Table of Contents
- After the recently concluded Brexit deal between UK and the EU, there have been fresh calls for Scotland’s independence.
- In a recent interview, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, referendums should only happen once in a generation.
- UK recently agreed a Brexit deal with the EU (finally!)
- Scotland, dissatisfied with the deal, and with Brexit overall, has seen renewed calls for independence.
A brief background
- 2000 BC – First farmer settlements in Scotland region.
- 77 AD to 400 AD – Roman rule in Britain.
- 5th Century AD – The Scots (a Celtic tribe from Ireland) settle on the north west coast of Britain.
- Celtic tribes were pagan, and many of their gods resembled the Vedic gods.
- The recent excavation of a Celtic seal portraying their god Cernunnos, led to parallels being drawn with IVC’s Pashupati seal.
- This led to some historians even claiming that this is evidence of Aryans migrating out of India.
**Note that the English are Anglo-Saxon people, while Scots are Celts.
- 8th Century to 11th Century – Viking raids, Norse settlements.
- 1286 – Confusion in royal succession after death of the Scot king.
– England’s king intervenes to take over Scotland, and this begins the centuries long England–Scotland rivalry.
- 1603 – Union of Crowns, England and Scotland (though separate kingdoms) have the same king (King James VI of Scotland).
- 1707 – Acts of Union.
– Parliaments of England and Scotland passed acts to unite the two kingdoms into one, under the name of Great Britain.
– Single united Parliament formed at Westminster.
- 19th Century – Political campaigns for Scottish self government.
– Demands for home rule within the UK, after similar movements in Ireland (Sinn Fein).
- 1970 – Discovery of oil in the North Sea, led to calls of “It’s Scotland’s oil!”
- 1979 – First Scottish referendum held, for devolution of powers.
– Vote was on forming a separate assembly for Scotland, which would have control over most domestic affairs.
– Most votes in favour of Home Rule.
– However, inadequate turnout (according to a clause in the referendum act) in the polls, meant that Home Rule was not to be granted.
- 1997 – Second Scottish Devolution referendum.
– Majority votes in favour of Home Rule.
- 1998 – Scotland Act, 1998, passed in the British Parliament.
– Created an elected (unicameral) Scottish Parliament with control over most domestic policy.
- 1999 – First elections held to the Scottish Parliament.
- 2014 – Scotland independence referendum.
– Scottish National Party led by Nicola Sturgeon push for independence.
– 55% Scots vote “No”.
– Scotland remains a part of the UK.
- 2016 – Brexit referendum in UK, majority Brits vote to leave EU.
– 62% of Scotland vote to remain with EU.
The Current Controversy
- On 24th December, 2020, after years of fruitless negotiations, UK and the EU agreed on a Brexit trade deal.
- Scottish leaders say, Brexit has been forced upon the people of Scotland by the Westminster Parliament.
- Most Scots had voted to remain in EU, but were outnumbered by the sheer weight of English voters.
- In the wake of Brexit, the Scottish National Party has renewed calls for independence from UK.
- They have asked, if the people of Britain could choose to leave EU, why can the people of Scotland not get the choice to leave UK.
- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon led calls for independence.
- Sturgeon suggested that a fresh referendum for Scotland’s independence must be held, because now things have changed with Brexit.
The English Response
- On being asked about the Scottish independence question, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that referendums are ‘once in a generation’ event.
- He has made it clear that, like there was a big gap between the first two referendums (1979 to 2014), now Scotland should forget about a fresh independence referendum till 2055.
- SNP leaders have accused the Prime Minister of denying democracy, and denying people their choice.
- Scottish media houses like The Edinburgh Times, have drawn parallels between Trump and Johnson, and them both trying to deny democracy and hide from people’s views.
- English critics have, however, questioned the stance of SNP.
- They have pointed out that SNP has always been against Brexit, saying that Scottish firms will miss out on trading opportunities with continental Europe.
- Therefore, SNP now has no ground to complain, after the free trade deal signed with EU.
The way ahead now
- PM Boris Johnson is likely to use his Westminster majority to block a second Scottish independence referendum.
- However, the issue is likely to become a dominant factor of political debate if the SNP win another majority in the next Scotland elections.
- Brexit has caused strife in other parts of the UK.
- Northern Ireland remains under some EU rules and EU Customs Codes, as a part of the deal to keep an open land border with the Republic of Ireland (EU member).
- Though calls for Irish reunification are growing, Northern Ireland First Minister, Arlene Foster remains pro-UK.
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