Alex Salmond to let 16-year-olds vote in bid to secure independence

[dps]

they'd almost certainly want all North Sea oil revenue

Suddenly everything makes more sense.

Yeah, but good luck with that, Scots.  The British are no more likely to let an independent Scotland have all the oil money than they are to divide among the top 150 posters on Languish.

[Valmy]

they'd almost certainly want all North Sea oil revenue

Suddenly everything makes more sense.

How much of a hole would that blow in the UK's finances if they got that?

Why would the Scots be entitled to it?  I thought the fields were way out in the North Sea not in Scottish territorial waters.

[MadImmortalMan]

Coming soon: North Venezuela.

[Viking]

they'd almost certainly want all North Sea oil revenue

Suddenly everything makes more sense.

How much of a hole would that blow in the UK's finances if they got that?

Why would the Scots be entitled to it?  I thought the fields were way out in the North Sea not in Scottish territorial waters.

The vast majority of British oil and gas reserves are in what would be a Scottish Economic Zone upon independence.

[Admiral Yi]

Why would the Scots be entitled to it?  I thought the fields were way out in the North Sea not in Scottish territorial waters.

You draw a line out in the sea from the Scottish/English border and I think they fall on the Scottish side.  Same as with a country's Exclusive Economic Zone (tm).

Fucking Puffin.

[jimmy olsen]

they'd almost certainly want all North Sea oil revenue

Suddenly everything makes more sense.

How much of a hole would that blow in the UK's finances if they got that?

And this is exactly why secession from a liberal democracy should never be allowed, and should be laughed off as a serious idea when broached and met with force if need be.  Secession in such a state has exactly zero philosophical underpinnings and is simply one segment of British nation seeking to profit at the expense of the whole.  It's a monstrous ideology, essentially a form of geopolitical anarchy and taken to its absurd conclusions any pissant political unit, down to an individual, could secede from a nation at will when it was no longer immediately advantageous to remain.  It is the end of Western civilization, and those who hold to it should be destroyed.

Hear Hear!

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Valmy]

The vast majority of British oil and gas reserves are in what would be a Scottish Economic Zone upon independence.

Got it.  Well that is what this crap is all about isn't it?

Nationalists really are scum.

[Warspite]

How much of the oil and gas fields are actually left?

My understanding was that the North Sea hydrocarbon bonanza was well and truly past.

If the Scots want to go, that's cool, but I don't believe 16 is a good voting age.

[Viking]

The vast majority of British oil and gas reserves are in what would be a Scottish Economic Zone upon independence.

Got it.  Well that is what this crap is all about isn't it?

Nationalists really are scum.

Nope. The issue is that everything that the English blame The Conservatives for the Scots blame the English for.

[Lettow77]

swooon

this referendum is ill-timed, but I wish it every success

<3

[Sheilbh]

While the legal voting age is, after all, set at an arbitrary limit, it's really dodgy and a pretty distasteful to  manipulate the franchise with an eye towards getting a particular voting result.  Much worse than the gerrymandering that some of the Euros were giving us about in a recent thread.

The article's misleading - as are all English articles about Scottish politics.  The SNP announced it years ago and have had as their policy that 16 should be the age of suffrage.  But the age for elections is set by Westminster, in elections controlled by Holyrood - like some local ones I think  and this referendum - they've extended the franchise.  It's also Lib Dem party policy.

I'm a unionist but I would vote SNP over Scottish Labour every single time (and the Scottish Lib Dems and Tories aren't much better).  I'd reconsider my support of the union if the only good reason for Scotland remaining is money.

[Sheilbh]

Got it.  Well that is what this crap is all about isn't it?

Nationalists really are scum.

  No. On both points.

[dps]

While the legal voting age is, after all, set at an arbitrary limit, it's really dodgy and a pretty distasteful to  manipulate the franchise with an eye towards getting a particular voting result.  Much worse than the gerrymandering that some of the Euros were giving us about in a recent thread.

The article's misleading - as are all English articles about Scottish politics.  The SNP announced it years ago and have had as their policy that 16 should be the age of suffrage.  But the age for elections is set by Westminster, in elections controlled by Holyrood - like some local ones I think  and this referendum - they've extended the franchise.  It's also Lib Dem party policy.

Ah, that's a bit different.  Though I'd have major misgivings about extending the vote to 16 year olds--actually I still have some doubt about the wisdom of lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.

[Sheilbh]

Ah, that's a bit different.  Though I'd have major misgivings about extending the vote to 16 year olds--actually I still have some doubt about the wisdom of lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.

Yeah I'm a bit dubious myself.  I get the argument that they can work (and pay taxes) and join the forces at 16 but still...

[viper37]

And this is exactly why secession from a liberal democracy should never be allowed, and should be laughed off as a serious idea when broached and met with force if need be.  Secession in such a state has exactly zero philosophical underpinnings and is simply one segment of British nation seeking to profit at the expense of the whole.  It's a monstrous ideology, essentially a form of geopolitical anarchy and taken to its absurd conclusions any pissant political unit, down to an individual, could secede from a nation at will when it was no longer immediately advantageous to remain.  It is the end of Western civilization, and those who hold to it should be destroyed.

what a load of horseshit... you're as bad as Raz.