Saturday, July 30, 2016

The Scots may be disinclined to walk away from the UK -- for now

A current Daily Mail article suggests the Scots may be currently disinclined to leave the UK:


This result helps reduce uncertainty about the future, so it is good financially and economically. More important, it reduces the possibility of a geostrategic collapse of Britain into a rump state. (Where the UK continues to be a stabilising force in the world.)

More details:
The poll found that more Scots (46 per cent) would prefer to remain part of the UK outside the European Union than be in an independent Scotland that stayed in the EU (37%).

When stripped of don't knows the numbers translate to 55 per cent versus 45 per cent in favour of Scotland remaining in a UK that is not in the European Union.

Scots were also asked for their view about access to the single market.
A total of 40 per cent would rather Scotland remained in a United Kingdom that lost access to the single market.
This compared to 34 per cent who would prefer to leave the UK and retain access to the single market.

However, recent elections have made it clear that Scotland is sharply distinct from the rest of the UK, and in fact has a separate sense of national identity.

It remains to be seen if a gradual shift to a federation by devolution will be enough to hold off the Scottish inclination to walk away from the UK. END