>>Personally, I think it's simply impossible for all 28 to agree on this<<

Which is the problem for Scotland, since an issue like this requires unanimity. And every other member state has its own shopping list of things it would like from the others in return for their vote, irrespective of the merits of this particular issue. There's also the secondary question of what would happen to the UK's votes in the Council of Ministers, on matters requiring teh Qualified Majority Vote. On the existing scale, Scotland would be entitled to 7 votes. But I can see no way any "rump UK" government would accept losing any votes and therefore parity with France and Italy. On the other hand, plenty of other countries might be asking each other how often Scotland would be likely to vote other than with the rump UK government (or at least trying to work out what sort of concessions they might expect in return for not making waves).

>>At the moment, English members of Parliament can't vote on Scottish matters<<

Neither can Scottish members, but I'm not sure where that takes us.

"If the "no" campaign fears are realised (Scotland's economy slumps), it'll be Greece without the sunshine, cheap ouzo, Mediterranean diet or interesting ruins."

I must be easy to interest.

A real interesting, well- informed (mostly), and polite series of posts.

Congratulations to all.

Just another mildly irrelevant trivia:
There are countries which use the euro without being entitled to do so, e.g. Montenegro.

I would also not know if the costs for a few dozens (if that many are needed) border control checkpoints were that relevant from an overall perspective of costs related to the whol process of independence.

If Scotland wanted to attract more tourists from overseas and send a strong signal of independence to England they could change from driving on the wrong side to driving on the right side ;-)

>>There are countries which use the euro without being entitled to do so, e.g. Montenegro.<<

Not, I think, the model the SNP envisages for a pseudo-Scandinavian Scotland.

>>I would also not know if the costs for a few dozens (if that many are needed) border control checkpoints were that relevant from an overall perspective of costs related to the whol process of independence.<<

Scotland has 10,000 miles of coastline (bearing in mind there are nearly 800 islands), and heaven knows how many ports and harbours, as well as several international airports. It would depend how seriously they wanted to separate everything. But common sense on both sides would argue against it - there is a reason why Ireland is not part of Schengen.

"I would also not know if the costs for a few dozens (if that many are needed) border control checkpoints were that relevant from an overall perspective of costs related to the whol process of independence."

Of course they are.

The manning and operational costs are trivial. But the psychological costs for a London banker having to go through passport control (with the attendant pre-filing of journey plans into the e-borders system) to attend a meeting in Edinburgh, or for Belfast football supporters needing documents to watch Celtic or Rangers are accepted by all parties in the "independence" debate as devastating. As with everything in politics, perception matters far more than an economist's pseudo-calculation of the real costs.

And in a country as horribly divided along Christian sectarian lines as Scotland (everyone knows Alex Salmond's middle name comes from the local Church of Scotland minister), the fact that a border with the UK would make it easier for people in Northern Ireland to visit Dublin than Glasgow has immense emotional resonance.

The SNP's insistence on retaining the multinational monarchy, the pound, border-free travel with the UK and the Irish Republic, and membership of the Commonwealth, NATO and the EU isn't quite what Robert the Bruce fought for. But they're what a remarkably canny group of activists judge to be essential both for selling their concept of Independence Lite to the Scotch, and for ensuring an "independent" Scotland turns out a lot more like Norway than North Korea.

As, BTW, they also judge having a sovereign credit rating more or less the same as the UK. That isn't remotely possible with the Montenegro currency solution - and in a country where over half of all families have variable-rate mortgages, a Montenegro-style sovereign debt downgrade will translate almost overnight into an economic crisis.

will the SNP be the party of power once Scotland gets independence?
somehow I think the other political parties will still be trying to get back into power within an independant Scotland and I think many Scots would wish to see this.
As to the effect on tourism it could be a real boom time for Scotland. It has been clearly said that a Scottish government would like to get rid of air passenger duty which could make it considerably cheaper for flights in and out of Scotland,might even have Glasgow and Edinburgh as Hubs for what will be left of the UK instead of the London airports

"Scotland has 10,000 miles of coastline "

Like all islands or parts of islands they have an infinitly long coastline. Fractal maths arrived in about the 80s. :-)

Changing to driving on the right has already been decided ;-)

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...ce-road-scheme

Independence has been planned down to the finest detail.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/s...-2014021283498

<I>Changing to driving on the right has already been decided</I>

Check the date - April Fools joke!

Well, I did wink.
Scottish independence starred quite a lot on April 1st this year

Leaving aside, for the moment, the merits of the original question, I'd like to take issue with this statement from the OP:

Quote <b>PalenQ</b>: <i>"This September Scotland will vote Yes or No on outright independence from the U.K."</i>

That wording makes it sound as though Scotland has been an occupied (and possibly oppressed) territory belonging to the UK since 1707.

And that is simply not the case. The Scots Nats want to unpick the 1707 Act of Union between the two kingdoms - The Kingdom of England & The Kingdom of Scotland. So, in actual fact, Scotland has been a constituent part of the UK on an equal footing with England.
In my opinion 300 years of intertwining will be a difficult thing to unpick; I am not sure Alex Salmond has been completely honest with Scots as to how difficult it's actually going to prove. But the discussions above around a Scots Pounds, EU membership, common Defense liabilities etc are just the tip of it.
And to re-iterate <b>hetismij2</b>'s point: [It's hard to] <i>"see how people in Scotland can make an informed choice in September when there are so many things to be decided upon"</i> and when those issues may very well not be resolved for a great many months thereafter.

From my perspective I'm mostly ambivalent except to the degree that I have a natural aversion to Nationalism (as <b>bilboburglar</b> so eruditely puts it: <i>"Too many graveyards built on it.</i>") and, secondly, the divorce will incur a great deal of cost, both monetary and non-monetary. Can either party truly afford those costs?

Dr D.

I'm a bit worried about my nationality. I was born in Edinburgh of Scottish born parents but live outside Scotland now... will I be British, or Scottish, or both?

Anyone of indeterminate nationality goes on Anthrax Island.

Not trying to get too anal on a small matter..

<i>But the psychological costs for a London banker having to go through passport control (with the attendant pre-filing of journey plans into the e-borders system) to attend a meeting in Edinburgh</i>

But curious: If you take the Eurostar to Brussels or fly to Rome, do you really have to "pre-file" your plans into any system? Or would that be the scenario if Scotland was in Schengen but not in the EU? (Which, by the way, meant that they did not have to comply with Schengen procedures and could make travel requirements as low as between the UK and ROI?)

When I fly to the UK, I just use the "self-service" passport control checkpoint in Munich, and a similar thing in LHR. But I don't have to pre-file anything..
And would Mr City Banker, who probably goes to Paris, Frankfurt or New York on business every other week really notice that one more time he had to show his passport?

Yes very interesting and civil comments on a hot issue I would think.

Personally as an outsider I would hope that the U K stays intact - splintering seems regressive and to the outsider the differences between say Welsh and Scots and Brits seems minimal - we have a lot more difference between some states - like Mississippi and Alabama and northern states than the difference I see between Scotland and England say.

I think ego has trumped sanity in this case if the Yes vote goes thru.

>>I'm a bit worried about my nationality. I was born in Edinburgh of Scottish born parents but live outside Scotland now... will I be British, or Scottish, or both?<<

This is what the Yes campaigners say:
http://www.yesscotland.net/answers/w...nce-and-future

I can't imagine anyone in an independent Scotland actually wanting to cut off people with some ancestral claim to be Scottish, any more than Ireland did.

As regards the rest of the UK, it's inconceivable that arrangements as between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK would be any more restrictive than they have been between Ireland and Britain since independence, or the withdrawal from the Commonwealth (i.e., Irish citizens have been more or less counted as though they were British).

Will Hadrian's Wall be reconstructed and reinforced?