Olympic Conclusions

[VNA]

Scotland is part of the UK whether you like it or not, therefore a UK wide referendum can be held.

But you wanted an English one?  Good to see you have finally accepted that that is simply not possible.

Devolved governments are still subservient to Westminster.

No they are not.  Wrong again.  Powers that are devolved cannot be overruled by Westminster.  That Tony Blair basically did that to Jack McConnel got Labour wiped out when it came to the ballot box.  Labour's historic long term rule in Scotland is in tatters.
Westminster also told Wee Eck - you will not be holding a referendum on Scottish Independence as you have no legal right to do so, such matters are not devolved to The Scottish Parliament.  Wee Eck's response was, oh well, we'll just hold a consultative referendum and sort the legal stuff out later.  Westminster quickly did a U-turn. 

Certainly, where would you like me to begin? Anything from directives on fuel to the type of light bulbs available. Green energy quotas that push up the cost of energy and blight the landscape, Islamic terrorists we can't deport, murderers that have a right to a family life - the list goes on. Now, in return can you tell me how you feel the EU benefits me?

So pretty minor stuff.  Perhaps just you've been reading the Daily Mail or something.  So for the sake of getting out of the excellent Human Rights Charter, a few lightbulbs, and some green energy targets that ain't enforceable (non of which we objected to or were enforced on us) you are going to turn the UK's back on open access to the world's biggest single market, and watch half our industry pack up and move across the channel.  Nice one.
But I wouldn't worry, I'm happy to stick a very large bet on the UK staying in the EU forever and a day.  Sure there's danger at the moment, self interested wealthy loonies trying to get us out and they are finding influence, but the reality is, for the UK pulling out of the EU, it'll make the Euro crises look like a storm in the tea cup from our perspective.

Well I did say that Scotland took proportionally less immigrants than any other part of the union, and if you have  to ask such a question then you're obviously unqualified to discuss it objectively.

Really!  How nice of you to let me know so.  Under the dispersal programme Scotland has taken quite a large slice of the UK's Asylum Seekers over the last 10 years or so.  I've been involved with campaigning on refugee rights and around integration projects for quite some time.  One thing I've learned is that community cohesion  and integration doesn't happen by itself, you have to make it happen. 
But anyway you didn't answer my question.  Why am I bothering?

I wonder if Scotland will be attending?

Well we are hosting them.