In October 2020, an Ipsos Mori poll for STV News showed 58% of Scots in support for independence[72] and that, if there were an economic case for Scotland becoming independent, 75% of Scots say they would support. Until 2016, the United Kingdom was formerly a member state of the European Union, and therefore part of the EU Single Market and EU Customs Union. [68] This was on the same day that the Parliament resolved to continue flying the flag of Europe after the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. [64][66], Nicola Sturgeon's request for a referendum was rejected by the UK Government in January 2020. "[87] It has been suggested that the doctrine of popular sovereignty,[88] proclaimed in the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath, articulated by Scottish political thinkers like George Buchanan and reasserted by the Claim of Right 1989,[89][90] is of greater relevance to Scotland. 18 September 2014: Scotland – referendum on whether Scotland should become an independent country (no, the electorate voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent in favour of Scotland remaining within the UK. Democracy will not be allowed to stand in the way of the minority. [208] Twenty-five polls were conducted in the year after the referendum, with seventeen of them having "No" as the predominant answer, seven having "Yes", and one having an equal proportion of respondents for each opinion. The petition "was eventually signed by two million people"[15] (the population of Scotland was recorded as 5,100,000 in the 1951 UK Census[16]). With Brexit, such support was due to be ended with a new payment system introduced. [10], The 2019 UK general election resulted in a majority parliament for the Conservatives led by Boris Johnson. Scotland emerged as an independent polity during the Early Middle Ages, with some historians dating its foundation from the reign of Kenneth MacAlpin in 843. [136] This was re-affirmed in the Scottish Parliament on 29 January 2020 when the Greens voted with the government for a referendum to be held. Scotland was settled by the Picts and the Scots to begin with (who migrated from modern-day Northern Ireland). The SNP held the position of the third-largest party in the House of Commons, gaining 13 seats from the previous election to a total of 48. Uncertainty over Scotland's European Union (EU) membership was a topic in the run-up to the referendum vote, as unionists argued that Scotland would not automatically become an EU member and would instead have to apply for that status. Prime Minister Callaghan described the decision of the SNP to bring down the Labour government as "turkeys voting for Christmas". [30] The pro-independence Scottish Green Party won 6 seats,[30] meaning that pro-independence MSPs maintained a majority. A referendum is a method of referring a question or set of questions to the entire electorate directly. However, it affirmed that Scotland's independence would have to be accepted by the UK for Scotland to obtain EU membership: "There now seems to be a consensus that, were Scotland to become independent by legal means, it could join the [European] Union. This was refuted by the UK Government and opposition parties as a policy that no party would support in government. Citizenship laws in Scotland are currently managed at a UK level and Scottish people are generally speaking British citizens. [123]: 111, In the event that Scotland becomes independent and joins the EU, the England-Scotland border would become an EU-UK border, and would operate under the same trading rules as the current EU-UK borders. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, has said that the new government at Holyrood is aiming to hold a second referendum on independence before the end of … [38][39] Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was "clear that the people of Scotland see their future as part of the European Union" and that Scotland had "spoken decisively" with a "strong, unequivocal" vote to remain in the European Union. [56], The BBC website announced the final result of the referendum at 06:24 on 19 September 2014: the "No" vote prevailed with 55% (2,001,926) of the votes from an overall voter turnout of 84.5%. The first UK-wide referendum was held in 1975 on the United Kingdom’s continued membership of the European Community (European Union). A vote for Scottish independence could have a big impact on your investments. But how? Should there … A referendum was held in September and 74.3% of those who voted approved the devolution plan (44.87% of the electorate). The report, additionally, suggested that an independent Scotland would negotiate a share of the UK national debt, while continuing to use the Pound Sterling as currency for at least a decade. Scotland could join in a customs union with rUK, which would ensure against the establishment of customs controls between the two states, however this would undermine Scotland's autonomy, especially to join the EU or to conduct separate trading arrangements. "[42], On 13 October 2016, Sturgeon announced that an Independence Referendum Bill will be published for consultation the following week. [79] Although the SNP fell one seat short of winning outright, the eight seats won by the Scottish Greens meant that pro-independence parties had won a majority of seats in the election. [53] On 15 November 2013, the Scottish Government published Scotland's Future, a 670-page white paper laying out the case for independence and the means through which Scotland might become an independent country. Scottish Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie, on 13 March 2017 welcomed the confirmation from the First Minister that she is seeking a Section 30 Order from the UK Government to give the Scottish Parliament temporary power to hold an independence referendum. READ MORE: Independent Scotland could be a 'bridge-builder' to EU, Angus Robertson says. [126], In 2014, it was expected that Scotland would continue to be an EU member state and would remain a part of the Common Travel Area, not the Schengen Zone, however there was disagreement about the scale of the issue of managing the borders, citizenship and immigration. [108][109] Another group, the Radical Independence Campaign, described itself as "fighting for an independent Scotland that is for the millions not the millionaires". [104], In April 2017, a report for the European Parliament Committee on Constitutional Affairs was published to look at the implications on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union on Scotland, Wales and Gibraltar and their future relations with the EU. The UK Government aims to introduce a points-based immigration system and a reduction in rights of future EEA migrants, while the Scottish Government aims for a policy that attracts more migration to Scotland, and in the event of joining the EU, a re-introduction of Freedom of Movement with the EEA. [44][45] In September 2010, the Scottish Government announced that no referendum would occur before the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. [13] The Scottish Conservatives have said they would boycott such a referendum. The Scottish Government was working on a three-pronged approach to constitutional change: The civic campaign group Voices for Scotland launched in April 2019 to secure a pro-independence majority in Scotland through societal engagement. Social media are now widely used for political protests, campaigns, and communication in developed and developing nations, but available research has not yet paid sufficient attention to experiences beyond the US and UK. This collection ... Dated April 2012. Summary of responses to Cm. 8203 (ISBN 9780101820325) which sought views on how to deliver a legal, fair and decisive referendum on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom [206] The research also showed, however, that the proportion of the population strongly opposed to independence had also declined. It is one of the biggest in history and one of many that have taken place in Scotland. On 23 June 2016, the UK voted to leave the EU in a referendum. [16][17] The UK Government and some mainstream political parties argued that remaining in the UK was the only way to ensure that Scotland would remain part of the EU. You appear to have JavaScript disabled in your browser settings. This generally tends to show independence supporters favouring a referendum, with those against independence being against one. [62][63] First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said that she was looking at all options to "secure our place in the EU", and that a second referendum was "highly likely". There is no turnout requirement for this referendum - that means a "Yes" vote of "50% plus one" would be enough to gain independence. They continue to display no respect for the outcome of the official (2014) vote of the Scottish people, or even basic democracy. Track current bills, keep up with committees, watch live footage and follow topical issues. The roadmap states that if the UK Government refused Section 30 consent to a referendum, the Scottish Government would introduce and pass a bill allowing a referendum to take place, and would oppose any legal challenge from the UK Government. The Claim of Right 1989 was signed by every then-serving Labour and Liberal Democrat MP in Scotland, with the exception of Tam Dalyell. 7 Feb 2014. Ever since I met my Scottish partner, two years before the 2014 referendum, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of an independent Scotland. The current Scottish Government intends to seek a Section 30 order or an amendment to the Scotland Act 1998 to ensure that the result of a future referendum can be indisputably binding. Handed over to the incoming Labour government and classified as secret because of Labour fears over the surge in Scottish National Party popularity, the document came to light only in 2005, when the SNP obtained the report under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.[23][24]. The Catalan pro-independence parties also attempted to hold a plebiscitary election on independence in 2015, and this was not … [144] In September 2014, it held a march of at least 15,000 Orangemen, loyalist bands and supporters from Scotland and across the UK;[145] described as the biggest pro-Union demonstration of the campaign. [68], Under the Boris Johnson regime, the UK government sought through the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 to restrict the practical legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament. Scotland would only consider an independent currency, once certain economic goals had been met. [11], In January 2021, the SNP stated that, if pro-independence parties won a majority in the 2021 Scottish parliament election, the Scottish Government would pass a bill allowing a referendum to take place without a Section 30 order. The answer to that question is yes. This book explores the consequences of lowering the voting age to 16 from a global perspective, bringing together empirical research from countries where at least some 16-year-olds are able to vote.