The Scottish Referendum and the End of Britain

On September 18, Scotland will hold a major referendum. Voters will be asked: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” The British government in London has promised to honor the outcome of the referendum. Basically, that means that if a majority of Scots vote “yes” next Thursday, the British government will renounce its sovereignty over Scotland.

Great Britain formally joined together in the year 1707. That was when the Parliaments of Scotland and England ratified the Act of Union, and England and Scotland became Great Britain. The reason Britain has existed for the past 300 years is because Scotland is not an independent country.

If Scotland secedes, the United Kingdom will be whittled down to include just England, Wales and Northern Ireland. But without Scotland, there really is no Britain. The history of Great Britain is literally one of the greatest of all time—and now it’s debating whether to dismember itself.