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Mahesh

05/04/23 21:47 PM IST

The demand for Scottish independence

In News
  • Recently, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rejected a call from the new First Minister of Scotland to hold a second referendum for Scotland’s independence from the U.K.
Background
  • Scotland is a country that is a part of the United Kingdom.
  • The first referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was conducted in Scotland on September 18, 2014.
  • The proposal was defeated by a large plurality of voters, with 55% voting against independence.
  • Following the vote, more powers, especially in taxation, were devolved to the Scottish Parliament through cross-party discussions in the Smith Commission.
  • Humza Yousaf of the Scottish National Party has held the position of First Minister since March 29, 2023, following the departure of Nicola Sturgeon.
Why Referendum?
  • The independent Kingdom of Scotland was established in the ninth century and went on to battle wars to maintain its independence from the Kingdom of England.
  • In 1603, the two countries formed a personal union and were governed by the same monarchs.
  • Due to economic and political weaknesses on both sides, the British and Scottish Parliaments enacted the Acts of unity in 1707, establishing a political unity under the name of Great Britain.
  • While Scotland was able to keep some decision-making powers, it did not receive equitable participation in the united Parliament, and long-standing cultural and political differences persisted.
  • Demands for self-government quickly sprouted, ultimately leading to two referendums in 1979 and 1997, which resulted in the creation of a new devolved Parliament of Scotland in 1999.
  • This Parliament was granted the authority to create legislation on decentralized problems such as health, transportation, and education, while the power to act on defense, foreign policy, trade, immigration, and money was retained.
  • The last election on independence was held in 2014, with 55% of Scots voting to remain in the three-century-old union and 45% voting to leave.
  • A significant percentage of Scots see separation from the United Kingdom as a matter of self-determination and identity. Scotland makes for 8% of Britain's people and economy, as well as one-third of its landmass.
Demand for independence
  • The SNP administration believes that people in Scotland should be able to vote on whether or not the nation should be independent.
  • To allay fears about Scotland's future after independence, the SNP has issued White Papers outlining its strategy for "building a new Scotland."
  • It presently receives a bloc subsidy from the British government for a significant portion of its yearly expenditure, which it intends to replace with oil revenues from the North Sea once it achieves freedom.
  • It claims that rather than investing North Sea oil earnings in future generations, the UK is using them to finance current expenditures, undermining Scots' interests.
  • The SNP also intends to rejoin the EU, increase its commerce within the union, and reap other benefits and also intends to retain the British pound Sterling as its money following independence.
  • It also claims that Scotland is distinct from the United Kingdom in that its voting system is already fairer and more proportionally representative than the United Kingdom's.
  • It claims to stand for various things, including more open immigration policies, a quicker drive for green transition, free university education and elderly care, higher-income taxes, and LGBTQ inclusion.
  • It also thinks that the United Kingdom will make choices in the future, such as Brexit, that will harm Scottish interests.
UK's Stand
  • The British government thinks that the SNP has failed to provide a clear image of how pensions and healthcare would function in an independent Scotland.
  • It has also cautioned Scotland that rejoining the EU would result in the establishment of a hard boundary between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
  • Prior to the 2014 referendum, the Economic Affairs Committee of Westminster warned that keeping sterling as Scotland's currency would be difficult because the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England, which sets policy for the United Kingdom, could not consider the interests of a separate country.
  • It also stated that Scotland would find it challenging to assume its part of the United Kingdom's public debt, which is in the billions of pounds.
  • Furthermore, the decommissioning of North Sea Oil would have fiscal and commerce repercussions for the United Kingdom.
Conclusion
  • In November 2022, the United Kingdom's highest judge declared that such a referendum could not take place.
  • Refusing to abandon her party's drive for independence, Ms. Sturgeon announced a new plan in which her party will use the next British general election or the Scottish Parliamentary election as a "de facto referendum" on independence, with the SNP taking a stance solely on the issue of independence.
  • Following her surprise departure in February, Mr. Yousaf is now faced with the challenging task of realizing the party's core vision of freedom. He has stated that he is not committed to the concept of a "de facto referendum."
  • His first goal is to increase support for secession among Scots.
  • According to recent polls, support for a "yes" vote on independence has fallen to 39% in the nation, which is lower than it was during the 2014 election.
Source- The Hindu

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