Much ado about Scottish independence

Scotland is making a flying start to 2013, it has already been voted as the top travel destination for the year, a big boost for tourism which Alex Salmon, the first minister aggressively promoted last year. Scotland believes oil revenues from the North sea will make it a prosperous nation if independence is achieved but oil revenues which account for a fifth of Scotland’s annual income have been dwindling for years, hence the promotion of tourism and renewables. 2013 is also the year intense campaigns between “Yes Scotland” and “Better Together” (YES and NO votes respectively) will begin before Scotland’s independence referendum to be held in 2014.

A member of the Scottish parliarment (MSP) already sent out a juicy tweet on New year’s day to kickstart the campaign. How is it possible that a nation that has never been conquered (debatable), a nation that gave the world Adam Smith, David Hume and Sir Alexander Fleming/Ferguson  is not independent? A couple of English gold bars and and the signing of a document by the Scottish paliarment, therefore opting in to a union as peacefully as it is about to opt out through a referendum next year was all that was required.

Today my friend Christine reminded me that 2013 would be the last year that Scotland was a colony! #indyref

— Fiona McLeod MSP (@FionaMcLeodMSP) January 1, 2013

From the days of the Kingdom of England (including Wales) to the Kingdom of Great Britain (including Scotland) to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to what is currently the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (excluding Ireland), there has never been a more perfect union than that of Great Britain (USA’s founding fathers might disagree, the EU looks united from the exterior while the AU is a joke), one can only wonder if 2013 marks the begining of the end of Great Britain; a huge loss to the world in my opinion. Scotland has always been proud of its history and longs to be totally responsible for its own future once again, in doing so it may finally dismantle the remaining pieces of a severely weakened empire that almost covered a quarter of the globe at it’s height.

What happens to the British identity of immigrants, do they become English, Welsh, Scots or remain British? If the Scottish saltire is taken out of the union flag, will the flags of Australia and New Zealand be needing a make over? How about British overseas territories like the Falkland islands and its new found oil wealth? Word on the street is all legal residents of Scotland at independence become citizens, if true, the demographic voting pattern will be interesting to see, as the world awaits the rebirth of an old nation come 2014.

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