Muhammad Abrahim Shah '17
The Scottish Independence referendum was held on the September 18th, 2014 to determine whether or not Scotland should be independent of the United Kingdom. The referendum question was ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’ and the result was 55.3% of the populace against the vote.
Over the years, the dynamics of the union, which was comprised of Scotland and Great Britain, changed once Ireland joined in 1801 and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland gained more independence from England and its monarchy. The autumn decades of the twentieth century saw massive strides for a ‘home ruled’ Scotland; however, voting that was supposed to rule in favor of a devolved Scottish assembly in 1979 failed to muster enough support.On March 21st, 2013, the Scottish government announced that a general referendum would be held on September 18th, 2014. The referendum was carried out according to schedule with the Scottish people opting to stay in the union with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.The Scottish referendum, albeit a failure, raised issues that now seem critical to the future of the union and other secessionist movements around the world. Even before the referendum was held, the British Prime Minister David Cameron announced concessions for the Scottish government and claimed that the Scots would enjoy a much greater degree of anonymity. This declaration is sure to have spillover effects as Wales and Northern Ireland consider a possible partition from the union. Many questions are raised as to whether or not Wales and Northern Ireland will be given the same concessions and independence as Scotland. Thus, the developments in the referendum suggest the world is bound to see changes in the Union of Great Britain.The Scottish referendum also serves to act as an edifying event for various secessionist movements around the world. Another prominent movement is the Catalunya’s independence from Spain, which demonstrates how the referendum held in Scotland serves as an example where legal ways can be opted to decide the fate of such movements. In the case of Catalunya in Spain, demands for a referendum are continually being disregarded by the Spanish parliament.The Scottish referendum will in fact affect the relations between the British Union and future secessionist movements will all be affected and will learn from this referendum.Sources:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16478121http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/05/4084/14http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/5894/15http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/jan/10/scottish-independence-salmond-poll-date