The people of Scotland will vote on whether to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent country Sept. 18. A YouGov poll taken from this past weekend showed pro-independence voters in the lead for the first time since the Scottish referendum campaign began. The shift in sentiment just weeks before the vote raised the prospect that a split, which seemed unlikely months ago, is now plausible.
For those who are unfamiliar as to why this is an extremely monumental occasion, here is some background: If Scotland votes yes, it would end a union that is more than 300 hundred years old and will have a significant impact on the United Kingdom, Europe and the world. Scotland has had a developed parliament since 1999, which means they have control over issues such as healthcare, education and the judicial system. However, they do not control other things such as taxation or foreign policy. This independence has come about largely due to the fact that people in Scotland do not feel they have proper representation in the U.K. parliament.
It would seem that there are numerous economic and security concerns and a great deal of uncertainty regarding the prospect of Scottish Independence. Alex Salmond, the Scottish nationalist leader asserts Scotland would keep using the pound in a formal currency union with the remainder of the U.K. Despite this, all three main political parties in London have opposed such a deal, stating that it would expose taxpayers to financial risks from what would effectively be a foreign country.
Then there is the matter of European Union membership. It is to the belief of pro-independence campaigners that Scotland would remain a part of the EU. This belief appears to be overconfident, according to senior EU officials. To gain membership, Scotland would need to obtain approval by all of the EU’s 28 member states, a number of which may be cautious of condoning support for separatism within their own borders.
Furthermore, there is the thorny issue of the North Sea oil. Scottish nationalists have already made a claim to more than 80 percent of Britain’s oil reserves, as they lie within Scotland’s maritime borders. If independence goes ahead, then Scotland will be heavily reliant on oil and gas revenue to finance its spending plans. Despite this, it will be a complex process to determine how the reserves would be divided up, and it would be a matter for negotiation between the British and Scottish governments after a yes-vote.
It would seem that the film Braveheart has had too much of a lasting effect on the Scots, but there is no doubt that separation from the U.K. will cause more problems than good. As a Brit, I would find it to be a huge shame if the people of Scotland decide on independence in a fit of misguided Anglophobic rage, or because we like to claim Andy Murray as British when he wins. For more than 300 years, Scotland has flourished as part of the United Kingdom—united is how we should stay.
