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The colloquially called “Edinburgh Agreement” was signed on 15 October 2012
AGREEMENT between the United Kingdom Government and the Scottish Government on a referendum on independence for Scotland.
The United Kingdom Government and the Scottish Government have agreed to work together to ensure that a referendum on Scottish independence can take place. The governments are agreed that the referendum should:
- have a clear legal base;
- be legislated for by the Scottish Parliament;
- be conducted so as to command the confidence of parliaments, governments and people; and
- deliver a fair test and a decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland and a result that everyone will respect.
The governments have agreed to promote an Order in Council under Section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998 in the United Kingdom and Scottish Parliaments to allow a single-question referendum on Scottish independence to be held before the end of 2014. The Order will put it beyond doubt that the Scottish Parliament can legislate for that referendum. It will then be for the Scottish Government to promote legislation in the Scottish Parliament for a referendum on independence. The governments are agreed that the referendum should meet the highest standards of fairness, transparency and propriety, informed by consultation and independent expert advice. The referendum legislation will set out: • the date of the referendum; • the franchise; • the wording of the question; • rules on campaign financing; and • other rules for the conduct of the referendum. The details of the agreement between the governments are set out in the following memorandum and draft Order, which form part of this agreement.
The Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP Prime Minister
The Rt. Hon. Alex Salmond MSP First Minister of Scotland
The Rt. Hon. Michael Moore MP Secretary of State for Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon MSP Deputy First Minister of Scotland
Edinburgh, 15 October 2012
Scottish Independence Referendum
A referendum on Scottish independence took place on 18 September 2014. The independence referendum question, which voters answered with “Yes” or “No”, was “Should Scotland be an independent country?” The “No” side won, with 2,001,926 (55.3%) voting against independence and 1,617,989 (44.7%) voting in favour.
Prior to the Scottish Independence Referendum Alex Salmond declared that, “A victory by just a single vote would be enough to deliver independence.” In fact there was a majority of 383,937 in favour of remaining within the United Kingdom. He further stated that the Scottish referendum is a “once in a generation opportunity” and that a simple majority, however close, would be accepted by both sides in the campaign and there would be a “generational” gap before another independence referendum.
Contrary to their promise to respect the result, ever since that historic day on the 18th of September 2014, Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP have disrespected the clear will of the Scottish people as expressed in the decisive “No” vote.
Sturgeon’s threat of IndyRef2
There is no appetite within Scotland at large to hold a further divisive Referendum, so called IndyRef 2.
The economic picture, according to Nicola Sturgeon in February 2014, “We would start life as an independent country with healthier public finances than the rest of the UK. The gap between spending and revenue is smaller.”
However, the stark reality is that now in 2017 is that we would start life as an Independent country with worse finances than the rest of the UK. The gap between spending and revenue is bigger.
Sturgeon stated in October 2011, that “Scotland accounts for 8.4% of the UK population but in 2009/2010 contributed 9.4% of the overall UK tax revenue – £1000 extra for every man woman and child in Scotland.”
However in 2015/2016 Scotland accounts for 8.3% of the UK population and contributed only 7.9% of the overall UK tax revenue – which is £400 less for every man, woman and child in Scotland.
In October 2012, Sturgeon stated, “If you look at the last independent figures that are available we are £2.7 billion better off than the rest of the UK. £500 for every person in Scotland.”
Once more, however, in 2017, if you look at the latest independent figures available we are £9.4 billion worse off than the rest of the UK. We would be £1750 worse off for every person in Scotland.
Scotland and the EU
Scotland has been misled from the start by the SNP, about many things; but especially about the chances of an Independent Scotland becoming a member of the EU. Not to mention who in their right mind would want to join a patently failing dysfunctional chronically corrupt political edifice and accept their failing currency the Euro? Scotland could NEVER find Independence within the EU which was designed from the beginning to eradicate democracy, eradicate Nation States, eradicate National Sovereignty and to eradicate individual National Cultures. The following plaque is at the door of the EU Parliament.
Under EU Law for a country to seek EU membership it must have a deficit of 3% or less – Scotland’s Fiscal Deficit at nearly £15 Billion and very nearly 10% , is the highest in the EU; even higher than Greece, and Greece as we know is an economic disaster area. This is the scenario that Sturgeon is trying to inflict upon Scotland by her suggestion that an Independent Scotland could thrive within the EU.
Throughout the 2014 independence campaign the SNP claimed a separate Scotland could automatically remain within the EU, but Ms Jacqueline Minor, Head of representation for the European Commission in the UK has directly contradicted that.
Ms Minor said Scotland would have to apply from scratch and follow the usual accession process joining a list of candidate countries including Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She also stated that Scotland would have to commit to joining the euro and tackle its £15 billion deficit to meet membership rules. Ms Minor also suggested an independent Scotland would have to wait several years to apply with Commission President Jean Claude Juncker ruling out any further enlargement while he is in office until 2020.
Scotland’s Fiscal Deficit
Official figures show Scotland’s Fiscal deficit is the highest in the EU at 9.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), behind Greece on 7.2 per cent and Spain on 5.1 per cent.
The EU considers anything above 3 per cent of GDP to be “excessive” and can impose financial penalties on and/ or withhold payments to member states which exceed that figure. Ms Minor said “that would be one of the issues Scotland would have to address.”
Does Scotland have the right to break up the UK by holding IndyRef2?
The question has been asked, “Why is it that 5 million Scots can make the decision by way of a referendum to break up the country without the other 60 million having a voice in that decision?”
Indeed, the reality is that as stated above, a referendum on Scottish independence took place on 18 September 2014. The independence referendum question, which voters answered with “Yes” or “No”, was “Should Scotland be an independent country?” The “No” side won, with 2,001,926 (55.3%) voting against independence and 1,617,989 (44.7%) voting in favour.
Scotland’s trade with our nearest friends and neighbours in the rest of the UK, continues to be worth four times more than its exports to the EU, according to latest Scottish government figures.
The latest Export Statistics Scotland data showed the country sold £49.8bn to the rest of the UK in 2015 – £2.1bn more than the previous year, while exports to the EU rose by £520m to a total of £12.3bn; still only 25% of Scotland’s trade with the rest of the UK.
There is no genuine case which can be made for a second Scottish Independence Referendum. It is merely the noisy clamour of those for whom Independence is paramount at any cost; regardless of the economic insanity and the reality that with a deficit greater than Greece we would be destined to become an impoverished third world nation. The majority of Scots voted on 18th September 2014 to remain part of the United Kingdom and there is no sensible credible viable reason to revisit this historic decision.
References:
http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0040/0…
http://www.gov.scot/About/Governmen…
https://medium.com/@blairmcdougall/…
http://gbm.7e9.mywebsitetransfer.com/comment…
