Scottish Independence (3 Viewers)

[cheshirebirder]

I'd not be happy if my membership was being spent in a foreign country when there is plenty that needs doing here ! The RSPB may think they have answered it but they haven't for me. It's similar to the National Trust - the scots have their own funded trust which would be the correct way for the RSPB to go.

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

Roy

So how will you feel if you find a Blackburnian Warbler on Shetland in 2015 in an independent Scotland? it would be a foreign country..

cheers, a

I honestly don't know. I grew up seeing Britain as England, Scotland, Wales and associated islands. As that seems to not be the case then I may have to consider a sort of UK list but without Northern Ireland and then the situation may not arise as I wouldn't be on Shetland in 2015 to find the Blackburnian Warbler as I would be busy trying to find birds for my new home territory list. Of course I could go for a British Isles list and just ignore Ireland as I have done so far. I still think that Britain and associated islands makes sense as a geographic unit more than any other arrangement - ignoring politics of course.

If SOC end up assessing rare birds in Scotland then so be it. I certainly don't always agree with BBRC and BOURC on their decisions so I'm sure a Scottish rarities committee could be equally indifferent to that fact if/when I think they are wrong:t:

Cheers

Roy

P.S. although in the case of the Don Sandplover I was right all along as was eventually decided.

 

[jpoyner]

One could turn this round the other way - an independent Scotland could potentially have its own charity commission whose governance may differ from the current incarnation, leading charities to operate differently north of the border.

Not could, it WILL have to have it's own charity governance, it will be a completely separate country with it's own laws and regulations, though to be fair this is already a devolved power so may not actually change much?

 

[Nutcracker]

I can see English tourism to Scotland collapsing, once people discover they will have to pay £40 currency transaction charges at the bank to change £eng1 to £sco1 to buy a bus fare or a sandwich :-C

When is my last chance to visit Scotland likely to be? Anyone know roughly how long it will take, from a vote for independence passing, till the 'Road Closed' signs go up at Kielder, Coldstream and Berwick?

 

[cheshirebirder]

Never mind that , get the toll booths up for anyone coming the other way !

 

[Capercaillie71]

Notwithstanding the need for some internal reorganisation I would hope that the RSPB would remain as one broad entity. They already do a lot of work overseas which is highlighted in the magazine. I certainly wouldn't have any problem with my money being spent on RSPB work in England and Wales.

 

[lewis20126]

. I still think that Britain and associated islands makes sense as a geographic unit more than any other arrangement - ignoring politics of course.

Isn't that the "British Isles"?! In what way is the island of Ireland not associated geographically with the island(s) of Britain?

cheers, a

 

[Mayo Corncrake]

Notwithstanding the need for some internal reorganisation I would hope that the RSPB would remain as one broad entity. They already do a lot of work overseas which is highlighted in the magazine. I certainly wouldn't have any problem with my money being spent on RSPB work in England and Wales.

The RSPB for all it's faults is a good organistion. I would hope too it does not break up. It need not break up. The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) provides a rescue service around Ireland and the UK. It has never been split up, even though the Republic of Ireland has been separate from the UK for nearly a century. Conservation transcends borders. I would have a much interest in how UK species are doing as I would Irish species.

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

Isn't that the "British Isles"?! In what way is the island of Ireland not associated geographically with the island(s) of Britain?

cheers, a

True, I can't argue against that. This is where the irrational part comes in. Maybe I'll just go with British Isles excluding Ireland:t: After all I don't compete with or compare my list with anyone else's and the only publicly published figure I have seen for my list was wildly inaccurate so no one is comparing their list with an accurate version of my list either.

Cheers

Roy

 

[Peter Dolton]

One issue could be if Scotland is not a member of the EU- as it won't gain entry straight away- how would that affect agricultural policy and environmental legislation. Conservation in Scotland might or might not be better off.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

England's going to end up splitting soon enough. Expect Northumbria, London City State, and Cornwall as the first to go.

Northumbria? Where's that?

It hasn't existed for over a thousand years and when it did, it included the place that is now Edinburgh in its borders.

When Gordo tried to foist region status on the North-east of England a few years ago to make us fit in with the regionalisation of England to suit the EU's wishes, he got a bloody nose in the referendum to the tune of a 2-1 thrashing. We were happy as we are (apart from the poor souls who live in that 1974 invention Tyne and Wear, who were torn, screaming from their home counties of Northumberland, County Durham and the city of Newcastle).

The Northumberland bird list still complies with the pre-1974 county boundary that stretches to the Tyne and Derwent, as does the County Durham list on the other side of the water.

 

[Mud Hen]

Roy

So how will you feel if you find a Blackburnian Warbler on Shetland in 2015 in an independent Scotland? it would be a foreign country..

cheers, a

Considerably more excited than if I found one on some islands half way across the Atlantic that are counted as Western Palearctic! Ditto if I found one on holiday in Ireland.

 

[Capercaillie71]

One issue could be if Scotland is not a member of the EU- as it won't gain entry straight away.

I would be very surprised if Scotland was expelled from the EU even temporarily. It has been part of the EU for 40 years, is completely compliant with all EU legislation and would be a net contributor to the EU budget. There is simply no mechanism for stripping 5 million people of EU citizenship and there will be no political will to punish a country for a democratic decision.

 

[C B Allen]

Notwithstanding the need for some internal reorganisation I would hope that the RSPB would remain as one broad entity. They already do a lot of work overseas which is highlighted in the magazine. I certainly wouldn't have any problem with my money being spent on RSPB work in England and Wales.

As you rightly point out, the RSPB is already active in other 3rd world countries

 

[Capercaillie71]

As you rightly point out, the RSPB is already active in other 3rd world countries

:t:

 

[Alcina]

If I understand correctly, the standard 'Big Year' and ABA recording area is both the US and Canada. I see no reason why a similar situation shouldn't occur here. Not that I'll be crying if I never have to climb another mountain for ptarmigan or get up at 4am for capercaillie or sit for 8 hours in Findhorn Valley...

 

[AlfArbuthnot]

Notwithstanding the need for some internal reorganisation I would hope that the RSPB would remain as one broad entity. They already do a lot of work overseas which is highlighted in the magazine. I certainly wouldn't have any problem with my money being spent on RSPB work in England and Wales.

I think many could have a problem with membership fees being spent propping up relict populations of Crested Tit or Capercaillie in a foreign country. RSPB don't spend money on these fairly widespread species in e.g. Spain, so people may well resent their money being used to subsidise Scottish conservation. The alienating tone of the SNP/Yes campaign south of the border certainly wont help that, and it will only get more vitriolic in the event of a Yes vote.

Current money spent overseas is mostly in the UK Overseas territories, which rUK will still have a link to. Other money spent in e.g. West Africa generally involves rUK birds on their wintering territories. I can't think of any/much RSPB money that is spent on conservation that has no physical/political link at all to rUK. They don't fund work in R. o. Ireland or France, for example, as far as I know, and I think many people might take that attitude to an independent Scotland either, and feel the need to put their money elsewhere. One outcome of a Yes vote will likely to be increased English patriotism when it comes to spending.

 

[Mud Hen]

Doesn't all this 'foreign country' talk just highlight how utterly ridiculous human politics are? Every one of us has grown up with Scotland and England being parts of the same country, and yet overnight, if anything more than 50% of the people registered to vote in Scotland (many of whom aren't even 'Scottish') vote yes, Scotland suddenly becomes 'a foreign country'?

Just stop and think about that for a moment, and how much damage is done to the environment and other species all over the world because of our stupid, arrogant, self-centred political decisions. And if it doesn't seem like that to you, get back to your Daily Mail and stick your head up your arse with the rest of them.

 

[Phil Andrews]

One outcome of a Yes vote will likely to be increased English patriotism when it comes to spending.

Or parochialism

 

[Andy1979]

For me, a yes vote would be a crying shame. 3 of my 4 grandparents were Scottish, I have lived in Scotland, got married in Scotland but am very much English. I love Scotland, I love visiting, I love the people (well most of them) and the vast expanses of untouched countryside etc, etc. Scotland doesn't seem to be suffering as some sort of political second-rate citizens and is not 'owned' by England (in the way it was centuries ago). It is an integral part of the United Kingdom. It is already a country, but forms part of something bigger than itself in the United Kingdom. We have a really interesting history between us with battles fought between us and many more fought together against a common enemy. In light of all this, who cares about a 'list'?