This seemed to be a movement about not much, and in the end, a majority of Scottish voters decided that's how they saw it too. Scotland is a much more left-wing place than England (not that either one of them is exactly Texas), and since the Tories re-took control of the government in the UK, younger left-wing Scots have been agitating to take their bagpipes and kilts and march away to form their own nation.
Had it happened, it would have presented serious problems for both nations. The Scots would have had to mint their own currency, establish their own national defenses and institutions . . . it's not easy to start a country. And what would be left of Great Britain would have not only lost substantial oil resources located in Scotland, but would also have had to find a new home for major elements of its nuclear arsenal, for which the only suitable base at the moment is in Scotland.
Voters in Glasgow backed independence 53-47, but overall Scots apparently didn't believe the risks of breaking ties with Britain were worth whatever appeal independence might have held. Interestingly, British Prime Minister David Cameron is responding to the movement by offering more local autonomy on matters like taxation - not only to Scotland but to England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well.
The Wall Street Journal has more:
The government issued tough warnings that Scotland's economy would suffer if it escaped the U.K.'s embrace. But the late surge to reject the independence movement was also fueled by pledges from the three major parties of new powers that would bring more self-rule to Scotland.
Mr. Cameron said work would begin to grant the devolved government of Scotland more control over tax, spending, and welfare, with a view to forming plans by November and draft legislation published by January.
"To those in Scotland skeptical of the constitutional promises that were made let me say this—we have delivered on devolution under this government and we will do so again in the next parliament," Mr. Cameron said following the result. "The three pro-union parties have made clear commitments on further powers for the Scottish parliament—we will ensure that those commitments are honored in full."
In a surprise proposal, Mr. Cameron also said England, Wales and Northern Ireland should have greater independence in how they govern their affairs.
Mr. Cameron congratulated Alistair Darling, the Labour politician who helped spearhead the "no" camp, on a "well-fought campaign" in a message from his official Twitter account.
"Today is a momentous result for Scotland and also for the United Kingdom as a whole," said Mr. Darling. But he also acknowledged the large numbers that had voted for independence. "Every political party must now listen to their cry for change," he said, in a speech as the results were announced Friday morning.
Cameron seems to recognize that when a national government usurps too much of the governing power at the expense of local authorities, it increases the temptation to break away. Sound relatable, Americans? Left-wing politicians in America want Washington to control just about everything, since that's where the money is and that's where they can exercise the most heavy-handed use of the power they love.
Witness Nancy Pelosi treating a question about constitutional limits on power as if it's a joke. Witness Democrat Congressman Fortney "Pete" Stark of California saying he thinks the federal government has the power to do pretty much whatever it wants. As the UK learned here, local or regional forces will push back if you take that too far.
Granted, in this case, I don't really think the independence people in Scotland had all that much to use as the basis for their movement. It was basically a matter of left-wingers not liking the fact that conservatives have power at the moment. By the way, if Scotland had left the UK, that would not have been good news for the Labour Party, which would have lost an awful lot of its MPs. Imagine what it would do to the Democratic Party if New York and California decided to leave the union. That was the type of dynamic Labour was looking at here, which is why no London-based leader of the Labour or Liberal parties was rooting for Scottish independence.
But the Tories didn't want it either. Political head-counts aside, the UK needs Scotland and apparently enough of the Scots ultimately decided they need the UK too. Hopefully Cameron's reforms will now show that limiting the power of national governments and leaving that power to those at the local level is the best way to govern.
Maybe politicians in Washington could give that some thought as well, unless they value their own power over that well-being of the nation. So, come to think of it . . . yeah, never mind.
