Leaving on A Jet Plane
I haven't read a newspaper article as silly and childish as this in a long time, but Jason Allardyce in The Sunday Times seems to take seriously a recent survey which suggests that up to 700,000 Scots would consider moving to another country, if Scotland votes Yes in the independence referendum on 18 September 2014.
Now that sounds perfectly ridiculous to me because I suspect 700,000 'refugees' might not be exactly welcome if they crossed the border into England all at once and besides how would our airports cope with such an mass exodus of people - more than the population of Glasgow, Manchester or Newcastle?
Never mind our public services which would presumably collapse in a heap with so many Scots fleeing their homeland to start a new life elsewhere along with their partners and children - though it would do wonders for Scotland's unemployment rate as well as opening the door for hard working immigrants.
Now that sounds perfectly ridiculous to me because I suspect 700,000 'refugees' might not be exactly welcome if they crossed the border into England all at once and besides how would our airports cope with such an mass exodus of people - more than the population of Glasgow, Manchester or Newcastle?
Never mind our public services which would presumably collapse in a heap with so many Scots fleeing their homeland to start a new life elsewhere along with their partners and children - though it would do wonders for Scotland's unemployment rate as well as opening the door for hard working immigrants.
The young chap quoted in The Sunday Times, Steven Ross, says that he would head for an unknown destination in England, initially, before moving on to some other undisclosed part of the Continent to protect his career prospects, home and savings.
But that assumes, of course, that 'Engerland' and what remains of the rest of the UK doesn't vote to withdraw from the European Union (EU) after the 2015 general election, which means he might become trapped somewhere south of the border since the EU treaty guaranteeing freedom to work and travel in other European countries would be in tatters.
Still, looking on the bright side Steven would at least save himself a small fortune in no longer having to take French/Spanish/Italian/Greek etc etc lessons.
About 700,000 people are thinking of leaving the country if it becomes independent, according to the latest survey
By Jason Allardyce - The Sunday Times
NEARLY three-quarters of a million Scots would consider leaving the country if it became independent, according to a new poll.
One in six adults (17%), the equivalent of 697,000 voters, said they would think about emigrating in the event of a Yes vote in September, reflecting concerns that independence would hit the Scottish economy and leave voters worse off.
The Panelbase poll for The Sunday Times and independent radio station Heart found 42% believe Scotland would be worse off under independence, while 34% expect it to fare better — and twice as many (28%) think they would personally be at least £500 worse off with a Yes vote rather than £500 or more better off (14%).
The findings have led to fears of an Irish-style exodus of young people in search of work at a time when Alex Salmond, the first minister, has pledged to boost Scotland’s population with an immigration target of 24,000 per year under independence.
The economic downturn has been blamed for a decline in the number of young people living in Ireland, and Robert Wright, former president of the European Society for Population Economics, said there was a risk of a similar phenomenon in Scotland although there is also potential for the population to grow.
At the same time, 5%, equivalent to 205,000 Scottish voters, said they would consider moving away from Scotland if there is a No vote while nearly three-quarters (73%) say they will stay here whatever the result; 2% are moving anyway irrespective of the vote and 3% don’t know.
With less than two months to go, the poll of 1,041 voters resident in Scotland finds little change in referendum voting intentions, with 41% favouring independence (+1 since May), 48% against (+1) and 11% undecided (-2).
When those who have not made up their minds are excluded, the Better Together campaign led by Alistair Darling, the former chancellor, enjoys an eight point lead — 54%-46% (unchanged).
Wright, who is a professor at Strathclyde University, described the Irish experience as “key to understanding what may happen in Scotland”. Many Irish who left the country for work elsewhere returned during the Celtic tiger boom years, while the number of people aged 15-24 decreased 9% between 2007 and 2012 when the economy shrank.
He said: “Emigration could go up or go down since it largely depends on employment opportunities. If an independent Scotland can create more jobs relative to the status quo, then emigration will decline. But the poll reflects worry and uncertainty about the future — the boat is being rocked a lot and they don’t know whether it’s going to capsize or keep on going.”
Steven Ross, a 28-year-old market analyst from Renfrew, said he would leave Scotland after a Yes vote, fearing for his job, home and savings.
While he would rather not move away from the country where he was born and grew up, the Celtic football fan says he would first head to England to protect his savings before moving to the Continent.
He said: “I don’t think many people could consider their job secure. I’d worry about my assets retaining value too, such as property and savings. I would probably move to England to protect that, at least to begin with, then I’d look to Europe.
“There is no clear plan for Scotland proposed by the SNP to secure, never mind build, the economy and I couldn’t commit my future to that.”
The findings, which show virtually no change since last November in attitudes to whether Scotland would be financially better or worse off, suggest the Yes campaign has made no progress in convincing people of the economic benefits of independence.
However, the nationalists may take comfort that the figures have not markedly worsened given a sustained onslaught from unionist politicians who have claimed Scots could not keep the pound or remain in the EU.
The poll also found that just over a quarter (28%) expect a win for the nationalists while 55% believe voters will choose to stay in the Union and the rest are unsure.
Yes voters are far less optimistic about the outcome, with only 56% of independence backers expecting victory compared to 80% in the No camp.
Asked how they expect friends and family to vote, 28% say mainly Yes, 41% say mainly No, while 22% say they are evenly divided and 9% don’t know.
Nor do Scots appear to regard independence as inevitable at some point further down the line in the event of a No vote in September.
One in five anticipate another referendum within 10-15 years with a Yes win if the nationalists do not secure victory this time around, while 8% believe there would be another one but that No would win again; 44% believe there would not be another referendum within this timeframe and 28% are unsure.
Panelbase interviewed adults resident in Scotland on July 16 -22.
Peter, Paul and Mary (3 July 2014)
I thought of this famous song 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' when I wrote the post about the poor dentist, Edward Gamson, who ended up in Grenada in the Caribbean when he wanted to go to Granada in Spain.
The song was written by John Denver but this version by Peter, Paul and Mary is perhaps the best known and became a big hit in the UK in the late 1960s.
