Scotland to vote for independence

Scotland to vote for independence

Alex Salmond will tell the SNP Spring Conference today that the people of Scotland should decide the country's future.

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On September 18 there will be a referendum in Scotland to decide the country's independence from the UK. It is a historic event, because, in addition to question a union of more than three hundred years, it could set a precedent for similar situations in the rest of Europe. 

Scotland is one of four countries making up the United Kingdom (along with England, Wales and Northern Ireland). State and four nations, then. Something strange in the eyes of an observer continental, but that is made possible in the British traditions legal of the Common Law. The legal system of common law has the customs and legal precedents like own source. 

What are these precedents and customs? One of these is the Union of the Kingdom of England and Scotland in 1707, according to a law called Act of Union, passed by both parliaments of the two Kingdoms. The country, however, has always possessed a strong national pride and preserved their traditions, customs and institutions. Since 1999, it has also gained greater autonomy, acquiring its own Parliament who can legislate on certain matters. It was a very particular form of decentralization of power called Devolution, which constitutes more than a beginning, an end point in the long journey for the Scottish autonomy. 

A movement for the independence of the country was already born in 1707. Many people, in fact, consider this act as a sellout of Scotland to its historic enemy. In 1934, then was born the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP). This political force remained in the shadows for a long time (because crushed by the "majority dry" used to elect the British Parliament), but was able to find a new platform to launch in Parliament in Edinburgh, where he obtained a relative majority in 2007. Their social democratic inspiration and their look at "north" towards the Scandinavian models has allowed the nationalists to fill the void left by Labour in the defense of  Scottish typicality within the kingdom. Thus, the SNP, led by the charismatic prime minister Alex Salmond has improved again in 2011, against all odds obtaining an absolute majority of the parlament against all odds.

Today, among the pro-independence include, of course, the Scottish Nationalist Party, the promoter of the referendum, the Greens and Scottish Socialists. These forces are brought together in the group "Yes Scotland". On the other hand, they oppose the main political parties of the British Parliament (Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives) who lie gathered in the the group Better Together.

The Edinburgh Parliament has no power to proclaim the independence of Scotland. This means that a possible victory for the "Yes" in the referendum does not automatically imply the independence of Scotland, but merely allows the executive of Edinburgh to open negotiations with London for secession. It is extremely unlikely that the capital is opposed to a possible positive outcome: however, some important questions remain open on that deal. Among these, the use of (at least temporary) of the British pound by Scotland, the breakdown of public debt, the armed forces and, above all, the oil fields of the North Sea. Two other hot-button issues are those relating to membership of NATO and the European Union. Regarding the last thing, is started a political battle disguised as a legal dispute: the Scottish Government maintains that Scotland will automatically become a new member of the EU, given that, in fact, has been a member since 1973. Those oppose to independence instead, have analyzed the statements of several European leaders (especially Spanish) that an eventual independent Scotland should  starting from zero for entry in the UE.