Referendum is possible. London opens to Scotland at independence

Between reality and fiction, the icon of William Wallace never fades. It was also recalled by The National newspaper, which already on 11 July supported the independence of Scotland in the subtitle, supporting the national team of “Braveheart Mancini” as “our last hope”. However, since the Act of Union of 1707, Scotland has been a home nation of the United Kingdom, which is de facto subordinate to London. That could all change, though, at least after the interview that appeared yesterday in the Sunday Mail with Michael Gove, Boris Johnson’s right hand. Briefly, the cabinet minister explained that the British government would be willing to accept a new referendum on independence in Scotland if there was a clear popular desire to do so. “A new consultation may be held one after the other in 2014, if a concerted will among the people is to be considered. The principle that the Scottish people, under the right circumstances, may ask themselves again whether they want to separate from the UK Want to be, is still intact.’

At the turn of the twentieth century, victories guaranteed to Scots through a process of devolution fueled strong nationalist sentiment, which then prompted citizens to request and obtain a referendum on independence in 2014. After months of campaigning, the result was 55% of the vote in favor of retaining the union, giving Conservatives a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, after more than three centuries under a single central government, the referendum represented a tear in the tapestry of the history of the United Kingdom. During 2020, support for Scottish independence reached 58% according to polls, but fell ten points in 2021.

Autonomy demands from Westminster are back in fashion after the vote in favor of Brexit, an event that has turned the entire European landscape upside down. In fact, although Cameroon had authorized the referendum as a unique opportunity, not to be repeated for at least a generation, the process of leaving the European Union fundamentally changed the circumstances in which Scots contest elections. were go. In the 2014 referendum, one of the arguments against a “yes” to independence was related to the European Union. If Scotland had become independent from the United Kingdom, it would automatically be separated from Brussels as well. So much so that in 2016 the votes of Scotland and Northern Ireland registered an inverse trend compared to the rest of Great Britain, with a majority of 62% and 56% respectively in favor of the European Union.

Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP independence party, intervened on Gove’s statements in the Sunday Mail, calling him “an arrogant, like any other minister in the United Kingdom government”. They have false condescension, in fact they refuse to accept Scottish democracy and increase support for disconnection among the people”.

The net of potential excitement generated by Gov’s opening is a whole range of aspects that lead to sobriety. With the weak prospect of Irish reunification and the impediment created by trade agreements between Brussels and the United Kingdom, the prospects for independence seem to be hampered at the moment. The fight would then escalate due to the lack of specific procedures, which could be challenged by the Scots post-Brexit. Another long-standing question is the adoption of a single currency that Scotland had already abolished in 2015. Joining the euro would mean the adoption of an exchange rate mechanism and a new economic model for Glasgow.