The Results of the UK's European Members Election 2019.

[Ninurta]

The Act of Union has no provision for asking for permission.
Permission is not required under international law.
WM is implying that Scotland has to ask permission, but legally that is not the case.
Up until now, the Scottish Government has been playing by the book. Making sure that it doesn't give WM any grounds for dispute or action. But, in answer to your question "if you have to ask permission to be free, how free are you going to be?" That, in a nutshell is our point. We do not recognise the implication that we as a sovereign state have to seek anyone's permission. If we decide that we want freedom, then we will have it. End of.

An admirable sentiment, and I really mean that. I think the same way, coming from the American South. Around 1860, we all thought the same way down here, and the entire southern tier of US states declared independence from the US... but, despite provisions of the law allowing for that to be, the US contested that decision, vigorously. It was a rough four years after that, and a MUCH rougher 15 or 20 years after those four. 600,000 people died in the 4 year war, entire homesteads were razed to the ground, entire towns decimated and burned. Bodies lay sprawled and rotting in fields and ashes by the dozens for the crows and buzzards to dine on. The US, in order to make sure we had learned our lesson, subjected us to another 12 years of military rule which turned out not to be nearly as much fun as it sounds, and it really doesn't even sound like very much fun. 140 years later, we still haven't fully recovered.

I'm pretty sure the US has a vested interest in ensuring that we never fully recover.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, nor am I saying don't do it - that is a decision for the Scots to make, not me. All I'm saying is go into it with eyes wide open, and never underestimate the ruthlessness of your opponents, nor over-estimate their honor. Those same caveats apply to your "friends" as well. Either estimate can lead to a very bad series of days during which you may be disabused of chivalrous notions like "the law is fair and always honored". The law always has, and always will, favor the man with the most gunpowder - and the most willingness to employ it - when it comes right down to brass tacks.

It is now 2019.
By provision of the Act of Union, Scotland is an equal partner in UNION with England.
We are NOT a colony or subservient state like the US used to be.
To achieve Independence, all we have to do is dissolve the Union by voting to do so and letting the rest of the world know.

We in the American South were, too - on paper. As it turned out, that paper was not even worth the paper it was written on. We thought the same process as you outlined for Scotland would yield the same results you believe it will.

As we found out in the end, that wasn't the case. Paper only has a value that honorable men place in it, and most men are not as honorable as we would like them to be. Now we have a firmer grasp of the pecking order, and realize that the only things which are truly yours are the things you can retain against force... and that force may be directed at you by your "bestest buddies" in an instant. Because of that, we chose our "bestest buddies" carefully, and with through evaluation.

I'm not sure that you've completely understood our current or future position in relation to the EU.
We are already in the EU (as part of the UK).
They most certainly are NOT our masters (in the way that WM thinks that WM IS our master.)
The EU has no say/control whatsoever over how we spend our tax revenues (WM does!) I don't know why you'd think that they do, because that's not how it works.
The EU has no right to any of our resources at all (unless they BUY them from us when we DECIDE to sell them) unlike WM who have asset-stripped Scotland for decades.
Membership of the EU allows free and equal trade between its members, so an Independent Scotland could benefit from having free access to the EU marketplace.

I'll reply to this more fully below, but you are probably right, I most likely have no concept of what the EU is, nor a firm grasp on how it runs.

LOL
Scotland has massive Oil (and Gas) reserves AND huge potential for wind, hydro, wave, tidal etc energy production.
The vast majority of the UK's energy reserves lie in RECOGNISED SCOTTISH TERRITORY.
It belongs to Scotland under international law. There is NO DISPUTE whatsoever about that.
It is NOT up to WM to "let it go, gratis" as it does not belong to WM. (They won't like us leaving the UK and taking it with us, that's for sure! But, under International law... what can they do about it??)
The EU would have no more right to take control of Scottish Oil/Gas etc than anyone else and there is no precedent whatsoever for them doing so. (Unlike the US!)
On the contrary, the EU would rather have Scotland within the EU, as it strengthens the EU having a member state with so much energy resources at its disposal.

Yes, yes they WOULD rather have Scotland within the EU! That is almost my entire point! Just as the UK would rather have Scotland in the UK...

Now, admittedly I have an imperfect understanding of just what sort of animal the EU is (or claims to be), I think you may not have a firm grasp on how "International Law" works. It is entirely, ENTIRELY, based upon treaty obligations, and treaties can be exited as easily as they are entered, obligations incurred and agreed to abrogated on a whim. Ask an American Indian what value treaties have. It's not like you can just hire a barrister in the middle of a war and take them to court... and if you could, tell me where that court is located? Who - what government - enforces the court's decision?

I appreciate your take on the subject, but as I already said... we are treated like subjects of WM, but we are not treated as subjects of the EU. (In what specific areas do you feel that members of the EU are "subjects" being told what to do? I would be very interested in that.)

Just wondering...
Do you think that Germany is NOT Independent?
Do you think that France is NOT Independent?
Austria? Belgium? Denmark? Finland? Ireland? Italy? The Netherlands? Spain? etc etc

Independence doesn't mean being alone, it means having the right to choose for yourself which clubs you join.

G

Well sir, with my imperfect understanding of what the EU is, or claims to be, that is EXACTLY what I think - but I'm always open to education. What IS it? What does it do? Does it not promulgate rules and regulations? Does it not have a central government or governing committee? Is there no one presiding over it? If there is, what is he or she called - what is their title? Are they elected, or appointed? Is the EU lawless, i.e. without laws? If so, how do they enforce anything at all? Of what use are they? Do they not collect taxes? If not, how on Earth do they fund themselves? If they do collect taxes, what happens if you tell them to go to hell, and get their tax collectors off of your lawn?


My experience of government has been bigger polities eating smaller polities, and thereby increasing their own size and power. Therefore I see the EU as an analogue to the US - a "national" government composed of member states, which are themselves further subdivided into smaller political units, like municipalities and counties - and that may be where I am going off the rails in my conception of it. Those larger states always make rules or laws that override the rules or laws of the smaller political units, and we generally end up paying taxes to all of the political units larger than our individual families, and being forced more or less to obey all of their laws and regulations.

Please educate me on what the EU is and/or does, so that I can get a firmer grasp on this situation.

P.S. - I'm fairly certain the EU will be willing to assist Scotland in the rebellion against the UK. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that it will not be viewed as "rebellion" by Westminster. You know how testy those governing types can get when their constituents get the notion that they can do as they please without government permission - if you don't know, I do! When they see Scotland leaving, and taking their tax base with them, it's fairly certain to get pretty dicey. What if Wales and Northern Ireland were to get that same notion in their heads? The UK would have to do something to cut that off at the knees. Be careful of accepting EU aid, however, for who will assist you when it comes time to rebel against THEM? Economic combines rarely ever remain merely economic combines - take a look at US history for a glimpse of how that goes. We started out as a loose confederation of independent states with a weak federal government whose only function was to regulate commerce between those states and present a united front for negotiation with foreign powers, but where did it go from there?

.