Church leader backs independence for Scotland

Dub13

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6052552.stm


I can't see it happening any time soon.IMO Independence for Scotland would be a disaster the UK.This is the first time I am aware of a church leader speaking out for independence.


Politics & Religion, a dangerous combination.

Chakar

Dub13 wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6052552.stm


I can't see it happening any time soon.IMO Independence for Scotland would be a disaster the UK.This is the first time I am aware of a church leader speaking out for independence.


Politics & Religion, a dangerous combination.

What was he thinking?!

baztard

Dub13 wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6052552.stm


I can't see it happening any time soon.IMO Independence for Scotland would be a disaster the UK.

Agreed, If Scotland leave the UK, Wales would surely follow, and it would throw the North into complete disarray. Scotland might benifit in the long from moving out from under the shadow of England though.

flogen

Chakar wrote:

What was he thinking?!

Well, he was thinking quite sensibly actually...
he said:
"I would not get too involved in the politics of independence, but I am happy that, if it is the wish of the people, Scotland becomes an independent country.

"There is currently some frustration among the Scots about the say they have over what happens here, and that is part of what is pushing the independence movement.

"I can see this coming, perhaps not in the next few years, but before too long."

Which is a nice sitting on the fence routine... all he's saying is that if the people want independence he will back them; which is far better than putting himself into a corner by saying that irregardless of what the public wants he has made his mind up and will stick it to them no matter what.
He then goes on to suggest reasons for the growth in support for independence and makes an open-ended prediction of it happening 'before too long'... which is about as long as a piece of string.

Time Magazine

OMGZ teh Church is stealing all our sanitys!!1!!cos0!!

Perfectly reasonable assertion. The fact that he's a man of cloth does not remove from that.

I hate this adolescent anti-Church thing that's going on at the moment. "Pope's Wishes of Peace Condemned By Secularists" bullsh*t.

Dave!

The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin also passed comment today on the state of the health service, calling it "a national scandal"...... hmmm.....

A Dub in Glasgo

Surely all democrats would endorse his statement. I am all for Scotland breaking away from the Union. If only people in the West of Scotland would stop being lemmings and not vote for Labour.

flogen

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

Surely all democrats would endorse his statement. I am all for Scotland breaking away from the Union. If only people in the West of Scotland would stop being lemmings and not vote for Labour.

Indeed; if only those people didn't vote for the party of their choice, the world would be a far better place.
There's no statement here for anyone to endorse; who's going to agree with someone who shows support for a choice based on public support?
I endorse Bertie Ahern's statement that he will support the outcome of the next election, whatever that may be.

A Dub in Glasgo

flogen wrote:

There's no statement here for anyone to endorse; who's going to agree with someone who shows support for a choice based on public support?
I endorse Bertie Ahern's statement that he will support the outcome of the next election, whatever that may be.

Which is exactly why I was surprised that someone is taking umbrage at what the Cardinal has said (ie the 1st 2 posts in this thread).

LostinBlanch

Well Independence for Scotland was squashed when it was mooted in the late 60's / early 70's I think. A British Goverment report on the economic repercussions said that with all their North Sea oil they could have become another Switzerland i.e. a thriving economy while the rest of Britain was moving into the doldrums put paid to that. It was recently released under the 30 year rule.

gurramok

flogen wrote:

Indeed; if only those people didn't vote for the party of their choice, the world would be a far better place.
There's no statement here for anyone to endorse; who's going to agree with someone who shows support for a choice based on public support?
I endorse Bertie Ahern's statement that he will support the outcome of the next election, whatever that may be.

Well strange thing is, on that same very bbc page in link of OP there is a link to another page of a recent poll, the poll is showing slightly over 50% backing independence.
Considering SNP garner about 30% of vote, it seems voters for other parties back independence as well but probably just dont like SNP's path to it.

Maybe A Dub in Glasgo can explain the disparity as he lives there?

I suspect some Labour voters back independence hence Dub's explanation of their dubious party choice!

LordSutch

Sounds like the good Roman Catholic Cardinal 'Keith O'Brien' has a bit of the ould Irish Nationalist in his veins, hence his insane utterings ......

Not that the English would mind anyway if the Scots broke away, and I strongly suspect that many English people would be only too happy to see Scotland/ N.Ireland & Wales eject themselves from the UK (not sure about Wales though) because it really is a Princapality rather than a nation within a Nation if you see what I mean, and to be honest, there are no 'Real signs' of a serious break-up of the UK, but admittedly the country is changing shape as it has done since the beginning of time, with 'Devolution' being the latest incarnation of the UK in the 21st century.

The good Cardinal should remember that took 80 or 90 years for the Celtic Tiger to show its econonic claws here after we left the UK in 1922.
(in the fashion that we did).

Presumably the Scots would leave in a non violent manner.

The Volt

Better get Mel Gibson in quickly :D:D:D

On a serious note. I think a campaign for independance would lead to the kind of trouble that we see in the north on a larger scale.

Dub13

LostinBlanch wrote:

Well Independence for Scotland was squashed when it was mooted in the late 60's / early 70's I think. A British Goverment report on the economic repercussions said that with all their North Sea oil they could have become another Switzerland i.e. a thriving economy while the rest of Britain was moving into the doldrums put paid to that. It was recently released under the 30 year rule.

Scotland more than pays her way in the UK - in fact they are net contributors to the UK economy.For the moment.

By the UK Government's own famous admission in 1997, Scotland paid £27 billion more in taxes to the UK between 1979 and 1995 than it received in Government expenditure.

But In the very near future, Scottish oil will be gone.I wounder what the figures will be like then.

Dub13

Blair goes head to head with cardinal in war of words over independence


Tony Blair says that Cardinal O'Brien's words should have no political influence

More Here


And it seems Scottish business is jumping on the independence bandwagon
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-2405019,00.html

flogen

Dub13 wrote:

Blair goes head to head with cardinal in war of words over independence


Tony Blair says that Cardinal O'Brien's words should have no political influence

More Here


And it seems Scottish business is jumping on the independence bandwagon
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-2405019,00.html

Yup, just like business in NI want to change to the Euro, it makes financial sense... I'd say if you polled businessmen in NI on a United Ireland the numbers would be closer to supporting it than they are generally there too.

Simply put businessmen see the potential these changes have for their bottom line; if Scotland was independent it would have the freedom to set its own tax and currency agenda, and it would be one that suits Scotland, not one that is inplace to keep the balance between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.