I'm Scottish, and it's not beneficial for us to go independent, in my opinion.
The SNP are running amock up here as it is, with their new rail network proposals just taking the piss. Aurora, may agree.

I think the SNP are just trying to annoy the English now, by allowing cheaper university education for everyone, except students from England!
Speaking of rail, who was behind the bloody tram network disaster in Edinburgh? It can't have been the SNP then.
Mind you, I'm from Hamilton, where nobody gives a sh*t.

Yeah, the university fees are going to go up soon though, even for Scottish students. Not that it affects me, but I know plenty of people who have got themselves into ****loads of debt with bursaries, student loans, etc.

I believe it was a scheme funded by the SNP, but Lothian Council were the masterminds behind it's planning.
The idea was flawed from the start, seriously, who will want to use trams? Maybe, it will be another attraction for tourists, but it'll take a mass of tourists to recoup the losses they've already made on it.

Edinburgh is generally pretty good for public transport anyway, and has the highest frequency of buses of any city in the world.

Imagine giving Alex Salmond the title of Prime Minister. That would be the day, I lost all faith in humanity.

I think every student in the UK will find themselves in loads of debt pretty soon. You're right about the trams too: I can't see how anyone who didn't have an agenda to create chaos would ever come up with such a pointless, money consuming waste of space.
Salmond, PM. Ugh. I couldn't live with it. Scotland gets loads of money from England, it's in our interest to maintain that partnership! (wink wink)

You're right soon, there is no advantage to go independent. Not one for dramatics, but ****, think about the tax increases!!

I'm currently doing a HND course, and am skint. But I didn't fancy taking the risk of a student loan, because I know I could guarantee the lovely people at SAAS that I'd be able to pay it back after graduation.

The trams. Stupidity defined. As if regular roadworks weren't bad enough, they figured they'd just digging up the road, for a project that will probably be abandoned before it's fruition.

Oh god. Down here in Manchester, they've gone one step worse: they are replacing a gigantic tram network at phenomenal expense that they ripped up a few years earlier. It goes to show: what we do badly, the English do worse.

I don't know how I'll get through uni without a loan. My parents are have just enough money to get by, but not enough to pay for three years of tuition plus living costs. It'll be bloody hard for me through the next few years.

The Dutch know how to fail too:

Also, when it's autumn and the leaves fall, 60% of our trains are late, 20% doesn't even arrive at all. It's an utter mess

I remember last year when we had about one inch of snow in early december. Every single train across the pennines was cancelled!

Is it Warrington Uni you're at?
I was thinking of jumping down there to do Music Production, but the costs put me off.

I wish you all the best, and hope that you can survive on the little you have.
It's a ****ed up system, where those who want to better themselves and make a comfortable life for themselves, providing a service to society, are hampered with mass debts, and seemingly punished.

In Uruguay, education is free at all levels.

Thanks! We'll try and get by somehow!
I'd probably advise you that almost everywhere around here's expensive. MMU used to be £3000 a year, but now it's £7000. I don't know about Lancaster, though. You may wish to check that out.