Shadow2
Well-known member
Sorry bhoys and ghirls but while I fully accept people on here have their own personal political positions, opinions and views there's a few things being stated on here that are either just plain false or they're being misrepresented (possibly unintentionally)....
The UK is NOT a country, it's a political Union between 3 countries and a province (NI), therefore Scotland is NOT a 'region of the UK' it's a country that entered into a political treaty with 2 other countries to create the UK. While Wales was once considered a principality by some there was never any question that Scotland was and always has been a country in it's own right and that status is recognised in international law.
Greater London, the Midlands, Glasgow & Clyde, Dumfries & Galloway, North Wales, South Wales are 'regions' the countries they exist in are NOT. Scotland being labelled a 'region' is nothing more than deliberately loaded rhetoric intended by Unionists to portray Scotland as having no more right to self-determination than the likes of Greater London or the Midlands even though Scotland is recognised as a country in it's own right under international law while the other 2 are merely recognised as regions of England.
Also this whole 'once in a generation' argument that is thrown back at Scottish Independence supporters like it's some sort of political slam dunk for the Unionist argument is bunkum......for a start the whole foundation for that argument is based on a soundbite made by a politician (Alex Salmond) on the campaign trail, it was NEVER part of any official agreement.
Some people either don't seem to realise this or they wilfully ignore it because it doesn't suit their politics but neither Salmond nor any other politician had/have it within their power to bind the Scottish electorate to such an agreement as not only would it be fundamentally undemocratic but the 'once in a generation' argument has NO legal basis whatsoever and doesn't exist anywhere within the Edinburgh Agreement (voted for and passed by the Scottish parliament and signed by both the Scottish and UK governments) which DOES set out the parameters for any future Scottish independence referendum.
Also even if everybody did accept the premise of 'once in a generation' argument (which they don't) then a precedent has already been set by the UK government, the Good Friday Agreement, signed and agreed to by the UK State agrees and accepts that the definition of a 'political generation' in relation to referendums is 7 years. So even by the UK State's own definitions the threshold for another Scottish Independence referendum has already been met.
People can argue all day about whether democracy has been respected or if Brexit is just an excuse for another Independence referendum (aye I'm looking at you Hoopy
) but democracy doesn't just end after the votes have been cast, people have the right to change their minds, that is why we have elections after all. As for Brexit, well when Unionist politicians used the 'only way to maintain continued EU membership' and the threat of 'being out of the EU if you vote for Independence' as one of their biggest arguments for remaining part of the UK and voting NO in 2014 then anybody now saying that the Brexit vote is immaterial or isn't a legitimate argument in the independence debate is kidding themselves, they just don't want it to be because the Brexit result now undermines their side's position.
The UK is NOT a country, it's a political Union between 3 countries and a province (NI), therefore Scotland is NOT a 'region of the UK' it's a country that entered into a political treaty with 2 other countries to create the UK. While Wales was once considered a principality by some there was never any question that Scotland was and always has been a country in it's own right and that status is recognised in international law.
Greater London, the Midlands, Glasgow & Clyde, Dumfries & Galloway, North Wales, South Wales are 'regions' the countries they exist in are NOT. Scotland being labelled a 'region' is nothing more than deliberately loaded rhetoric intended by Unionists to portray Scotland as having no more right to self-determination than the likes of Greater London or the Midlands even though Scotland is recognised as a country in it's own right under international law while the other 2 are merely recognised as regions of England.
Also this whole 'once in a generation' argument that is thrown back at Scottish Independence supporters like it's some sort of political slam dunk for the Unionist argument is bunkum......for a start the whole foundation for that argument is based on a soundbite made by a politician (Alex Salmond) on the campaign trail, it was NEVER part of any official agreement.
Some people either don't seem to realise this or they wilfully ignore it because it doesn't suit their politics but neither Salmond nor any other politician had/have it within their power to bind the Scottish electorate to such an agreement as not only would it be fundamentally undemocratic but the 'once in a generation' argument has NO legal basis whatsoever and doesn't exist anywhere within the Edinburgh Agreement (voted for and passed by the Scottish parliament and signed by both the Scottish and UK governments) which DOES set out the parameters for any future Scottish independence referendum.
Also even if everybody did accept the premise of 'once in a generation' argument (which they don't) then a precedent has already been set by the UK government, the Good Friday Agreement, signed and agreed to by the UK State agrees and accepts that the definition of a 'political generation' in relation to referendums is 7 years. So even by the UK State's own definitions the threshold for another Scottish Independence referendum has already been met.
People can argue all day about whether democracy has been respected or if Brexit is just an excuse for another Independence referendum (aye I'm looking at you Hoopy
) but democracy doesn't just end after the votes have been cast, people have the right to change their minds, that is why we have elections after all. As for Brexit, well when Unionist politicians used the 'only way to maintain continued EU membership' and the threat of 'being out of the EU if you vote for Independence' as one of their biggest arguments for remaining part of the UK and voting NO in 2014 then anybody now saying that the Brexit vote is immaterial or isn't a legitimate argument in the independence debate is kidding themselves, they just don't want it to be because the Brexit result now undermines their side's position.
