adk highlander said:
My question is does Scotland have the infrastructure in place to be independent of the rest of Britain. What about the Public transportation etc.?
I believe so. Glasgow has the largest public transport network outside of London (also the best shopping outside of London). It also has one of only three undergrounds in the U.K. although understandably it’s a fraction of the size of London’s. An airport link is in the process of being designed at present and the airport itself is likely to be enlarged over the next few years.
Glasgow maybe Scotland’s largest city, but Edinburgh is without a doubt the capital both generally
and financially. A tram system has recently been put in place with more lines to be added in the near future. A link to, and expansion of the airport is also likely.
A high speed rail link between London and Edinburgh is currently being considered and a second Forth road (long span) bridge is looking more likely all the time, though the latter is at least in part due to the level of corrosion found on the current road bridge's cables (it's a suspension bridge).
Where things potentially start going a bit pear-shaped is as you head further north. By its nature and throughout history, the Highlands and Islands, even though it encompass fully half of Scotland, has consisted of small rural villages/towns scattered apart, and in many instances in very remote and isolated locations. Public transport here can be, um, interesting to say the least.
To give you an example, the village where I originally come from, Tomatin, is but 16 miles from the (relatively recently made) city of Inverness. Buses to and from Inverness are but three per day: when I worked in London, the tram was every four minutes. I kid you not.
The Highlands and Islands pose a bit of a problem because generally you can’t have great transport links in place without compromising the surrounding scenery. However, demand is the ultimate driver of transport, and there simply isn’t anything like enough of that to warrant investment in all but the main trunk roads, so I wouldn’t be so concerned about what may appear to be scant infrastructure.
adk highlander said:
Is the Health and Human Services separate in Scotland from the rest?
Yes, Scotland has its own National Health Service (NHS). Since it devolved, control over Scotland’s NHS has rested with the Scottish Executive.
adk highlander said:
I know from experience that the Scottish pound has a separate exchange rate than the British pound...
I’ve no idea why Scottish notes would have a different (presumably poorer) exchange rate than English notes. They shouldn’t as both fall beneath the umbrella of Great British Pound (GBP). However, your experience doesn’t surprise me as most Scots who’ve travelled south of the border have enjoyed the experience of having their notes either reluctantly accepted or not accepted at all,
yet in Scotland, nobody bats an eye at English notes when they have them. At the end of the day, they all spend the same.
