The Union is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, along with the islands
(about 6,300 of them
).
The "Northern Ireland troubles" are partly down to the desire for reunification on the part of the predominantly Catholic parts of the population and partly for religious mistrust. Ireland is often represented at sporting events as a united Ireland though; they play a united rugby team for example.
Every nation in the union has an independence movement that wants to see succession. NI to Ireland, Scotland to Independent Scotland, Wales to Independent Wales and England to stop paying for the bloody rest of them to rub it back in our faces
(lol
)
Scotland is frankly a tiny population of some 5 million who feel slighted by the needs of the 58 or so million people south of the border. As a nation they are vastly over subsidised by the English. Fools like Alex Salmon - leader of the Parliament up there - think that this all a front to Scottish pride and think they can do it alone.
What he fails to mention is that in order for Scotland to make it alone they would have to completely bankrupt the country more or less over night because the exchequer of Scotland could never stand on its own to deliver the same revenues that the English subsidise them with. Why? Is it because they have no industry? No - Scotland has the pride of the UK shipbuilding along with many other industrial ventures and enterprises, including what used to be one of the world’s largest banks until RBS cocked up. Is it because Scotland can't manage its own exchequer? No, it does a capable job and has a long history of setting its own council budgets successfully, including different health and education spending policies.
The simple reason why it's financial insanity for Scotland is that the population isn't big enough to raise the tax revenues to match subsidies that they get for being part of the union. England has a population of 58 million; we raise more taxes, simple. Scotland isn't the dog of the union; it's just a fraction of it.
The second thing is hurrah for being able to set your own dedicated foreign policy! Woo, I can see a lot of world players taking Alex Salmon seriously on the world stage as an independent nation - not.
To be independent, what isn't being told to the people of Scotland is that they would need to open their borders, have a mass policy of immigration -and I know firsthand that there is nothing that is more despised in parts of Scotland than immigration. If the romance of independence is to preserve Scotland for Scotland, then opening up the borders won't do it.
If it is seen as bad that you're living off of England, and you can't properly support yourself that leaves the EU. Scotland will be nothing more than a general political whore to Brussels. Any idea of independence that you have will be usurped by the sheer fact that you'll have to make so many concessions to Brussels in order to get handouts to keep the country running that you'll wind up passing any bill that the EU asks you to do. As a nation with 5 million people you'll have only one or to EU parliament votes to play with, compared to England’s 100 or so. So ultimately you'll do what the Germans, then French then UK want anyway. The EU will dictate foreign policy, law etc. Right now Scotland virtually manages itself anyway, it has always been a very distant member of the union compared with Wales or NI. So much for an independent Scotland if you hand yourselves over the EU!
If you succeed from the Union you'll also have an exodus of nationals to England to keep existing jobs and positions. Half the senior civil service of the UK is Scottish - they're not going to give that up! What about all the Scottish people in the City, who work south of the border? They're not going to come home and get jobs because it's an independent Scotland. If they work in England, they pay tax in England - and we keep every penny!
That includes Prime Ministers too
Yes I'm English, and you know what, it does annoy me that you get so much cash as our expense, no questions asked. Having said that though, I also believe that Scotland is stronger, better respected both internationally and as part of the Union by being in the union. The union is better off with Scotland's participation, skills and strengths and, unlike the EU England, Wales and Northern Ireland do not ask for anything - it's a partnership, not a master servant relationship as Mr. Salmon would suggest.
My opinions are my own, and are formed having lived up there
(West coast
) as well as down here.
On a separate note, who is who in the photo's?
I don't see an single H/PC in any of them!
When I used to live in Alaska I always thought I'd like to own Texas...put it in my back yard.... 
