This Scottish independence thing has so many parallels to the sovereigntist movement in Quebec in the 90's (and the 70's before it), that it's kind of amusing.
Sovereigntists: "HAY GUYS! Just vote for independence and everything will stay the same, but more awesome! You can keep the same passports, use the same currency, taxes will magically go down, services will magically go up, and the rest of the world will welcome us with open arms!"
Realists: "Hey, dipshits. If you leave the country, you can leave your passports at the door, and go out to find your own currency, because you sure as shit won't be making any decisions about ours, even if you do use it. You'll have to build your own diplomatic corps and foreign policy, re-build all the trade treaties that being in the country entitled you to, and build up your own military. Chances are taxes will go up and services will go down, because the truth is the rest of the country has been subsidizing the ever living fuck out of you for decades, yet no matter how much we coddle you, you keep asking for more. So good luck on your own, we're kind of sick of your shit at this point. We'll still come visit for the strippers."
Okay, maybe the stripper part is different.
In any case, sovereigntist sentiment in Quebec at the moment is at near all time lows. As it turns out, if you just ignore them long enough, eventually they eat their own and collapse under their own contradictions and bullshit. Yay?
I'm going to tread into territory I am not that familiar with, but hasn't the whole EU/currency thing been deemed a failure, mainly because of the drain caused by effectively "3rd world Euro nations" like Greece? Wasn't the UK's decision to keep the pound a smart one? Looking for edumacation here, so don't all start jumping down my throat.
It's a lot more complicated than that, and I don't pretend to truly understand it all. But basically a currency union can't work without unified banking systems, central control or at least influence on fiscal policy, and a bunch of other shit. Basically, the euro zone is only half built, and some members like Germany aren't all that interested in going any further than they already have. If they remain unwilling, you're likely to see the same shit happen all over again, even if the underlying causes are different.
But that doesn't mean it's been a failure, either. A currency union can work, but only if the members are willing to go far enough to make it work. And that doesn't appear to be the case in Europe.
Szlia_sl said:
EDIT: Oh and someone mentioned tiny countries and made a rebultal about banking being 85% of GDP or whatever. You will pleased to know banking is slightly above 10% of Switzerland's GDP. Raw material trading though...
They mean finance, and you know it.
