22 January, 2012

A thistly question

Scotland is due to have a referendum on independence from the UK, to be held in 2014. Already people are discussing who should vote. How do you define a Scots person, when all their lives their nationality has been British? Is it people living in Scotland (some of whom are English, French, Pakistani, whatever)? Or would you have to trace your ancestry back to before the Act of Union 1801? Or will it be like qualifying to play for the rugby team, where you just come up with a grandfather? Under these circumstances I might be eligible myself (only a chronic inability at the game has prevented me from applying for the blue shirt).

Some are saying that the English should have a vote. But if all the English voted against and all the Scots voted for, the vote would be lost by 8:1.

Equally likely is that the English would vote to cut them adrift and the Scots would vote to remain in the Union. What would we then do? Kick them out? If we'd thought of this before we could have got rid of Northern Ireland and Wales years ago.

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