David Goodhart writes in The Washington Post about what may be a brewing move for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom:
London, England - One of the world’s most successful multinational states, and a key ally of the United States, could in a few months time start to unravel: I mean, of course, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The process will be set in motion if the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) ends up the largest party in the Scottish parliament after elections next May. This is a distinct possibility. The break up of the UK will not be inevitable even if the SNP do dominate the parliament, but it will certainly make the political classes of Britain — and perhaps of the U.S. and the main EU states too — think hard about the point and value of the union to them. (Ironically, the elections will come just a matter of days after the 300th anniversary of the creation of modern Britain when the Scottish and English parliaments were merged in 1707.)
While the economic consequences of Scottish independence would be negligible, Goodhart argues that the political and cultural consequences could be far more important:
Losing Scotland’s 5 million people would not be a huge blow to England’s size (more than 50m) and would not damage its main economic and cultural assets. But it would dent its standing in the wider world and might call into question things like the UK’s permanent membership of the UN security council. More important it would be another depressing victory for tribalism
More importantly, it would be a blow the fledgling European Union’s desire to turn itself into a super state. Without the consent of the governed, even a 300 year old union will not necessarily survive.
November 22nd, 2006 at 5:56 pm
hi Doug - I hope you aren’t too taken in by Mr Goodhart’s analysis of why people in Scotland want to become an independent nation again within the European Union (strengthening, not weakening it), and that this might actually be a victory for (1) democracy, (2) self-determination, (3) cultural identity within an increasingly globalising world, and lastly (4) empowering people to take responsibility for their own affairs.
I don’t see why we have to live within Superpower blocs. After all, the ‘free world’ spent 50 years breaking down one (soviet) Union, doesn’t that suggest that other Unions should go the same way? No. Life isn’t that simplistic. Yes the rump of the UK may lose prestige in the world, maybe even their permanent seat at the UN Security Council. Big deal, get over it!