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| Scottish independence referendum: the Guardian's experts answer readers' questions – live | Scottish independence referendum: the Guardian's experts answer readers' questions – live |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Will an independent Scotland keep the pound? How much oil is left in the North Sea? Will the union flag need a radical redesign if Scotland votes Yes? And what will happen to Trident, the UK’s nuclear deterrent? | Will an independent Scotland keep the pound? How much oil is left in the North Sea? Will the union flag need a radical redesign if Scotland votes Yes? And what will happen to Trident, the UK’s nuclear deterrent? |
| On Thursday, some 4.29 million people in Scotland will have the opportunity to decide whether to remain part of the United Kingdom or to strike out as an independent country. Whichever way the vote goes, Scotland will wake up to a different political landscape on Friday morning. | On Thursday, some 4.29 million people in Scotland will have the opportunity to decide whether to remain part of the United Kingdom or to strike out as an independent country. Whichever way the vote goes, Scotland will wake up to a different political landscape on Friday morning. |
| Yet many questions remain, about the referendum itself, and what follows. On Tuesday, between 3pm and 4pm BST (10am and 11am ET), the Guardian’s specialists will be on hand to answer questions from readers – from Scotland, the rest of the UK, and around the world – about this historic vote. | Yet many questions remain, about the referendum itself, and what follows. On Tuesday, between 3pm and 4pm BST (10am and 11am ET), the Guardian’s specialists will be on hand to answer questions from readers – from Scotland, the rest of the UK, and around the world – about this historic vote. |
| Post your questions below, or tweet me @Claire_Phipps, and we’ll answer as many of your queries as possible. | Post your questions below, or tweet me @Claire_Phipps, and we’ll answer as many of your queries as possible. |
| And for those searching for some background reading, here’s an excellent place to start: Scottish independence – everything you need to know about the vote. | And for those searching for some background reading, here’s an excellent place to start: Scottish independence – everything you need to know about the vote. |
| We’ve had hundreds of questions already – thank you to all who’ve posted. I’ll begin posting our correspondents’ answers here very shortly. Refresh the page to see the latest responses. | We’ve had hundreds of questions already – thank you to all who’ve posted. I’ll begin posting our correspondents’ answers here very shortly. Refresh the page to see the latest responses. |
| First, some questions on the vote itself: | First, some questions on the vote itself: |
| @Claire_Phipps Do you think it's fair that I'm now being offered vows of more powers AFTER I've already postal voted & can't change my vote? | @Claire_Phipps Do you think it's fair that I'm now being offered vows of more powers AFTER I've already postal voted & can't change my vote? |
| The Guardian’s Scotland reporter, Libby Brooks, replies: | The Guardian’s Scotland reporter, Libby Brooks, replies: |
| Not especially! The no camp would argue that the announcements of more powers clarify policy proposals already published and offer a timetable for their implementation. But today’s pledge from the three Westminster leaders, in particular the promise to maintain the Barnett formula, would seem to throw this argument in doubt. | Not especially! The no camp would argue that the announcements of more powers clarify policy proposals already published and offer a timetable for their implementation. But today’s pledge from the three Westminster leaders, in particular the promise to maintain the Barnett formula, would seem to throw this argument in doubt. |
| @Claire_Phipps What has happened to the Referendum Purdah in light of the new powers etc supposedly on offer? | @Claire_Phipps What has happened to the Referendum Purdah in light of the new powers etc supposedly on offer? |
| Libby Brooks writes: | Libby Brooks writes: |
| The no campaign would argue that the rules relating to purdah, as it is called, affect governments, not the political parties. It is perfectly normal for political parties to make policy announcements during election and referendum campaigns, but they do so as politicians, not as ministers. It’s my understanding that the yes side has chosen not to make a bit thing of this because they feel it’s a process issue that doesn’t matter much to voters. | The no campaign would argue that the rules relating to purdah, as it is called, affect governments, not the political parties. It is perfectly normal for political parties to make policy announcements during election and referendum campaigns, but they do so as politicians, not as ministers. It’s my understanding that the yes side has chosen not to make a bit thing of this because they feel it’s a process issue that doesn’t matter much to voters. |
| And on the aftermath: | And on the aftermath: |
| What will happen if Scotland votes Yes and the two governments fail to reach agreement? | What will happen if Scotland votes Yes and the two governments fail to reach agreement? |
| Our Scotland correspondent, Severin Carrell, replies: | Our Scotland correspondent, Severin Carrell, replies: |
| I think the prospects of them not reaching agreement are very slim: the political and economic consequences of a failure to agree would be immense on the UK and Scottish economies, and leave open substantial issues about our future in the EU. | I think the prospects of them not reaching agreement are very slim: the political and economic consequences of a failure to agree would be immense on the UK and Scottish economies, and leave open substantial issues about our future in the EU. |
| The pound would be under heavy attack; investors will withdraw funds; the UK’s debt would increase and become more expensive. That could provoke an economic crisis. Scotland would face a flight of capital and of jobs; its EU status would remain uncertain. If they failed to agree a deal over Trident’s future in Scotland, Scotland’s Nato membership will be at severe risk. | |
| There will be political battles at Westminster over how much to concede to Scotland and how much to demand, but the overall interests of the British state and the economy are likely to be far greater influences on the need to agree a deal, and to minimise instability. | There will be political battles at Westminster over how much to concede to Scotland and how much to demand, but the overall interests of the British state and the economy are likely to be far greater influences on the need to agree a deal, and to minimise instability. |
| @Claire_Phipps Who is the natural opposition to Alex Salmond? And if independence is granted when will leadership elections be held? | @Claire_Phipps Who is the natural opposition to Alex Salmond? And if independence is granted when will leadership elections be held? |
| Severin Carrell replies: | Severin Carrell replies: |
| All three parties have to fight the 2015 general election too - despite the fact Scottish MPs won’t have long to serve, and prepare for the 2016 Scottish elections. | All three parties have to fight the 2015 general election too - despite the fact Scottish MPs won’t have long to serve, and prepare for the 2016 Scottish elections. |
| But the loss of long-term Westminster careers will see dozens of Labour and Lib Dems MPs (there is only one Tory MP to worry about) looking for new constituencies: some may head south, others may fight hard to get Holyrood seats. | But the loss of long-term Westminster careers will see dozens of Labour and Lib Dems MPs (there is only one Tory MP to worry about) looking for new constituencies: some may head south, others may fight hard to get Holyrood seats. |
| I would imagine Johann Lamont will face the greatest pressure to stand down: if there is a yes vote, Labour’s haemorrhaging of grassroots voter support to independence will have been critical to the final outcome. | I would imagine Johann Lamont will face the greatest pressure to stand down: if there is a yes vote, Labour’s haemorrhaging of grassroots voter support to independence will have been critical to the final outcome. |
| There will be tough questions about why Scottish Labour was unable to offer policies and reforms attractive enough to retain voters. Ex-MPs and ex Westminster ministers could be obvious contenders: but neither Alistair Darling, Jim Murphy nor Douglas Alexander have said this. They are working on the basis the no vote wins. | There will be tough questions about why Scottish Labour was unable to offer policies and reforms attractive enough to retain voters. Ex-MPs and ex Westminster ministers could be obvious contenders: but neither Alistair Darling, Jim Murphy nor Douglas Alexander have said this. They are working on the basis the no vote wins. |
| Devo max | |
| This morning’s pledge by the three Westminster party leaders for more devolution of powers has attracted a few questions. Here’s the pledge. | This morning’s pledge by the three Westminster party leaders for more devolution of powers has attracted a few questions. Here’s the pledge. |
| @Claire_Phipps are milliband, cameron and clegg in a position to promise everything they have signed for this morning? | @Claire_Phipps are milliband, cameron and clegg in a position to promise everything they have signed for this morning? |
| @Claire_Phipps Do you think WM backbenchers will support the "vow" given their less than monk like behaviour ? #indyref | @Claire_Phipps Do you think WM backbenchers will support the "vow" given their less than monk like behaviour ? #indyref |
| Political correspondent Rowena Mason responds: | Political correspondent Rowena Mason responds: |
| There may be relief across their Westminster parties for a while if the promise of more powers manages to save the union. However, in the event of a no vote, the danger is that backbenchers forget how close Scotland came to independence and start grumbling about what extra devolution means. | There may be relief across their Westminster parties for a while if the promise of more powers manages to save the union. However, in the event of a no vote, the danger is that backbenchers forget how close Scotland came to independence and start grumbling about what extra devolution means. |
| Some Tory MPs are already furious – either because they feel England is getting a raw deal or they worry it will have ended the union in all but name. What’s more, the details are still to be worked out and their is potential for cross-party conflict about how far it should go. Some in Labour are worried that giving Scotland more tax powers will lead to calls for the party’s Scottish MPs to lose their right to vote on the budget. | Some Tory MPs are already furious – either because they feel England is getting a raw deal or they worry it will have ended the union in all but name. What’s more, the details are still to be worked out and their is potential for cross-party conflict about how far it should go. Some in Labour are worried that giving Scotland more tax powers will lead to calls for the party’s Scottish MPs to lose their right to vote on the budget. |
| Economic implications | |
| Today the Guardian ran an article in essence pointing out that several small countries, namely Ireland, Denmark Finland and New Zealand had also had a bad time during the recent recession. Nevertheless, all of them have emerged with a higher per capita GDP, a more favourable Gini coefficient and a better standing on the FFP Fraglity Index than the UK. | Today the Guardian ran an article in essence pointing out that several small countries, namely Ireland, Denmark Finland and New Zealand had also had a bad time during the recent recession. Nevertheless, all of them have emerged with a higher per capita GDP, a more favourable Gini coefficient and a better standing on the FFP Fraglity Index than the UK. |
| We are given to believe that if we vote Yes, everything economic will get worse. Why is it that an independent Scotland can allegedly not become as successful as any of these above-mentioned small, sovereign countries assuming a sufficient period of transition? | We are given to believe that if we vote Yes, everything economic will get worse. Why is it that an independent Scotland can allegedly not become as successful as any of these above-mentioned small, sovereign countries assuming a sufficient period of transition? |
| Here’s a link to the article in question. | Here’s a link to the article in question. |
| Phillip Inman, the Guardian’s economics correspondent, replies: | Phillip Inman, the Guardian’s economics correspondent, replies: |
| It is possible for smaller countries to prosper and gain a high per capita GDP. And without the high incomes generated by the City of London and its hanger-on professional services, smaller countries can have a more favourable Gini co-efficient (which is a proxy for measuring income inequality).But when you enter the fray with high debts and an ageing population, it is going to be difficult. And many of the ‘best performing’ small countries, including those in the EU, are now struggling in the post-crash phase, mainly because to some extent they achieved their high incomes using borrowed money. This leaves them making hard choices and not necessarily behaving in a very ‘social democratic’ manner in their attempts to stay afloat/get ahead.Much of Alex Salmond’s long-term economic policy rests on an influx of skilled workers. Will that please Scottish voters?Like Australia, New Zealand is now coping with a high currency that refuses to fall despite a collapse in the price of one of its main exports: butter. The outcome could be a severe decline in all exports and a right-wing government that implements more austerity. | |
| vitawonk asks: What will happen to my pension ‘entitlement’ that has been paid into for the last 30 years? | vitawonk asks: What will happen to my pension ‘entitlement’ that has been paid into for the last 30 years? |
| Phillip Inman responds: | Phillip Inman responds: |
| This is one of the many uncertainties. However, it is possible during a transition period for all entitlements to be transferred from the Department of Work & Pensions to a Scottish equivalent. Whether the Scottish parliament will adopt more or less generous pension policies remains to be seen. | |
| What is the UK's economic policy for Scotland? | |
| Phillip Inman writes: | |
| This a very broad question. Should Scotland remain part of the UK, the amount of money available for Holyrood is currently set to remain the same. The Barnett formula is considered to be a generous settlement by the UK Treasury, such that there will be money spare for Holyrood to maintain public services and make investments in infrastructure to improve skills and jobs. | |
| More widely, Scotland would become part of a devolution debate that seeks to divert Westminster funds to regions/cities for regeneration, though DevoMax would give Scotland a massive head start. Holyrood would take greater charge of encouraging inward investment and identifying key industries for future investment and jobs. | |
| End of the union flag? | |
| HarryHayfield and @DrKenHo, among others, asked: What happens to the union flag? | |
| Esther Addley writes: | |
| Precisely what would happen to the flag in the event of a Scottish yes vote is not at all clear. Constitutional experts suggest there would not necessarily be any requirement for the remainder of the UK to abandon the current flag, although Lord West, deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Flags and Heraldry Committee, last week suggested it was “nonsense” to imagine the St Andrew’s blue could remain in the flag. | |
| Downing Street insists it has made no preparations for a yes vote, not even on the question of the national symbol. The College of Arms, the official register for flags, coats of arms and pedigrees for the Crown, which was responsible for the design of the current flag in 1606, similarly declined to be drawn ahead of the vote. | |
| Part of the problem, according to Charles Ashburner, chief executive of the Flag Institute, is that the current flag “fell into use” rather than ever being formally adopted, and so “nobody controls the union flag”. Wales, he notes, is not currently represented at all. | |
| According to some constitutional experts, because the current flag technically represents a union of the crowns not the nations, and the Queen would be likely to remain monarch of an independent Scotland, there is no legal or constitutional reason to stop flying the current flag south of the border. | |
| A few sporting inquiries: | |
| If Scotland goes Independent what will happen to Team GB? | |
| 1. Will Scottish Athletes still get Lottery Funding?2. Will they still be allowed to train at Loughbrough University?3. Will the IOC recognise Team Scotland in time for Rio 2016? | |
| The Guardian’s chief sports correspondent, Owen Gibson, replies: | |
| Scottish athletes make up just over a tenth of the 1,272 athletes funded by UK Sport. But in London they contributed to a fifth of Team GB’s haul of 65 medals. In Sochi, the split was 50/50 thanks to the medals won by the all-Scottish men’s and women’s curling rinks. Team sports that featured mixed line-ups of athletes from Scotland and the rest of the UK would inevitably suffer. Even if some Scottish athletes stuck with Team GB in Rio, a yes vote would leave UK Sport’s promise to become the first nation to beat their medal haul from a home Games four years later – the basis on which its funding was committed – looking shaky. | |
| Scotland’s secretary of sport, Shona Robison, has made it clear that she expects the appropriate share of UK Sport’s budget (around £37m over a four-year cycle) to be transferred to SportScotland and for the Lottery to continue in the way it currently operates. A review of Scottish sport headed by the former first minister Henry McLeish, which criticised UK Sport for failing to engage, said it was imperative for the funding to be shifted to Scotland as quickly as possible in the event of a yes vote. But it is understood that the government would insist on a renegotiation of the entire basis on which National Lottery income is divided and it is far from clear whether the portion of exchequer funding that currently goes to UK Sport would transfer to SportScotland. As such, athletes might be faced with further difficult choices over who to represent. Some may “follow the money” and stick with Team GB. | |
| Scottish athletes competing for Team GB currently benefit from national high performance centres for the biggest sports. Most obviously, the velodrome in Manchester has become the hub for British Cycling’s medal factory. There are currently five Scottish riders on British Cycling’s development and academy programmes, who are centrally funded but train locally, and four Scottish riders – Katie Archibald, Callum Skinner, Neil Fachie and Craig MacLean – on the podium programme who are based in Manchester. What would happen to those shared facilities and carefully honed high performance programmes in the event of Scottish independence is still to be worked through. | |
| Will a yes vote affect Berwick Rangers right to play in the Scottish leagues ? | |
| Owen Gibson says: | |
| The likely fate of Scottish Division Two side Berwick Rangers, the only English team to play in the Scottish league, has been a source of conjecture. Founded in 1884, they have played in Scotland since 1951 and the expense involved in travelling to play English opposition would be a huge burden. However, Scottish league officials are believed to be confident that Scotland’s status as a separate nation in the eyes of Fifa would protect Berwick’s position. The club’s vice chairman, John Bell, has said: “Berwick Rangers are full members of the Scottish Professional Football League and as such we would expect to remain members of it, regardless of any independence issue.” | |
| Also, there are several established cross-border precedents, most notably Derry City, who play in the Republic’s League of Ireland and Monaco, who play in the French Ligue 1. Liechtenstein’s FC Vaduz play in the Swiss League, while San Marino Calcio play in Italy’s third division. | |
| Polling day | |
| Readers wonder if the result could be agonisingly close: | |
| @Claire_Phipps could there be considerable legal challenges if there is a very low margin of victory. Could the vote be forced again? | |
| Question:If the vote count is extremely close, are there thresholds defined for what batches of votes can be recounted? | |
| Is it explicit when a recount of some set of votes may/not be recounted? | |
| What role has authority to determine that some set of votes will be recounted? | |
| Thanks | |
| Libby Brooks replies: | |
| There are no defined thresholds for a recount if the total vote across the country is close because the count is being managed by 32 council areas, and so any recount would have to be ordered by the counting officer in that individual area. Any request for a recount would have to happen before the total for that area is announced, ie based on concerns in the particular area rather than a question about the closeness of the votes. After that there is no provision for a recount unless by order of a court. | |
| The campaigns | |
| And a pointed question about Better Together tactics: | |
| why is voting No so uncool | |
| Libby Brooks writes: | |
| I do think that it is one of the great failures of the Better Together campaign that it has not presented a more inspiring, optimistic narrative for voting no – although one could argue that it has tried harder to address this over the past month. Although the yes campaign emphasises the grassroots nature of the movement, they’ve got a shedload of celebrities on their side. If one was being flip about the whole thing one could ask: do you want to be Alex Kapranos or Ross Kemp? | |
| If it`s a `no` vote on thursday, what`s to stop the SNP calling for another referendum in 2015 and every year after, until they win? | |
| Libby Brooks responds: | |
| The SNP has said that this is a once in a generation issue. There’s some question of what a ‘generation’ means, but Salmond has made reference to the time difference between the 1979 and 1997 votes. | |
| However, it is possible that another few years of austerity, another Conservative government in Westminster next year, followed by an EU referendum in which Scots vote to stay in but the rest of the country votes to leave, could lead to a spike in support for independence. | |
| The SNP could even risk being outflanked by another pro-independence force, given the dozens of grassroots groups that this campaign has created. Technically, it would have to be re-elected on another mandate to hold a referendum, which would only be possible in the next Holyrood elections of 2016. | |
| Might a vote out of the EU also lead to reluctant Nos backing independence, those for whom being in the EU is more important than being in the union? | |
| Scottish politics after the vote | |
| Whichever way Scottish voters lean, it looks likely that the political landscape will be very different. | |
| What will happen to Scottish politics in the event of a yes vote? | |
| Will there be a revival of a Scottish conservative party detached from the seemingly toxic brand of the 'English' tories? Where will the SNP position themselves once the honeymoon period of winning independence has worn off and they no longer have this as a reason for people to vote for them - will they directly compete with labour splitting the left of centre vote, or will they move back towards the centre ? | |
| How far to the left of the English centre ground is the Scottish centre ground in reality? | |
| What about in a no vote. Will the SNP decline? Will the Tories make any concessions to Scottish voters to try to improve their brand in Scotland? | |
| The Guardian’s Scotland reporter, Libby Brooks, writes: | |
| One theory is that, in the event of either a no or a yes vote, the Tories – revived under Ruth Davidson who is working hard to modernise the party up here along the line that Cameron did down south – could become a more significant force if Nicola Sturgeon becomes leader of the SNP soon. | |
| Given that she is expected to take over from Salmond perhaps within months if it is a heavy defeat or, as looks more likely, in a more managed transition up to the 2016 Holyrood elections, she will pull the political centre of gravity of the SNP to the centre left, and also the geographical centre away from Aberdeen and Perth, to Glasgow where her seat is. | |
| This pull to the left and the west will make life very difficult indeed for the Scottish Labour party. And so the Tories may end up being the major force for the union, rebranded as compassionate Conservatives (remember that?) under Davidson. | |
| Westminster politics after the vote | |
| In the event of a Yes vote, will the Scottish MP's be required to resign from Westminster? I hardly think its appropriate for them to be present during negotiations between iScotland and rUK over things like currency union etc. The scottish MP's would not be representing rUK therefore there is a clear conflict of interest. | |
| And Morgan Rigg asks: Assuming Scotland votes Yes, what is the likelihood the next general election will be postponed? | |
| Rowena Mason replies: | |
| In the event of a yes vote, it’s possible, but would require an act of parliament and the repeal of the fixed-term legislation. Labour has dismissed the idea outright. But David Cameron is already coming under pressure from Conservative MPs to consider putting it off for a year until Scotland and the rest of the UK have negotiated a split. They are worried about the possibility that Ed Miliband could get a majority in 2015, with the help of Scottish Labour MPs. | |
| Can you tell me how many MPs Scotland lost with devolution and how many more will go with devomax? | |
| Rowena Mason, our political correspondent, writes: | |
| Scotland had 72 MPs until devolution under the last government. The argument was that Scotland was over-represented in Westminster compared with other parts of the UK. From the 2005 election, boundaries changed and Scotland elected 59 MPs. There are currently 40 Labour MPs, 11 Liberal Democrats, 6 SNP, one Conservative and one independent (Eric Joyce, who resigned the Labour whip). There have been no proposals yet for Scotland to lose more Westminster MPs under devo-max but Tories are calling for Scottish MPs to lose voting rights on England-only issues. | |
| If the union is broken, what are the alternatives? Is federalism viable without the partition of England? If federalism is viable would the House of Lords have to agree to their redundancy? | |
| Rowena Mason writes: | |
| These are tricky constitutional questions that have not been addressed by the party leaders, who have batted away most queries about what happens after the vote except to promise more Scottish devolution. | |
| How many members of the House of Lords are officially domiciled in Scotland?What happens to their seats in the event of Scottish independence? | |
| Rowena Mason replies: | |
| They are likely to lose their seats unless they move. Lord Wallace, a Lib Dem government spokesman in the Lords, who lives in Orkney, last year said peers who currently reside in Scotland could keep their seats if they moved to other parts of the UK and became resident taxpayers. | |
| The big Scotch egg question | |
| I guess this might be a vote-swayer for some: | |
| Who invented the 'Scotch Egg'? | |
| Fortnum and Mason, apparently, in 1738. So technically, they belong to London. Sorry about that, Scotland. | |
| rUk, FUK – or something else? | |
| Dear @Claire_Phipps, will GB still be called GB because #Scotland is going for independence? Or UK of E, W and NI? #indyref | |
| What will rUK call itself if Scotland votes yes? | |
| Tom Clark replies: | |
| The United Kingdom of Great Britain was created by the 1706 treaty of union, and the 1707 Act of Union the year later, as England and Scotland were merged. A swaggering Britain, then very much on the rise, was too confident to waste time fretting about its brandname: when Ireland was roped in, in 1800, “and Ireland” was crudely appended as an afterthought, just as “and Wales” had sometimes been added on to the name of the English kingdom of old. | |
| But having lost a world Empire, if the Britain of today were suddenly to lose a third of its landmass there would be considerably more introspection. Residual UK – or rUK – has gained some currency as a candidate name, though it would only highlight the state that we’d be in. An obvious acronym problem makes Former UK even worse. | |
| As panicked politicians scramble to propose new devolution settlements, perhaps they should give up on the whole idea of a single national brand, and dig back into history’s back-pages to come up with splendid placenames like Mercia, Northumbria, Wessex and even Danelaw, each of which could sit in rough equality alongside Wales and Northern Ireland under some messily redesigned flag. | |
| And vitawonk asks: If there is a Yes vote then will residents in Scotland be able to keep their UK passports for life? Will children born in Scotland be allowed to register as rUK citizens. | |
| Severin Carrell writes: | |
| Anyone properly and legally resident in Scotland resident on the day of independence gets citizenship ; they’d also be likely to be allowed to retain UK citizenship too. | |
| Life in an independent Scotland | |
| Devo max is there as a consolation prize if there should be a no majority - are there any plans to appease the no voters in the event of a yes victory? | |
| Libby Brooks replies: | |
| It’s hard to imagine what would appease a no voter who passionately wants to remain within the UK if a majority votes to dissolve the union. The yes campaign has made much of the maintenance of the UK’s ‘social union’ in the event of a yes vote, and Salmond’s stated intention to invite prominent no campaigners including Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown to join the Team Scotland negotiating team is certainly a signal that the concerns of those who wished to remain within the UK would be given a hearing but, even with the pledge this morning on more powers, this ultimately remains an either/or question. | |
| As a pilot and aircraft owners we in Britain are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority and EASA in Europe. | |
| If the Scots vote yes, what is likely to happen to civil aviation in the UK and Scotland | |
| The Guardian’s transport correspondent Gwyn Topham says: | |
| This is one of those areas in which the independent Scottish government will assert their sovereign powers, but actually let things largely carry on as before. Regulation would continue to be via the Civil Aviation Authority, through a memorandum of understanding. The CAA is funded by the aviation industry so would not be a burden on a smaller independent state, even should the SNP’s eventual aspiration of a Scottish regulatory body come about. | |
| Some pilots and aircraft owners have been hoping that a yes vote could mean less red tape – but unless Scotland pulls out of Europe too, that’s unlikely: EASA’s (European Aviation Safety Agency) role in safety regulation would presumably remain the same. Air traffic will continue to be monitored by NATS, whose two control centres are conveniently split across the border, although there will be some haggling over each state’s share of the business. | |
| Will the BBC be renamed? | |
| There’s a whole reality check here, looking at the future of the BBC in an independent Scotland. In brief, the Scottish government proposes a Scottish Broadcasting Service (SBS), based on current BBC Scotland resources and funded by the licence fees paid by Scottish viewers. |