I love watching QT, but always find myself shouting at the tv. I'm sure I can't be the only one if Twitter is anything to go by.

I'm the first to admit I don't get politics. All parties seem to be shades of the same shoite to me. My question is this: They are debating Scotland becoming independent. Now, I know that each constitent country has its own parliament, and the central government in that London, but if they do become independent, does that mean that we (English) will have to continue paying for them (Scottish)?

I've tried looking on t'interweb and it's all a bit hardcore even for me. I did discover that there's £1600 MORE per head spent on Scottish people than English from central government. Does that mean that that £1600 at least per head will be ploughed back into England??

I'm hoping someone will be able to explain this to me. It might be in the wrong place so apologies in advance but we don't have a politics forum.

Thank fook for that!

Watching QT myself and am none the wiser.
One point I'd like to know is who will get the revenue from offshore gas or oil around Scotlands coasts or other resources. Could it all be about keeping resources

Naughty Crock

Derek - you took the words out of my mouth. How far offshore do you have to go for it to not "belong" to anyone? They seem to want to run their own country yet still want the handouts from the English. Surely they can't have it both ways Same will go for Wales and N. Ireland of course, but they're not making such a stink of it like the Scots are.

The oil is probably on Scottish 'land' but I bet the English paid for the exploration, drilling etc. They will still want to keep the revenue. What resources have Wales or Ireland got these days? They can keep it, the mines have closed and we don't need any lucky charms, thank you.

Is that better Wench?

Wenchy? Scotland is not alone in wanting to run their own country but accepting hand-outs from the English. Every bugger and his brother takes the piss out of us condescending and sympathetic souls. :-)

Yes my dear I guess that's part of the issue though - they have their own Laws, are responsible for their own health and edcuation service yet it's still paid for from central government in England. I can't see how they can raise their own tax and revenue to fund their own country without still relying on handouts from England!

Exactly FF - it's akin to a teenager moving out of their parents' house, getting a job yet still expecting their parents to bail them out. They can't expect to have it both ways.

i love this as well as as you say they start a row well worth watching. who is the mp who doesnt like black or asian poeple?

QT was out of kilter, a Jock in the chair and a Sikh Jock backing him up so it was never going to be a rounded discussion. Apparently they don't want the English to have a say in their referendum because most of us would favour them going on their own and they don't really want that. Salmond prefers Devo-max so the Jocks can have their cake and eat it, the same as they do now. Either way us south of the border don't get a look in and you can bet your boots we still have to bail them out, the same as we did with their worthless bank.

Nick Griffin

Personally I couldn't care if the Scots go it alone.

What annoys me that an Scottish MP can vote in Scotland for the benefit of the Scots (like free student fees) then can vote in Westminister to make English students pay.

Did like the way it was sort of brushed off about whether they would keep the Pound.

There's a few blogs that you can get to that might help,but it depends from which side of the planet of politics you support,as far as Iam concerned the left ones you listen to what your told and don't ask questions, the right ones you comment on but be prepared to be shot down,, the one's I like are biased bbc and Guido Fawkes plus a couple of others, the biased bbc has a live message setup where you can type what you think to others,it normally starts at 10:30pm thursday evening and finishes about 12:00am with the BBC Niel whatever prog is on,after a few yells and curses doesn't half calm you down, I know there's are a few from Wirral that use it.

Put simply, Scotland and England is like UK/GB and Europe. Would have a similar effect of England/UK leaving Europe financially and politically/diplomatically. It would definitely affect trading relations between England/Scotland, etc. It's complex having EU/Europe/GB/UK, and I'm none the wiser.
However, Salmond's voice isn't reflected by some of the Scottish people who hate him.

Sorry haven't read every post, so apologise if this has already been said.

I am fine with the Scots going it alone. Main concern really is that they will not be able to support themselves as a loan nation. Can we put a clause in, that the rest of the UK doesn't have to bail them out when it all goes tits up!

It's obviously better if we all stick together but they've got to stop their moanin'. "It's our oil" gets on your wick after a while. It's everybody's oil until such times as.
If it's so great up there then why are they all down here? Every bloody TV announcer seems to be a Jock, giving themselves all the cushy numbers.
The trouble with the English is that they don't fight back enough and just look up the heavens when they all kick off. Mind you if we do speak up we are called racists and little Englanders so we're goosed either way.

I often wonder that about the Jockanese too. If life is so good up there in the "Heelands" what are most of 'em doing in England? Don't get me wrong-I think Scots in the main are solid citizens and they have contributed so much to the world in the shape of explorers; inventors; medical peeps; service to Great Britain's armed forces etc., but personally, I think there's something fishy about Alex Salmond. He is a man on a mission-and this is evident from the fact that he wants to wait until 2014 to milk Bannockburn for all it's worth. If the Scots do get brainwashed into abandoning British protection, they'll regret it for sure. I'll bet you the average Scot just wants a peaceful life like the rest of us. All politicians are parasites in my view. They should all be surgically removed.

Alex Salmond = The Rotund Buffoon !

I'm still an "incomer" (only been up here 28yrs), but the vast majority of the locals around here view Salmond as a joke and is living in cloud cuckoo land.

Alex Salmond should push off with his hot head somewhere else to cause his mischief,and his deputy whatever her name is should swim with him.
As I understand there's been mention of them having to decide how North Sea Oil would be sorted, a bit of talk about whether or not England would be giving them assistance --which was very none committal, remarks made about how the forces would be dealt wtih and various other bits and pieces. To be frank I don't think any of them have a clue unless of course, once more, it is all being kept under wraps.
I am sure if a referendum was given to both sides of the border i.e. Does England want them out, as well as does Scotland want out, I am convinced that would change all things. Psycological aproach like that would put the wind up them (and that expression isn't a cue for Filys to add his bit). Pe3rsonally, I don't think dear old Alex will get the support when it comes to the crunch maybe just a few, because the Scots know what they will loose. The gains would probably be minimal.
They would need passports, wouldn't have to take asylum seekers,and maybe all the numerous top jobs held in this country by those from Scotland could be up for grabs.
Douglas Alexander doesn't want it, because of course he would be out of Westminster and that could possibly include all the other labour MP's from Scotland. Does that also mean we would never have another Gordon Brown as Prime Minister? Yipeee
I feel very disappointed that it has even come to this as many of us probably have some link to the Scots somewhere along the line. Here endeth the first lesson ! Politics is not something I should engage in as I can get a bit stropy.

Gordon Brown has just had a train named after him in recognition of his services to the UK. It's gonna be called "The Lying Scotsman"!!!!

lol FF i didn`t know he was scottish i just thought he was short and fat lol

Careful, GJ!! Commenting on one of my gags could lead to censorship by a guidestapo!! :-)

Please stay on topic....

Sorry i will get used to it soon stuyMac

We are on topic, Stuy. If Gordon Brown gets a position in a Scottish Parliament, he will reap havoc. Hell hath no fury like a politician scorned. We just got there in a roundabout way. Alex Salmond is just the front man. If the Scots get their own legislature, then the likes of Gordon Brown will take over and screw us to the ground.

I guess that's one of my questions though FF. If he was to get in up there, would he be allowed any form of influence down here. If they want to be independent, then they can't have it both ways. If "we" English won't have any say on their government, then it should stand to reason that they won't have any in ours (if that makes sense. Maybe it makes too much sense and won't happen because politics isn't based on common sense from what I can see).

I just hope the Jocks see sense, Wench. It'd be a pity to see them self-destruct under the tenancy of a plonker like Alex Salmond. The guy is positively mediaeval when he tries to raise the ghosts of Bannockburn. British troops are wise to bogs now and are highly unlikely to drive their heavy cavalry through them again, are they!! :-) Personally, I love the Jockanese. They are a very strong race of people and not at all tight-fisted like it says in the comics books. (Having said that, my mate, Willie McStubbins is in jail at the moment. He was arrested last week for breaking into a pound!!) We think he will be released on bail because it was his first offence!! :-)

One of your better jokes- liked it. It would have gone down well in the jokes section

I think there will always be those that keep harping back to the "old" battles as a means of justifying being a country in their own right. It still comes back to funding really. I don't have an issue with them being out on their own. My issue is that "we" will be funding them to do so. I'd rather my taxes were spent in England if they do break away.

It's just a shame that the majority of people who pay taxes won't have a say in the whole matter! I don't like the look of Alex Salmond anyway - he's shifty, same as Gordon Broon.

I've certainly got connections to the Haggis. My old man was 1st generation English, his old man was a Glaswegian, all my paternal uncles are Jocks. My second daughter married one, he was a WOII in the Black Watch, 3 of my grandkids are Jocks. I've loads of mates who are Jocks and all agree that it would be madness to play the lone card. I don't think it will happen but like I say, those who still live up in the hills have got to stop moaning and start pulling together.

Winston Churchill made a very interesting comment about the Jockanese servicemen. He was addressing a dinner at a regimental function (I think it was the Scots Guards) just after World War Two. He stood up in front of the Officer Corps and announced in his inimitable way, with a scowl on his face, "There's only one thing wrong with the Scots!" There was an uncomfortable silence and a rustling of kilts, (probably, as some of 'em reached for their Skein Dhus!"). Churchill waited a bit, and then continued, this time with a broad grin and a shake of his trademark cigar. "There aren't enough of them!" he cried. Brought the house down!! There is a moral in this story. We, the English, have a cross to bear for the way the Scottish nation was treated in the days of Longshanks and Wallace. The Scots sing about it at every rugby match when they laud their national anthem (which is, in my view, a bit racist to start with!!) Their national anthem, though, continues with the phrase, "Those days are past now, and in the past they must remain". Why then, does Alex Salmond seek to denounce his own nation's sympathies by opening old wounds? If the truth be told, both the "Jockanese" and the "Heathen English" actually enjoy the banter that goes with it. Next month, I will be playing golf in Cornwall with 32 of my pals from all over the UK. On the last day of the four day trip we have a competition called "Celts v Oppressors". Just for that day, all the Irish, Welsh and Scottish contingent morph into a rabble of racist ... against the English, who respond in kind. There is a trophy presented to the winners of the competition. The winning captain accepts it with good grace and sits down. The losing captain has to make a speech to the winning team, praising them and paying homage to them for being the superior race of human beings. You can imagine the ribaldry. At the end of the day, though, we are all friends and would cheerfully sacrifice ourselves for each other. This, to me, exemplifies the true spirit of human nature. Of course we are proud to be a member of a nation-but don't let it blind us to the fact that, deep down, we are all the same.

Alex Salmond - something fishy about that name.