Scottish Referendum
First the colonies. Then North Ireland. Now Scotland, perhaps?
After 307 years of belonging to the United Kingdom, it seemed as if the Scots were indecisive about whether to stay under the Union Jack or not. Even celebrities such as J.K. Rowling, who was in favor of Scot
tish independence, and Alan Cummings, who opposed to Scottish independence, demonstrated just how divided the country was.
In order to reach a consensus, Scottish citizens were asked to vote on this matter to settle the dispute. A possible Scottish independence was not up to the Parliament or Queen Elizabeth, but it was in the hands of the people.
With world wide media coverage and speculation, all eyes were on the Scots.
Days passed and the votes were finally counted. With a vote of 2,001,926 votes over 1,617,989, Scotland decisively rejected it’s independence.
While the decision was made that Scotland remain a part of Great Britain, the people who were in defense of independence argued that their loss was due to a plethora of reasons, such as brainwashing and ballot rigging. However, in general, it seemed Scotland was at peace, and world leaders were pleased. For example, ‘US President Barack Obama welcomed Scots’ decision to stay in the UK. “Through debate, discussion, and passionate yet peaceful deliberations, they reminded the world of Scotland’s enormous contributions to the UK and the world’ (BBC World News). For now, it seems that Scotland’s final decision turned out to be the most favorable.
* edited by Shannon Kim
