Should England have a referendum ?

[otago]

It seems some Scottish politicians want a referendum about Scotland leaving the union with England .
If there is going to be a referendum should there be one for English voters with the choices of tossing out Scotland, or just wind up the United Kingdom ?

 

[bathsheba666]

Good idea - why not put it to a vote?

 

[Tahuti]

Just name one good reason why British politicians would agree to this.

 

[Kyriakos]

There was a time when such talk would belong to the comedy hour.

How things change...

 

[Virote_Considon]

Just name one good reason why British politicians would agree to this.

The look on Alex Salmond's face when the Scottish vote against Scottish independence, but the English vote for it, I'd gather.

There was a time when such talk would belong to the comedy hour.

How things change...

No, nothings changed. Still belongs there.

 

[Kyriakos]

No, nothings changed. Still belongs there.

As does the tripling of tuition fees in British universities.

 

[otago]

Just name one good reason why British politicians would agree to this.

English politicians you mean, for one good reason, just to remind the Scottish politicians that wanting a vote on the future of a country can cut both ways.

 

[Winner]

Yes please, dissolve the UK.

 

[Traitorfish]

It seems some Scottish politicians want a referendum about Scotland leaving the union with England .
If there is going to be a referendum should there be one for English voters with the choices of tossing out Scotland, or just wind up the United Kingdom ?

I'm not sure that there are any provisions in either British or international law for forcibly expelling a region from your country. So I really don't know how that would work.

Anyway, if it came through as a positive, what would it prove- that the English are incapable of tolerating dissent? Is that a message that they really want to give?

The look on Alex Salmond's face when the Scottish vote against Scottish independence...

Do you think it's as much a foregone conclusion as that? I know that the Scots are not as enthusiastic about independence as he might believe, but at this point it may be sufficient that they are simply less enthusiastic about the Union. Especially if Cameron manages to rule out the "Devolution Max" option, which a majority of Scots are, if I understand correctly, genuinely supportive of.

 

[Virote_Considon]

Do you think it's as much a foregone conclusion as that? I know that the Scots are not as enthusiastic about independence as he might believe, but at this point it may be sufficient that they are simply less enthusiastic about the Union. Especially if Cameron manages to rule out the "Devolution Max" option, which a majority of Scots are, if I understand correctly, genuinely supportive of.

In the kind of bizarro universe where England would hold a referendum on Scottish participation in the Union, yes, yes I do think it is a foregone conclusion.

 

[Traitorfish]

In the kind of bizarro universe where England would hold a referendum on Scottish participation in the Union, yes, yes I do think it is a foregone conclusion.

I meant the part I quoted. Just wondering how you came to know the Scots better than they know themselves. Although the second part is interesting, too, not least because the only English people I've seen get really worked up about Scottish participation in the Union are generally quite anti-independence.

 

[Virote_Considon]

I meant the part I quoted. Just wondering how you came to know the Scots better than they know themselves. Although the second part is interesting, too, not least because the only English people I've seen get really worked up about Scottish participation in the Union are generally quite anti-independence.

Wasn't meant to be representative of the realities on the ground; just a cynical reason as to why someone would want such a referendum.

 

[ParkCungHee]

I'm not sure that there are any provisions in either British or international law for forcibly expelling a region from your country. So I really don't know how that would work.

Harold Wilson seemed to think there was legal basis for it.

 

[bhsup]

If the UK dissolves, do I assume correctly that our (the USAs) special relationship devolves to England only then? Unfortunate, cuz I like Scots just fine, but oh well they can't all be true Englishmen.

 

[Traitorfish]

Harold Wilson seemed to think there was legal basis for it.

Fair point. I suppose what I should say is that there aren't any provisions for simply abandoning sovereignty, rather than of transferring sovereignty as it would have been in this case.

 

[Oruc]

rRferendum? Ha! we wont get one. We were promised a referendum on the EU by the 3 major parties and look what happened. We got one about AV (which I voted in favour of) instead, nobody even wanted AV we wanted proportional representation.

 

[Traitorfish]

Why are you offended that you're not getting to decide another country's future?

 

[Oruc]

Why are you offended that you're not getting to decide another country's future?

The United Kingdom is a country, if bits start breaking away that effects all of us. Scottish nationalism is built on nothing more then greed with cries of "Muh Oil"

 

[Traitorfish]

The United Kingdom is a country, if bits start breaking away that effects all of us. Scottish nationalism is built on nothing more then greed with cries of "Muh Oil"

So you don't regard the Scots as having a right to self-determination, either as a nation or as a collection of individuals?

 

[wilycoyote]

I remember taking an English history class in college (in the US). The professor was British, and the only thing that I remember from that boring class was the end of it. The professor basically guaranteed that the UK would dissolve sooner rather than later. This was nearly a decade ago. I was surprised as I would be if someone said there was a reasonable chance Alaska could declare independence, which is a more real possibility than I would have thought, too. Could she finally be correct?

Also, I'm pretty sure there was talk awhile back in the British government that the "special relationship" was already dead. I think it basically went that America saw the UK as its pet rather than a partner and who would want to be in that "special relationship."