A survey completed by Panelbase for the Sunday Times and Real
Radio Scotland found some interesting answers from its participants.
Cheeringly, of those who were decided about independence,
47% were for, and 53% against. Of the entire sample 21% had not made up their
minds, 37% were for and 42% against.
If the referendum were to ask voters to choose between
independence, Devo-Max within the UK, or the status quo, the poll interestingly pointed to a
small majority in favour of independence.
The survey also offered an insight into how people see life in an an
independent Scotland. It found that more than 50% of thought that independence
would be good for the nation's health, education, culture and environment, but showed
concern about the impact of independence on personal financial situations:
64% thought independence would have a positive effect on
Scottish culture. 9% thought a negative effect;
59% said it would be good for Scottish confidence with 19%
saying it would be bad;
42% considered independence would be good for the nation's
health, and only 17% saying bad;
47% were positive
about its effects on education, compared with 19% who were negative.
50% said it would be positive for the environment, and 15%
think bad;
27% said it would cut crime, and 17% think it could increase
it;
43% predicted their personal tax would rise under
independence, while around 11% believed it would reduce;
50% thought that the retirement pension would go up, and 50%
that it would not;
75% said Scotland
would be worse off financially if it adopted the Euro.
The poll, conducted between January 27 and February 1, studied
the views of 1000 Scottish adults.
tris
ReplyDeleteSeems like the people are concerned about the Economic implications of Independence..
Oh well! Salmond lost rememberer his overweening support for Fred???
a 1% win over the separationists is all we need easy peasy(subject to the voting threshold)
No Euro was that mean keep the pound and English control of Scottish monetary policy???
and who will vote for tax rises ??
Panelbase are a crap poll company anyways
Well Niko... if they are crap, you'll not rejoicing at the findings you just quoted at me, will you?
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, the pound is used in Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar and Man. They have their own tax rates, and their own interest rates and better economies than Scotland, because they set these things for themselves. So I'm not too worried about England continuing to hold its malevolent sway over too much of our policy.
But the pound is only one of the other options.
We could have our own currency, and based on the fact that with our own economy, we would be in the top ten of rich nations. It would be a viable, if not important, currency.
If countries like Iceland can create a currency, there is no reason why we shouldn't.
And yes, before you say it, Iceland is well on its way to recovery after the stupidity of the banking crisis.
BTW, Freddy Goodwin was woo'd by all leaders: Labour, Tory, Liberal, as well as by Alex. Indeed even the Queen came and opened his headquarters, invited by Fred and ... oh yeah Jack McConnell, Labour First Minister and Alistair Darling, Labour SoS....
Was it your dear friend Gordon that gave him his knighthood... or was it His Richness Anthony? I seem to recall it was one of them... and they'd be...erm Labour Prime Ministers and Chancellors?
Dear, dear Niko. I'd keep quiet about Mr Goodwin if I were you. He's much more your man than ours.
:)
Oh Dear! Britain is bankrupt so what do people like Niko think is already happening with the tax rises and cuts we have been having just to pay off Englands debt.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there would be more people wanting independence when they are told how many millions are wasted on Scottish MPs and Lords, Scottish Office etc doing absolutely NOTHING for them - millions that could be spent on pensioners, the Health Service etc etc - A situation the unionists are happy to fight to keep.
Tris you are a star you have nailed that beautifully, probably one of the best comments made yet. Poor Niko what a sad sack. He sounds like Ruthies script writer, pathetic.
ReplyDeleteBilly, we need to get across just how much money is wasted trying to be big shots in the world, when in fact the UK is a small, broke, rather backward nation on the edge of Europe in more ways that geographically.
ReplyDeleteThe snuggling up to America is a tad pathetic, as even with a president that is quite Anglophile, they just use the UK. Obama is not particularly Anglophile, He seems just as happy with Fr Merkel and M Sarkozy.
if we spent money on roads and health and schools instead of nuclear weaponry, and if we had a defence regime suitable for our real station in life, we'd be a bloody site better off.
In short, instead of running the world, if we tried to run Britain, we might not be living in such penury.
Thanks KBW.
ReplyDeleteWe all love Niko to bits, but sometimes he just doesn't see how it really is, does he?
tris
ReplyDeleteI see how it is thats why I weep
Come on, Niko, you can stop weeping now. The memory of May 2011 should be fading into the back-ground of your memory by now. Remember, things can only get better as some spin-doctor once said.
ReplyDeleteOh don't cry Niko....
ReplyDeleteThe sun'll come out tomorrow; bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun!
Did you see that they are now talking about setting up a sort of sovereign fund for India's poorest states.
Awww. That's sweet. it'as a pity Scotland never got one. Alaska and Texas have them. Even Nigeria has one with over $1 billion in it.
Fortunately the UK government can set them up for other people; just not Scotland. Thanks for nothing Mr Cameron, Mr Brown, Mr Blair, Mr Major, Mrs Thatcher and Mr Callaghan (you lying old bastard).
Thanks for nothing Mr Cameron, Mr Brown, Mr Blair, Mr Major, Mrs Thatcher and Mr Callaghan (you lying old bastard)
ReplyDeleteThe Labatory party.
Tris,
ReplyDeleteGlad you did not quote the "Euro" as a monetary option. I read somewhere that a leaked Foreign Office, London, England, memo showed that Cameron was contemplating using his veto to prevent an independent Scotland joining the EEC or whatever the current acronym happens to be. Go, David!! Bring it on!!
JohnB - the tartan Tory.
They should all be in a laboratory CH. They could use them for testing, to save the animals!!!
ReplyDeleteJohn... Niko, if you remember, lost more than an election.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the € will be a possibility, John. Certainly not in its current incarnation. Actually I don't think its current incarnation will still be around.
ReplyDeleteI'd normally say that that leaked memo must have been a made up story about Cameron vetoing Scotland joining the EU.
But Cameron has a history of saying things and then having to climbdown. The man's mouth runs away with him, and some of the stuff he says is so ridiculous that it is leaked. brown was an idiot, but at least he was a relatively clever idiot. This muppet is an idiotic idiot.
You have a Tory party (and an English population) that loathes the EU (and all foreigners in general, for the right wing of the Tories). Can you imagine Cameron keeping Scotland out of the EU, while he kept England in it?
He'd not make the end of the week! The English right would be incandescent. The night of the long knives, short knives, kitchen knives and Naddie's high heels!!!
******
Oh, the latest scare story is that the credit rating agencies might not give Scotland a triple A...
Well, who knows? They are a bunch of corrupt chancers who didn't notice that Iceland was broke till after it happened; they didn't notice any of the American banks didn't have a cent until, they ...well ...didn't have a cent.
They know damn all about damn all.
It's actually much more likely that England would be in a pickle than Scotland. It would be the one with nuclear weapons and international commitments. We would be the ones with the oil and the whisky, and mostlikely an AAA.
Don't know why so many seem to think we'll have much oil, as soon as the isles reckon independence is on the horizon, the western isles and or shetland/orkney will be replicating the Faroese stance. The cental belt subsidy junkies will have to find another part of the world that owes them a living.
ReplyDeleteSome political awareness please - do you really think the French & Spanish will hold back from making a point to their own provinces about the perils of independence. Its not what is fair, its what their politicians will do to serve their own ends in their own countries.
Next - look at what the majority of public expenditure goes on already, we are spending a fortune on schools roads etc, just not effectively - read the accounts - it's not bloody nuclear weapons, it's weapons grade bell ends "investing" public funds in infrastructure, public sector pay & pensions etc.
It would be nice to carry on ignoring the markets & ratings agencies, how long do you think we have before we have to trade with the rest of the world, remember we are a net food & energy exporter.