Why Should Scotland Get to Break Up the UK?

Pic: A Force For Good at our 'Get Sturgeon Telt' rally when she spoke in George Square on 2 Nov 2019.

The "independence" debate is framed by the nationalists deliberately as "Scotland becoming independent by leaving the UK". This implies that there would still be some kind of "United Kingdom" left after Scotland departed. In a way, this makes the whole matter appear less dramatic to some people currently living in "the rest of the UK".

It is not a true description of what is actually at stake!

It tends to lead to a complacent attitude among many in the British political establishment. This is worrying to those of us who do realise what is at stake!

From our way of looking at things, it is not so much about Scotland "leaving the UK", as the UK itself being destroyed by Scotland's departure.

Consider our history.

The United Kingdom began its life as a Parliamentary State, with the union of Scotland and England on 1st May 1707. At that time, England had already incorporated the principality of Wales into the wider English State (under Henry VIII in 1535 and 1542). Ireland joined the UK in 1801, and then part of it broke away in 1922.

So the essence of "the Union of the United Kingdom" is primarily the Scotland/England union.

Without that union, there is not much of a "United Kingdom" going to be left. There would only be England – with Wales hanging on, and Northern Ireland increasingly isolated.

So, Scotland "leaving the UK", would actually be...Scotland destroying the UK.

Why Does Scotland Get to Decide?

So here's the thing: Why should one part of the British State – Scotland – get to make the decision to break up the entire State?

What about the other parts of the UK – England, Wales and Northern Ireland. What about the people in those areas who do not want to see the United Kingdom being destroyed?

Do they have a say? Are they involved? If not, why not? And if so, who speaks for them?

(Technically, it is the British Parliament which speaks for them and which has the constitutional right, duty and responsibility to do what is necessary to maintain the United Kingdom.)

There is no doubt this way of looking at things is not even understood, much less contemplated, in the "halls of power" in London.

As we say, complacency prevails.

At best, there is a belief that "it will never happen". At worst, there is a thoughtless notion that life will somehow continue on as normal for "the rest of the UK".

That's incredible, really, when we think about it.

After all, if the United Kingdom were to be destroyed by an internal vote in one part – by a very small number of its overall electorate – the reality is that world politics would change absolutely.

The United Kingdom is presently one of the world's biggest and most influential powers – economically and even militarily. Broken in half, everyone in these Islands would be affected. The entire world would be affected.

Think of all the business people throughout our country, many of whom are doing well, some of whom are doing very well; yet their businesses are entirely dependent upon the existence of the United Kingdom in the first place (although they don't realise that).

This isn't about whether or not they will "prosper" if the United Kingdom, say, leaves the EU. This is about whether their businesses will even survive in the first place if the United Kingdom no longer exists!

Yeah! They don't think of those things, do they?

Very few people are thinking about those things!

We need the British Government to realise the full import of what is happening. It must be prepared to do the many things (which we have outlined at length in the last 7 and a half years) which are utterly essential if we are to ensure our Union – our Country – will survive.

This is a good place to start: 12 Ways the New Prime Minister can Strengthen the British Union

Here's how Few it would Take: 1 in 25 of the Electorate Could Destroy the UK

We mentioned above "a very small number of its overall electorate" getting to break up the entire UK.

Let's crunch the numbers to demonstrate how ridiculously few that could be.

According to the last figures available, published by the Office for National Statistics on 22 March 2019, we find the electorate of Scotland was 3,925,800 and the electorate of the entire UK was 45,775,800.

Imagine there was the same turnout at a second separation referendum as in 2014. That is, 84.6%. That would mean 3,321,227 people would go to the polls in Scotland

Imagine the SNP/Greens won their referendum by a percentage of 51-49.

That would mean the result was 1,693,826 v 1,627,401.

That winning number of 1,693,826 would be 3.7% of the entire UK electorate!

That winning margin of 66,425 would be 0.15% of the entire UK electorate!

So, are we to accept that the United Kingdom could be destroyed by the votes, on one day, of around 4% of the entire British electorate, or even by 0.15%?

There can be no other State in the world which would allow itself to be destroyed by the votes of 1 in 25 of its entire electorate, or even by 1 in 667!

It seems madness!

How can the entire United Kingdom, be destroyed by such a tiny figure of people? That's not democratic, and it is not morally right either.

One answer is referendum thresholds, which we spoke about here.

Like what we say? We really need your help to keep saying it. Please become a monthly 'Union Supporter' from as little as £1.15 a week (£5 a month). We depend upon our monthly donors to remain sustainable.