The Situation
Scotland claims credit for the telephone, television and penicillin, not to mention modern economics. Its people built ships, bridges and locomotives for the world and, more recently, Grand Theft Auto.
Now many Scots say they deserve to break away from the United Kingdom —
and the 307-year-old union with England and Wales — to create Europe’s
newest sovereign state. On Sept. 18, voters age 16 and over in Scotland will decide in a referendum.
Opinion polls show
more Scots want to remain in the U.K. than leave it, though enough are
undecided to swing it either way. The secessionist Scottish National
Party won a surprise majority in the 2011 regional election
as the pain of Britain’s austerity drive kicked in. Its leader, Alex
Salmond, says his nation should emulate smaller European countries like
Norway and control its own finances. Politicians on both sides of Hadrian’s Wall are
mapping out what an independent Scotland would look like. It has 5.3
million people — 8.4 percent of the U.K. total — and an economy
underpinned by the North Sea’s oil and gas fields. Scotland’s parliament was restored
in 1999, with the U.K. government relinquishing control over education,
transportation and health. Now lawmakers want to direct a wider range
of policies, from Scotland’s pensions to its passports. They also want
to get rid of Britain’s nuclear weapons.
The Background
Scotland will hold the 51st independence referendum
worldwide since World War II. The first was Iceland’s break from Danish
rule, with the latest creating South Sudan. There was a flurry in the
1990s as countries left the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia
fragmented. So far, 27 of the votes have been in favor of secession,
with 23 against. The French-speaking province of Quebec
voted to remain part of Canada in 1980 and 1995, though only by a
wafer-thin margin the second time. Independence movements are often
about ethnic or linguistic splits, but just as frequently they’re about
economics. The U.K. was formed by the Act of Union
in 1707, as Scotland faced financial ruin after a failed project in
Panama. It covered everything from the exchange of Scottish and English
pounds to trade tariffs and movement of livestock. Even after all the
years of intertwining, the distinctions between the nations go beyond
kilts and bagpipes. The accent changes almost instantly and Scotland has
a distinct education and legal system. While there’s only one currency,
Scottish banks issue their own pound notes. There’s a separate soccer league and a Gaelic television channel. A “yes” vote could have implications for other secessionist movements, as Catalonia aspires to break away from Spain.
The Argument
The “Better Together” campaign
says Scotland should remain part of a larger country that has a greater
say in the world and can better withstand financial shocks. It would
also ensure Scotland keeps the British pound. The U.K. government is using the safety of the currency to persuade Scots to reject independence. The Bank of England has warned that
Scotland would have to give up sovereignty over its budget and banks if
it used the pound in order to avoid the stresses seen in the euro area.
The U.K.’s rescue of Royal Bank of Scotland was among the world’s costliest bailouts. Meanwhile
the British economy is growing again and unemployment is falling, so
why change things? The “yes” campaign needs to win the vote in poorer areas and is focusing on mitigating cuts in social spending.
It’s tapping emotions by arguing that self-determination would allow
Scotland to pursue its own distinct economic and political path without
having to pander to a U.K. that is centralized in the southeast of
England.
The Reference Shelf
- Scotland outlines its case for independence in a series of government reports.
- The U.K. government’s collection of research papers on Scotland’s independence movement.
- Research on independence referendums from Matt Qvortrup, a researcher at Cranfield University.
- “What Scotland Thinks” blog from John Curtice, a professor of politics at Strathclyde University.
- “How Scots Invented the Modern World,” a book by Arthur Herman, a former professor of history at Georgetown University.
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