Andrew Constantine

I congratulate both members of this forum (and the other contributors, such as Cassie) for a lively and well written debate, and wish to add my own thoughts around the thread, but which take it a bit further.

I have to give the prize for the most rational, well informed and persuasive posts to blank_frackis. But my outlook is so in favour of England, that I was very pleased to see Britannist taking up the challenge.

These figures of public expenditure and taxation revenues referred to in the thread are very hard to quantify, and even if and when the figures are factually correct do not have much relevance to me.

A true position on who subsidised whom should be found when all four home nations have independence from the UK, and then the national budgets of the new states showing both income and expenditure would be of some historic interest, but really of current and of future interest.

When England becomes independent and refuses either to give or receive fiscal subsidies to the other three former home nations, I would expect the following very high level forecasts to happen:

Northern Ireland - the province's economy would collapse and both the Irish and EU taxpayer would have to step in.

Wales - the new Welsh state would have to impose real cuts in living standards and government expenditure. Again, Wales would become a recipient of EU funds. In due course, the Welsh having moved resources into the productive areas of their economy, the new nation should prosper in a middling way.

Scotland - there would be a sharp shock, as cuts were made to the public sector, but then the long term competitive advantages in financial services, revenues from oil and gas, exports of educational services and tourism would lead to national prosperity.

I would expect all three of the above new states to set up attractive tax regimes so that returns on capital would be higher than in England, and capital flight would occur from London to them.

In the above scenario, the other three home nations would always be trying to make part of their living off England, and England would in turn export goods and services to them.

But my key attitude is that the economics of the soon to be ex-Union are of secondary importance, at least to me. For I wish to be a citizen of an Independent England, which comprises a participatory parliamentary democracy, where the English people are able to live in peace and freedom, protected by a system of good and accepted law, with a decent government. These desired attributes of our new England nation state require neither a rich state, nor a growing economy.

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Andrew Constantine says: The EU is a French-German racket and is incompatible with democracy. An independent England will quit the EU forthwith.

Free England Party - Independence for England
http://www.freeengland.com

Signatory to The English Claim of Right
http://englishclaimofright.com