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What happens to Scottish MPs?

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venator | 10:30 Tue 17th Jan 2012 | ChatterBank
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May I show my ignorance by asking a very obvious question?

If Scotland gains independence, am I right in thinking they won't elect any Westminster MPs?

Labour would lose about 40 MPs, while the Tories would lose one.

So what should Cameron do?

There's a strong Unionist tradition in his Party, but what if he could kick Labour into the long grass?
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Cameron knows that the labour party won't allow Scottish independance because they would lose any chance of getting back into power for a generation at least. Therefore he can afford to be Scot friendly and perhaps get a few more seats in non-independant Scotland. It looks like a win/win ploy for Cameron.
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Can Labour stop it though, if the Tories and Lib Dems back it?
If they had full independence then yes they'd not elect Westminster MP any more than citizens of Eire do today. But if they achieved one of those 'independence in all but the paperwork' deals then they may still be able to do so.
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Perhaps that's why Cameron wants a "yes or no" question?

Giving more powers to Scotland must be extremely unattractive?
//any more than citizens of Eire do today//
OG I think you mean residents rather than citizens. I have several friends who reside and vote in UK elections yet retain their citizenship of The Irish Republic.
It would be silly to let Scotland continue to have Westminster MPs.

Scotland would just be pretending to be independent ... like children going out "on their own" but their parents are really close by, making sure they are okay.

If the SNP wants Scotland to go it alone, then they should go it alone.

And yes ... Labour would have no realistic prospect of returning to power.

But remember how Labour bleated on about the Conservatives forming this Government ... bemoaning the fact that it was not what the majority wanted?

Well, if Labour are so concerned about "what the majority want" ... they might have to accept that the majority of Scots don't want Labour. ANd if Scotland don't want them ... then they are stuffed.
JJ we are happy with devolution...don't want separation..more importantly...what effect would that have on my costco membership ? hee hee...
Interesting. Shows how much I know. I should have thought of the details before making assumptions.

It just seemed to me that someone who is not a citizen of a country should not have voting rights in that country's elections. But you are right, I can see that if a non-citizen is resident they should have a say too. And for someone who is not presently resident, but is a citizen, there would be no representative for them to vote for, which is an issue with 'representative democracies'.

It's more complex than I'd simply assumed then. It just seems to me that a citizen ought to have some input to what is going on in their own country whilst they are away.
Living as I do in France I cannot vote in UK elections as I am not resident there. I cannot vote in French general elections because I am not a citizen. Being an observer is fascinating.
:-) When you vote is diluted by millions of others anyway, one wonders how much you have really lost. Still I'd not like to not even have the opportunity to influence things.

2 "not"s in one sentence ;-)
Do they pay a share of the national debt?
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Devolution seems to be a very expensive, bureaucratic way of keeping Nationalists quiet. Nice new Regional assembly buildings, elected windbags with legions of desksquatters.

Just like the various EU bodies, there's a lot of talk, but few real advances compared to the rest of the world. (that should stir 'em up!)

The fact that we had to bring in devolution shows there was a strong wish to get away from Westminster rule.

Let's give it to the Scots. We have more gas & oil fields than they have, and are starting to brew a decent whisky in Wales. They can fund their own free education, too!
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The national debt is a concept, rather than a bill which has to be paid.

More interesting is the infrastructure - power stations, government buildings etc, which the Scots would pick up.

There would be some horse trading to be done. They could sell us some water, perhaps?

Anyone know what happened when Eire split from the UK?
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I can see nobody's interested, but it's not " a small country far away"

Here's an angle on the question

http://www.fool.co.uk...urce=uoooutppc0040001
The reason Scotland joined England & Wales in the 'union' was that they were skint. They will be skint again, then they will be bailed out again, this time by the EU.
Jomifl, the eu bail out fund has just been downgraded by S & P so I do not fancy much help going to Scotland in that direction.
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They'd have more sense, surely, than go into the Euro, although Mr Salmond might fall for it.

What would the new currency be called - hre are some ideas

Pistole – Gold, 12 pounds Scots
Dollar – Replacement for the ryal, 60 Scots shillings (James VI)
Ryal – Gold, 1565
Crown or Lion – Gold (James I)
Half-crown, Demi-Lion or Demys – Gold (James I)
Ducat or “bonnet” – 40 shillings, 1539 (James V)
Mark or merk – Gold (giving rise to the term markland)
Noble – Gold, worth half a mark, 1357 (David II, reintroduced by Robert III)
Unicorn - Gold, 18 shillings Scots, 1484/5 (James III)
Half-unicorn - Gold, 9 shillings Scots (James IV)
Testoun – silver, 1553. Was produced in France with the new process of mill and screw, being the first milled coinage of Scotland.[16]
Bawbee – Billon, six pence from 1537
Shilling
Groat – Silver, equivalent to four pence, from 1357 (giving rise to the term groatland)
Half-groat – Silver, equivalent to two pence, from 1357
Turner – Billon, two pence (James VI), later copper.
Bodle – Copper, two pence (Charles II)
Hardhead – also called Lion, billon coin circulated in the reigns of Mary and James VI
Penny – Billon, one of the earliest coins, dating from David I. Later made of copper; giving rise to the term pennyland.
Halfpennies – Initially literally half of a penny, these became minted coins in their own right in c.1280. Later made of copper.
Farthing or quarter-penny – These were originally quarters of pennies, but as with Halfpennies, became coins in their own right in c.1280. Later made of copper.
Plack

Perhaps the Braveheart or the 80 Shilling?

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