Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman
You are assuming that "wealth" is the only worthwhile measure of success. High GDP (and GDP per capita) counts for little for your citizens have a high cost of living and don't personally see the benefit of it.
Nobody wants necessarily to be Singapore or Silicon Valley. By framing the debate in these terms it narrows the scope of debate, essentially rigging it in favour of the union by emphasising economic uncertainty.
The role (and purpose) of the state are equally as important. What (and where) money is spent can be a significant difference between employing local people, in local jobs, paying taxes and profits being siphoned off into tax havens and private consultancies owned by friends of the leadership.
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Decades of left wing carping about benefits being too low and hospital waiting times being too long have left many people assuming they’re not seeing the benefits of living in a wealthy nation, when the fact is there’s no way either Scotland or Wales could maintain the level of public spending they presently have within the UK.
You complain that focusing on GDP is ‘rigging’ the debate when the truth you can’t bring yourself to admit is that what it’s actually doing is ‘winning’ the debate. State benefits cost money. Infrastructure like the new Forth road bridge costs the same to build in a country of 5 million as in a country of 60 million.
Nationalistic pride is cheap. It’s an indulgence when you need comfort at a time of crisis or you hate the party that’s been running the country for years. Actually putting it into practice has a tangible cost. I’m not sure any nationalist in either Wales or Scotland has yet come to grips with the reality of erecting international frontiers on this island. Are Scottish businesses really going to be happy to fill in those 73 page export documents just to get their goods south of Gretna? Are Welsh businesses going to give up on the border towns close to England that are virtually impossible to get to without using roads that cross the border multiple times?