"Terminus"?? Really is a mistake that Guest wanker - it tells me who you are. I thought that multiple identities had been banned on this forum.

I read your link obviously you didn't. Strange that the author of the article didn't mention the bail out cash given to RBS from the same source $480bn, HBOS, etc, etc. Strange he didn't explain the reason for the very high loan given to Barclay's was down to Barclay's coming to the rescue of Lehman Brothers (Greatest US casualty of the crash with over 9,000 employees and loads of people's savings and pensions that required saving) nor that all those loans were subsequently repaid by Barclay's. Strange he didn't mention that the loans paid to British Banks by the US Federal Reserve bank were to cover the recipient banks operations in the USA? Can you suggest any reasons for those omissions wanker?

Fact still remains Barclay's did not receive one penny in the form of any bail out from the British Government.

Now let us go back to the RBS and HBOS (RBOS) as Scottish banks in an independent scotland. They have to start out with a currency over which they can exercise no control, or alternatively a completely new currency that no-one has ever heard of or traded in. In either case they are backed up by nothing - OK takers required to buy this currency? Would you? What rate of return would you require?

MGOH:

"My instinct is that if there's a YES vote, all the stuff about England not playing ball in setting up a shared currency deal, or about problems in Scotland being in the EU will mysteriously melt away."

Then your instinct would be wrong. If there is a YES vote and Scotland becomes independent then whoever is in charge of the economy of the United Kingdom and whoever is in charge of the Bank of England will do what they see as being in the best interests of the United Kingdom and the £Sterling - What is good or what is beneficial from independent Scotland's perspective will not even feature - that is what being independent is all about.

On the latter matter the United Kingdom is currently an EU member state. It will remain so in the event of Scotland voting for independence. Scotland as far as the EU is concerned will be regarded as a new state and as such will have to go through the full application process, comply with all rules, conditions and criteria for membership. Alex Salmond has been told this by both the President of the EU and by the President of the EU Commission (The unelected body who actually run the EU). The UK will not find itself in the same position for quite a number of reasons most important of which is the amount of money the UK puts into the EU coffers (If 28 people walk into a restaurant and order a meal, those sat round the table enjoying that meal being of sound mind and body do not then proceed to kick out one of the six people present who is actually paying the bill)

Now even should an independent Scotland meet and satisfy all the rules, conditions and criteria laid down by the EU for membership their application must be voted on by all existing member states and the vote has to be unanimous - at present excluding the UK I can think of at least six existing member states who would block Scotland's entry to the EU for reasons associated with their own individual national interests.