Star comment: Identity will change if Scots exit
The issue of independence for Scotland will not go away. Though we were told that the first referendum was a once-in-a-lifetime event, it seems we were misled.
The changing political environment that has arisen following Brexit has presented the SNP an opportunity to further its own political agenda.
And so rather than a second referendum in, say, 50 years, it seems a second referendum will take place during the term of the next Westminster Government.
There can be little doubt that the SNP will enjoy a comfortable majority among Scottish constituencies in the forthcoming election. Labour has been in disarray while Conservatives remain inherently unpopular. The SNP is determined to break up the union by pursuing a Scotland-for-the-Scottish policy.
Whether it succeeds, however, remains to be seen. It appeared to come close during the first Scottish referendum, only to fall at the final hurdle as Westminster’s big guns descended en masse to hold the Union together. Such an outcome cannot be guaranteed on a second occasion.
Whatever the outcome of the Brexit process, we can be sure that the issue of Scottish independence will not go away.
And so whoever becomes the next Prime Minister – and, despite a surge in the polls, the probable outcome remains Theresa May – there will be an enormous challenge to preserve a union that has held strong since 1801.
Britain’s anachronistic empire has gradually been eroded. And many would accept the faillings of it. However, the historic bonds between England and Scotland, which were ratified in 1707, are of profound importance.
Creating separate, self-governing states would have enormous ramifications: In many ways, they would be even more decisive than those brought about by Brexit.
Notwithstanding the obvious economic, security and trading relations, our very identity will change should Scotland decide to go it alone. And there can be no doubt that Nicola Sturgeon is intent on bringing about that change.
It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Wales and Northern Ireland would eventually follow, or that Scotland may one day find itself part of the European Union while England and Wales are not. Complicated issues, not least of border control, economics and security will arise.
The forthcoming General Election is of profound importance as Britain comes to terms with a post-Brexit landscape. But whoever wins, May or Corbyn, it seems the SNP independence juggernaut will will thunder on.
