Scottish independence
Independent Scotland will flourish, says economist
A FORMER economic adviser to Alex Salmond has argued that Scotland would thrive after independence, with Edinburgh acting as its “dominant” economic centre.
122 comments
Scottish independence ‘baffles’ foreign nations
FOREIGN Secretary William Hague will claim today that foreign nations are “baffled” over why Scotland would want to leave the Union, as he uses a speech in Scotland to back the case for the UK.
144 comments
Scottish independence: Financial services warning
THOUSANDS of financial services jobs could go in Scotland if voters back independence because companies will want to move where most of their business is based, a senior Treasury minister has claimed.
32 comments
Scottish independence:‘No’ vote good for top Court
A NO vote in the independence referendum could lead to more responsibility for the UK Supreme Court, according to its most senior judge.
29 comments
Simon Howie: Independence can beef up key industries
Greater fiscal powers will help to bring out the very best in our producers, writes Simon Howie
8 comments![John Swinney: We will uprate pensions by the highest [option] . Picture: Ian Rutherford](/webimage/1.2970669.1371602194!/image/668541148.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_109/668541148.jpg)
Scottish independence: Swinney’s pension promise
JOHN Swinney yesterday sought to defuse anxiety over the impact independence will have on pensions by insisting a so-called “triple lock” guarantee would remain intact if people vote Yes next year.
37 comments
Natalie McGarry: Sell independence to all of society
Yes campaign must reach out to the conservative element of the electorate, writes Natalie McGarry
24 comments
Scottish independence will ‘disrupt’ finance sector
SCOTTISH Secretary Michael Moore last night warned that independence would disrupt the country’s financial services.
57 comments
Eddie Barnes: Gauntlet thrown down on devolution
“TO a great extent,” declared Gary Robinson, the leader of Shetland Council, “devolution stopped in Edinburgh.” The Lerwick-based councillor was speaking on Monday, linked by the web, alongside fellow council chiefs from the Orkneys and the Western Isles.
2 comments
Barra Collins: A Union of convenience
The desire for independence is not rational, but driven by the emotions and – like love – cannot be explained, writes Barra Collins
17 comments
Allan Massie: Better by far to look to Europe
Clarke may struggle to convince Eurosceptics, but creation of the EU is one of the best things to have happened, says Allan Massie
6 comments
Island councils seek greater power over affairs
SCOTLAND’S islands councils have demanded more powers regardless of the outcome of next year’s independence referendum as part of a flagship campaign launched Monday.
99 comments
Peter Jones: No answer exists until vote is cast
Catalan MEP Alejo Vidal-Quadras whipped up a big headline in The Scotsman yesterday with his claim that France and Spain would veto any bid by an independent Scotland to join the EU.
54 comments
Independence: Spain ‘can’t block Scottish EU bid’
A CATALAN nationalist MEP has challenged claims by a European Parliament vice-president that Spain could veto an independent Scotland’s membership of the European Union.
21 comments
Scottish independence: Would taxes be higher?
According to the Scottish Government, in an independent Scotland taxes will be set as part of the government’s annual budgets. With independence all parties in Scotland will need to set out their approach to taxes ahead of the 2016 election.
Scottish independence: What would happen to the NHS?
Independence supporters make the point that Scotland’s health service is already effectively independent, and has been since the creation of the service 65 years ago.
Scottish independence: Alex McLeish backs No vote
FORMER Scotland manager Alex McLeish has backed a No vote in next year’s independence referendum as he said he was “passionate about Scotland being part of the United Kingdom”.
36 commentsScottish independence: Shared benefits system warning
FORMER SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars has warned that plans to share the UK’s welfare and benefits system for a transitional period after independence could destroy the chance of a Yes vote.
10 comments
Nicola Sturgeon: We’ll take our place at table in Brussels
SCOTLAND is an ancient European nation, and an independent Scotland will continue in European Union membership.
43 comments
Scottish independence: MEP claim over Scotland/EU
FRANCE and Spain would not accept an independent Scotland into the European Union, a European Parliament vice-president has claimed.
425 comments
Scottish independence: EU opt-outs ‘difficult’
SCOTLAND would find it more difficult to negotiate an “à la carte” membership of the European Union if it becomes independent, according to an SNP ally in Europe.
29 comments
Andrew Wilson: Timing is everything
PATIENCE”, according to St Augustine, “is the companion of wisdom”. It is an important thought.
17 comments
Scottish independence: ‘GCHQ needed if independent’
AN INDEPENDENT Scotland would need to have its own GCHQ or face the prospect of having the British Government spy on Scottish citizens and then passing the information to Holyrood, an academic has warned.
158 comments
Independence: Question Time Holyrood debate tabled
AN SNP MSP has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament criticising the BBC over the panel for Thursday’s edition of debate show Question Time in Edinburgh, which featured Nigel Farage and George Galloway.
122 comments
Gerry Hassan: Voice of a younger Scotland rings anew
Arguments articulated by the establishment and the political Old Guard fail to resonate with a new generation of voters, writes Gerry Hassan
5 comments
Scottish independence: Trident is ‘ticket to Nato’
SCOTLAND could be forced to keep Trident nuclear weapons for up to 20 years after independence as the UK seeks out an alternative base, leading military experts have said.
151 comments
Scottish independence: what would happen to house prices?
HOUSE prices are not always easy to predict even in the absence of a constitutional debate.
Scottish independence: what would happen to the British Monarchy?
DESPITE a sizeable proportion of those involved in the independence movement being proponents of republicanism, the SNP has realised that getting rid of the Monarchy in Scotland would be unpopular with the public at large.
Scottish independence: what would happen to my British passport?
THIS is potentially one of the most complex issues which will be faced in the negotiations should there be a Yes vote for independence.
Scottish independence: Will Scots living in England be able to vote in the referendum?
No. The UK Government proposed that the Holyrood franchise should be used which means there is no vote for anybody living outside Scotland.
10 comments
Scottish independence: what would happen to the Union Jack?
Some on both sides of the debate argue that independence will mean that the Scottish saltire will automatically be removed from the Union Flag.
Scottish independence: Scots would need EU allies
An independent Scotland would have to build alliances in Europe to promote its policies or it will find it difficult to make an impact, according to a former Slovakian foreign minister.
8 comments
George Galloway: Hijacking of Nigel Farage ‘ugly’
FORMER Scottish MP George Galloway insisted last night that the hijacking of Nigel Farage’s press conference in Edinburgh last month “looked ugly”.
147 comments
Scottish independence: MoD defence deal warning
SCOTLAND will need to strike a deal with the rest of the UK after independence to buy up English military hardware if it is to persuade the Navy to carry on ordering ships on the Clyde, a defence expert has said.
128 comments
Scottish independence: ‘Bedroom tax’ would end
An SNP government would abolish the controversial “bedroom tax” within a year of Scottish independence.
32 comments
Scottish independence vote outcomes to be made clear
SCOTS will be given a clear picture in advance of the independence referendum about the consequences of a Yes or No vote, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
58 comments
Scottish independence: Greens accuse BBC of bias
THE BBC have been accused of a “lack of balance” by Scottish Greens leader Patrick Harvie MSP over the broadcaster’s line-up of Question Time panellists, who are due to discuss Scottish independence in Edinburgh tonight.
123 comments
Scottish independence: Banks ‘must decide’ on HQs
UK banks in Scotland will be forced to decide whether to keep their headquarters north of the Border if Scotland becomes independent, a legal banking expert has warned.
103 comments
Scottish independence: No poor income tax - Souter
ROAD tolls should be introduced and income tax abolished for the poorest workers if Scotland became independent, Stagecoach chairman Sir Brian Souter said today.
21 comments
Scottish Independence: Call for pensions clarity
Campaigners are calling for further clarity on pensions in the run-up to the independence referendum.
10 comments
Comment: ‘No’ campaign losing sense of togetherness
The emergence of a new campaign group against independence exposes faultlines in Better Together, writes Natalie McGarry
38 comments
Michael Fry: Battle for hearts and minds
The marking of the 100th anniversary of the First World War may be viewed very differently north of the Border than through London eyes, writes Michael Fry
25 comments
Scottish independence: ‘Oil can plug spending gap’
AN independent Scotland will have to use its oil and gas revenues to plug a gap in public spending, an economist has claimed.
8 comments
Brian Wilson: SNP con can’t mask pensions reality
We cannot hope to keep managing UK pensions and other services if we vote for independence, writes Brian Wilson
53 comments
Peter Geoghegan: Corporation tax cut is no cure-all
PETER Geoghegan writes that history does not favour SNP’s plan to lower corporation tax to boost the economy
8 comments
Comment: Westminster doesn’t own ‘Britishness’
AN UNEXPECTED twist in the referendum debate has emerged with the No campaign appearing keen to reduce “Britishness” to little more than a formal legal status.
27 comments
Scottish independence: Forces ‘could lack manpower’
A DEFENCE force for an independent Scotland could be “short of people”, according to the man who was until recently second in charge of the RAF.
9 comments
Nicola McEwen: SNP must set out their welfare vision
WELFARE reform has been a key focus of the campaign for Scottish independence. Yes campaigners see the UK government’s welfare reforms – symbolised by the bedroom tax – as symbolic of all that is wrong with the Union, and an opportunity to mobilise support for independence.
9 comments
Scottish independence: SNP welfare plan ‘a risk’
THE SNP’s pledge to design a radically different welfare system in an independent Scotland would result in a “serious risk” of disruption to claimants, a Scottish Government-commissioned panel concluded yesterday.
309 comments
Peter Jones: Divisions multiply SNP’s problems
SCOTTISH Nationalism is unusual amongst political parties in having a membership which divides less over points of principle than it does over tactics.
35 comments |
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Edinburgh
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: West
