THe Scottish Vote

SCOTLAND now intends to hold a referendum on independence following the crushing victory of the Scottish Nationalists (SNP) in the local parliamentary elections early yesterday. This has been on the cards for some time and marks a major turning point in Scottish history.

But as a final gesture to the United Kingdom it might be an idea to ask the English, Welsh and Northern Irish if they also want Scotland to break-away. Afterall, we are talking about the breaking up of the old home nations and surely the rest of the country should have their say? Scotland already enjoys far more powers than England, Wales and possibly Northern Ireland and a vote on independence has always been the logical next step. Judging by support for the SNP in yesterday´s elections I can see Alex Salmond´s “Yes” campaign winning the referendum.

It would effectively end the United Kindgom in its present form but in some ways perhaps it is best because Scotland has appeared to be rather uneasy about being part of the United Kingdom for some time. Alex Salmond should be congratulated on his excellent campaign and for running Scotland for the last four years with a minority government. The other major political parties, who are still nursing their electoral wounds after crushing defeats yesterday, are expected to oppose the independence moves of the nationalists. But we should all have our say.