosing to help out another country and signing a blank cheque for decades to come.

Isn't that supposed lack of control exactly what Salmond is meant to be complaining about in support of the "Yes" campaign? Currency union and a "Yes" vote are not compatible. You can't vote "yes" because you want more control and then also want an option which doesn't allow any control.

You can if what you want doesn't really independence but your pride and/or political motives won't let you admit it. The SNP are selling their electorate a pup, they certainly won't be independent if their currency is Sterling.

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by Osem

.... they certainly won't be independent if their currency is Sterling.

Seems to work ok for Jersey which has both independent governance and a currency union. It's not a matter of it not being "doable" but more the fact that there is no will to do it.

[techguyone]

As far as currency goes. I believe Northern Ireland has the Pound, and Southern Ireland the Euro, there doesn't seem to be any demands they go to one or the other.

[nomadking]

Jersey does not have a currency union with anyone. They produce their own currency. Jersey is small compared to the UK and as long as they don't go crazy, the informal and unwritten currency arrangements will work.

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by nomadking

Jersey does not have a currency union with anyone. They produce their own currency. Jersey is small compared to the UK and as long as they don't go crazy, the informal and unwritten currency arrangements will work.

According to the Wikipedia link above it does: "The pound is the currency of Jersey. Jersey is in currency union with the United Kingdom, and the Jersey pound is not a separate currency but is an issue of banknotes and coins by the States of Jersey denominated in pound sterling, in a similar way to the banknotes issued in Scotland and Northern Ireland".

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

According to the Wikipedia link above it does: "The pound is the currency of Jersey. Jersey is in currency union with the United Kingdom, and the Jersey pound is not a separate currency but is an issue of banknotes and coins by the States of Jersey denominated in pound sterling, in a similar way to the banknotes issued in Scotland and Northern Ireland".

A currency called the pound is used, just as many countries use a currency called "dollar". It just so happens the pounds are also interchangeable, but there is no formal arrangement for that. The Jersey AND current Scottish currency is NOT "legal tender". It does not have to be accepted.

Most of the notes issued by the note-issuing banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland have to be backed by Bank of England notes held by the issuing bank. The combined size of these banknote issues is well over a billion pounds. To make it possible for the note-issuing banks to hold equivalent values in Bank of England notes, the Bank of England issues special notes with denominations of one million pounds ("Giants") and one hundred million pounds ("Titans") for internal use by the other banks.

Currency printed in Scotland and Northern Ireland is simply a replacement for English pounds "bought" from the Bank of England. It is not additional currency. They are "buying" the right to print currency that would be printed anyway by the Bank of England.

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by nomadking

A currency called the pound is used, just as many countries use a currency called "dollar". It just so happens the pounds are also interchangeable, but there is no formal arrangement for that. The Jersey AND current Scottish currency is NOT "legal tender". It does not have to be accepted.
Currency printed in Scotland and Northern Ireland is simply a replacement for English pounds "bought" from the Bank of England. It is not additional currency. They are "buying" the right to print currency that would be printed anyway by the Bank of England.

Whatever way you slice it contrary to your assertion Jersey is in a formal currency union with the UK.

Legal tender is largely an irrelevance in the modern age with so many (non cash) means of payment.