[jameslindsay]

How many times have we hears of Scottish Bank notes being refused down South.

This is on the BBC News website this morning under "Scotland"


Scots 'hurt' by banknote refusals 
Three Scottish banks print their own notes
An MP has told the House of Commons that Scots are "hurt" by the suggestion in shops across the UK that there is "something wrong" with their banknotes.

David Mundell was introducing a bill which would ensure Scots banknotes had to be accepted south of the border.

He said people in his Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale constituency wanted their money to be "accepted and not challenged".

He said it was time to put Scots notes on an "equal footing" with all others.

Mr Mundell told MPs that Scottish people were often "hurt by the implicit suggestion that there's something wrong" with their notes.

  I am sceptical that the legislative vehicle is the best way to solve this problem

Angela Eagle
Treasury exchequer secretary

He stressed: "There is no difference in the financial value of Scottish notes."

He said his Scottish Banknotes (Acceptability in the UK) Bill could put an end to notes from the Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank being rejected in other parts of the UK.

"There is absolutely no reason why Scottish notes should be questioned unless there's a substantial reason to believe they are forgeries," said Mr Mundell.

"My constituents want their money to be accepted and not challenged."

Treasury Exchequer Secretary Angela Eagle said she understood how "potentially embarrassing, inconvenient and annoying" it could be to have Scottish banknotes refused.

 

[Hilarysmum]

Same with Jersey, you can spend UK notes in Jersey  not Jersey notes in UK.

[jameslindsay]

It's absolutely mental, I will accept anyones money as long as it's in Sterling!!!!!

[DavidnChris]

Doesn't take a lot to wind a Scot up does it. We live in Cumbria and see lots of Scottish notes, we accept them without any problem, we spend them or bank them, no problem again. Go to London with one and you may have problems. It's  probably come to light because of the banking crisis and RBS so some people may think they are going to get stuck with a worthless note.
I see this MP wants to introduce legislation to force them to be accepted. Well do we need another law, I think not, does this MP need to do something which will make him look important to his constituents, I think so.
That's what it's all about and if the English and the Scots had any sense they would tell their collective governments to stop squandering money on more rules and regs. and concentrate on providing the services we've paid for.
The latest idea for upping the cost of alcohol in Scotland is another example, you don't need a new law to solve a drinking problem, you just enforce the existing 'drunk and disorderly' one. This however would need courts to deal with offenders and there would be a cost to the government, if they up the price this brings the government money in. Hey presto, which one will the government choose to do ??
My own view on Scotland / England - we've been 'married' for so long and done so much together why get divorced ?

[jameslindsay]

I agree totally. The government is spending millions of pounds on the under age and binge drinking. However, the real culprits are the supermarkets selling alcohol far cheaper than any wholesaler can and still the supermarkets go unhindered. I just wonder when they will waken up to the problem and realise that the people that want to binge drink will continue to. This country has a massive drug problem, the government spend millions on advertising the evils of drugs and still the drug problem continues. Last year they spent £3million in on go advertising the dangers of carrying knives and today knife crime is on the increase. Now I'm not suggesting we just give up and do nothing but questions have to be asked where do we go from here?

[northfifeduckling]

I don't agree on the drinks issue, James. Alcohol is far cheaper elsewhere on the continent and they don't have the problems we have here, at least not to the same extent. Although binge drinking is on the increase there as well, kids  generally seem to learn to drink more sensibly or don't have the same amount of psychological or sociological issues as we have here. Who wants to drink will do so even if it costs a fortune.
Regarding banknotes, we receive disapproving looks here when my mum comes with English notes, as you can't exchange Euros for Scottish ones abroad...At least they take them in the shops. I had coins from Jersey refused here. A lot of this is due to ignorance. Let's have the Euro and all of this is sorted lol.

[doganjo]

I agree with Kirsten - the Euro for the whole country then people will see that our money is as good as anyone else's!  I ALWAYS have to get English notes (I'm Treasurer) to take to our Club shows for prizes as they look at the notes as if they were bits of newspaper otherwise.  I had every note I bought stuff with when i was down there in February checked under a fraud machine - it's not just hurtful it's damned insulting!  And that was in the Midlands - not London!  I'm BRITISH, and proud of it. but this makes me mad! 

[Hardfeather]

My own view on Scotland / England - we've been 'married' for so long and done so much together why get divorced ?

  It was a shotgun wedding..........with the English holding the shotgun.

We were bought and sold for English gold...........sic a parcel o' rogues in a nation.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti English, but I am fiercely pro Scots, and I'm afraid you're right........it doesn't take much to get me going. 

[doganjo]

Me too! British, but more Scottish

[northfifeduckling]

Definitely European, not born here, but living here by choice
Think globally, act locally

[sandy]

On the drinking issue, I do not think more education is going to do much good, it is the modern culture to drink for many people and young people like to do grown up things. One of the main ways to cut down the use of alcohol consumption is encourage hobbies, intrests and sports etc,  it may help a little making alcohol more expensive but not a great deal, the way drink is marketed now is very attractive, alco pops, posh cans etc. Young people with no interests meet up with other young people and then are more likely to drink anything that they can get.....I did not drink much at all but started to have a "Martini" before I went on stage as I was in a band, I hated the drink and it did not seem to do anything except make me feel a bit dizzy, but I was told it was the thing to do, needles to say it took me until I was well into my 40's to enjoy a drink or two, it was/is part of my master plan...to try lot's of things when I got to 50 ? not got very far yet..

[doganjo]

You're a dark horse (no insult intended lol)  You never told me about being in a band - what did you play?

[sandy]

I used to play key boards and went around all the working mens clubs, I was very young looking, we had our groupies. I gave up when I went on a cruise after I left school and the band got other members in so I never went back, funnily enough I noticed some one on face book posted a photo of thier mum and dad and thier dad was one of my replacements. At the same time my cousin, Paul Pryde, was in "the love affiar" but left before thier hit song and formed another group who mad a 70's cult film, Groupie girl, I think with Billy Boyle as director......my cousin want to live up here as he has the same roots as me..he regularly plays with his brilliant band in the highlands. "the drovers inn" my brother was also in many band, namely with finbar fury.........do you want my autograph?

[doganjo]

I judged at Crufts in 2007 - do you want mine

[sandy]

Yeh!!! I may get money on E bay...you can have a cut...50/50