Tomorrow, Scotland will have a vote on whether to break from the United Kingdom. It is a peculiar development since Scotland didn't eagerly join the UK; I don't think Wales or Ireland joined eagerly either. The Act of Union (1707) was mutually agreed upon by both nations. Unlike Wales and Ireland, Scottish kings had ruled in England - the Stuarts - making Union less a conquest than a marriage. However the Scots were led to union on account of a financial disaster. It was a time of colonies in the New World and Scotland wanted to share in the bounty. The country had put itself in great debt for the Darien Scheme which failed miserably. Between disease and hostile Spaniards, the Panamanian colony of Scots was decimated. The English piled on the disaster by seizing a would-be trade vessel. In the wake of the catastrophe, union with England looked better than financial ruin.
Of course, most people probably think about Braveheart and William Wallace. It has been 20 years since Mel Gibson portrayed a clean-shaven Wallace who supposedly had an affair with Princess Isabella and fathered Edward III. Enjoyable though that film was, it was mostly fictional nonsense. However, it did spawn a renewed desire for Scottish independence.
Based on how the Scots vote for parliament, I suspect they will not be pleased with the end result. Oh, sticking it to the English might please them and being the masters of their own destiny will be exciting for a while but Scotland is a small economy that has enjoyed benefits from a larger economy. An independent Scotland will need to raise taxes to maintain the level of government it now enjoys. Moreover, it might find itself shunned by the European Union lest the EU encourage more separatist movements. I think independence would benefit them in the long run but be harsh in the short run.
Of special note, Sean Connery will come home if the Yes party wins.
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