Tuesday, May 06, 2008

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1. >>I have to say I was quite looking forward coming in today to read your response. You didn’t disappoint…<<

   Glad to alleviate your otherwise boring day, any nice care assistants helping you with your diction ;¬)

   Tell you what Congal, rather than have me gnawing away at your rather convincing reasons as to why we should all partake in Angleland uber alles. Why not outline to me where we as Scots would be better off in the union?

   Posted by  on May 13, 2008 @ 03:35 PM

2. Hi Prince,

   “Some of your more idiotic points in your past posts I have chosen to ignore, didn’t you realise that? Ask the Royal family where the world class Universities are in Scotland you numpty. As for hi-tec spin off’s(whatever that means) Dolly the sheep springs to mind. Scotland has always been at the front of innovation.”

   The Royal Family don’t really need jobs after uni do they? So, why would I ask them? FYI 4 of the top 10 universities in the world are in the UK – all in England. Edinburgh, that English city in Scotland, is placed quite high. However, in terms of prestige and ability to attract investment Oxford/Cambridge dwarf the rest. That’s why you have the clusters of hi-tec companies in that area. Scotland has in the past been at the forefront of technology – thank fek for Logie Baird for example. His idea flourished due to being part of the UK.

   “What is NOT in question is that Scotland will take charge of her own resources.”

   True. But it’s not guaranteed that the oil is Scotland’s. If things were as simple as you suggest Shetland should go independent and claim the oil for themselves. They’d be fabulously wealthy.

   “Says you. Green energy is unavoidable in the future, unless you know where mass oil reserves are. Under your big toy box perhaps? Scotland is well placed to take advantage of this new industry no matter how much shengis you talk.”

   Not only is Green energy avoidable, it’s being avoided. Germany, Denmark are scaling back their misadventure with it. Finland is going nuclear. France already is. Most importantly tho’ is the concerted effort to crack nuclear fusion by most of the advance countries of the world. Afterall the big burning ball in the sky is a nuclear fusion reactor that provides all this renewable green energy. The reactor is being built in France. Once that happens windfarms will be looked upon as quaint relics. But hey, you go for it!

   “Look Congal you are quite right about banging on about how England will trump Scotland at every juncture in the upcoming WWE business tag-team smash down. “geographic location” as you say means everything, thus why in these new times of global markets, hundreds of companies are relocating to the far east ect. *SUBTLE POINT ALERT* thus you are quite correct that London, all of 300 odd miles from the Scottish central belt would be too great a distance for companies to re-locate, or chhose in the first instance. And why have we not seen a mass exodus of Companies from the Benelux countries and france, also the Celtic tiger to the Great England if they are so great?”

   Companies ALREADY locate in England in far greater numbers than Scotland. You have to persuade them to move or for any new arrivals you have to persuade them why they would take the chance with a newly independent Scotland. The reasons you gave don’t wash. You don’t have the skills, relatively speaking. And the tax reasons would easily be matched by a Tory England. 100s of companies are outsourcing MANUFACTURING to the far east. You aren’t seriously suggesting you’ll compete on price. The head office functions and the high value added functions remain here. These would be the jobs you’d compete for. And your competition would be with England. Some French companies have relocated. The reason most don’t tho’ is because of protectionist law in France. That however is a very short sighted failing on France’s behalf. Some British companies are locating to Dublin for tax reasons. One of the reasons you gave for how Scotland would compete. However, the EU are trying to harmonise tax policy. Assuming you want to enter the Euro that avenue will eventually be closed. The US is also looking at closing tax loopholes thro creative accounting to Dublin which essentially has become a tax haven.

   Posted by  on May 13, 2008 @ 04:57 PM

3. Ok Congal

   I’m bored responding to your economic theories;

   >>The reasons you gave don’t wash. You don’t have the skills, relatively speaking.<<

   You just spout nonsense, lack coherence. You talk pish basically. Here is some of your more lucid points;

   1) Scottish Universities are shit, best to send our children for a real education at English uni’s.

   2)We will not be able to attract any inward investment because the English will get it all, every country in the world as we speak are seeking to be colonised and ruled by England.

   3) Green energy is a waste of time and frankly useless, best go nuclear, like the English?

   You have convinced me, I will now give up this silly idea that we as Scots could run our own country. Running UK inc. these past 10 years was only a blip on the radar. We will go back to being incompetent and reliant on our *English* betters soon enough.

   All of these sage words of wisdom and outright blind negative futuring on your part leads me to ask, who is going to win the 3.30 at Kempton tomorrow? Bet it’s not a Scottish horse, right?

   >>it’s not guaranteed that the oil is Scotland’s. If things were as simple as you suggest Shetland should go independent and claim the oil for themselves. They’d be fabulously wealthy.<<

   Little of what you say makes sense, or on point for that matter. However, Shetland has never been a nation, it was for a shortish period a Danish crown dependency, or ruled by Danish or Norwegian raiders. Most of the oil would not fall under the shadow of the Shetlands anyhow. A silly point. Whose oil is it if not Scotland’s? A very small percentage would arguably come under English suzerainty. Who do you believe would be in a position to hand out guarantee’s?

   Posted by  on May 13, 2008 @ 09:56 PM

4. Hi Prince,

   “1) Scottish Universities are shit, best to send our children for a real education at English uni’s.”

   I didn’t say that. I said that England has 4 of the top 10 Universities in the world. You’ll have to compete with them. Edinburgh is an excellent University. However, in world terms it’s RELATIVELY no where near Oxford/Cambridge. To deny it is foolhardy. It was you who gave skills as one of the reasons why people would invest in an independent Scotland. I’m questioning whether that’s actually viable. As discussed before, you’ll presumably have to compete on the high tech value add industries or finance. You’d have trouble matching Oxbridge for the high tech jobs and you definitely won’t compete with London on financial terms.

   “2)We will not be able to attract any inward investment because the English will get it all, every country in the world as we speak are seeking to be colonised and ruled by England.”

   I didn’t say that either. But as you are geographically adjacent to England which already has a reputation as somewhere to invest that will be your main competition. I find it troubling you don’t get that.

   “3) Green energy is a waste of time and frankly useless, best go nuclear, like the English?”

   Green energy puts strain on the power grid. Germany and Denmark led the world on this. Denmark managed to get to 20% of it’s power coming from wind. However, because the wind doesn’t blow all the time you get massive surges from time to time which bring down the grid as conventional power stations need to be brought up/down. So much so Denmark decided to stop building any more turbines in 2002. The RoI followed suit in 2003. In 2006 large tracts of Western Europe in Italy, Germany and Austria were blacked out for the same reason. Germany has 31% of the entire world’s wind turbines yet the output from these is the equivalent of 1 medium sized power station. Interestingly, despite this the Scottish Labour party had wind power as a policy in the last Scottish elections. You may have more luck from hydro or wave. But, there are massive environmental issues with both these. I’m not sure there is any economically viable wave power system in the world. Nuclear IS the way to go. Fusion will be cracked and that will be that.

   “A silly point.”

   I know. That was the intention.

   Posted by  on May 14, 2008 @ 11:27 AM
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