Country Watch
A Look at the Economic, Political, and Social Events that Shape International Law Around the World
Scotland Votes to Remain Part of the United Kingdom
The Scottish Independence Referendum, which took place on September 18, 2014, asked voters, “Should Scotland be an independent country?” Scotland chose to remain a part of the United Kingdom, with 55.3% of voters choosing “No” and 44.7% selecting “Yes”. Emphasizing the im- portance of this issue to the people of Scotland, the voting turnout was the highest in the United Kingdom in nearly 150 years.
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The legitimacy of the referendum was guaran- teed by the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill passed by the Scottish Parliament in Novem- ber 2013, by a simple majority. Following the pas- sage of the Bill, an agreement was arrived at be- tween the UK and Scottish governments which conferred upon the present Scottish government the mandate to hold the referendum.
The debate on the future of Scotland was led by two main campaigns: the pro-independence or “Yes Scotland” campaign, headed by Alex Salmond and the pro-unionist “No Thanks” or “Better Together” campaign, headed by Alistair Darling.
After the referendum, Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland and key pro-indepen- dence proponent, stated that this was clearly a democratic process and the will of the people would be respected. However, he decided to step down from his position of leadership.
Although the vote is over and Scotland will remain part of the UK, leaders of both campaigns recog- nize that change is necessary. Two days prior to the referendum, in a bid to prevent the potential separation, the leaders of the primary political
parties in the UK publicly stated that they would devolve extensive new powers to the Scottish government. However, the UK government and the Scottish parliament must work together to develop an effective timetable for making these promises a reality.
Road to the Referendum
Plans for a referendum started back in 2007, with the Scottish National Party committing to hold a referendum on the matter in its manifesto in 2010. The party was led by Alex Salmond, who was one of the foremost proponents of Scottish independence. A consultation exercise was held in 2007, following which a white paper was pro- posed in 2009, later put to the public for com- ment in 2010 as the Referendum Bill. There were three primary proposals that were offered in this bill – first, the full devolution of power to the gov- ernment of Scotland; second, the introduction of new taxes in Scotland with the prior permission of the UK Parliament; and third, complete inde- pendence. The Bill was withdrawn due to lack of support.
In 2011, the Scottish National Party’s commit- ment to holding the referendum once again won the election for the party. In January 2012, the UK government entered into negotiations with the Scottish government concerning a fair and decisive referendum. Negotiations addressed voting eligibility criteria, institutional issues and other matters and culminated in the Edinburgh Agreement.
The Edinburgh Agreement, signed between the governments of the UK and Scotland in October 2012 was one of the first definitive steps taken in furtherance of the particulars of Scottish inde- pendence. Building on this agreement, the gov-
ILSA Quarterly » volume 23 » issue 2 » December 2014
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