Scotland Forever?

If not for Queen Elizabeth I of England's refusal to marry and sire an heir to the English throne, England and Scotland would two countries today, as the union between both occurred when Elizabeth died in 1603 and the closest heir to the English throne was King James VI of Scotland, of the House of Stuart.

When the Acts of Union establishing the United Kingdom was ratified a little over a century later under the last monarch of the House of Stuart - Queen Anne - it was the beginning of the end for Scottish nationhood, as the English have become the dominant players in the union, just as the Serbians were in Yugoslavia.  Scotland has had to deal with lot crap from Westminster, having been subjugated by the English for so long despite their old royal family making the union possible so many centuries ago, and as recently as 2014, the Scots voted on restoring the country's independence - but the referendum failed.  Then came Brexit, which the Scots opposed, followed by Boris Johnson's mishandling of the COVID crisis.  Well, the Scottish Nationalist Party and small parties allied with it just won a majority in the Scottish Parliament, and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to bring forward another referendum on Scottish independence.  And this time it could pass.

I don't know how this is going to play out, and I don't have an any opinion on whether this is the right move for Scotland.  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been one of the most successful unions in the history of nations - expect for the "Northern Ireland" part - and Britain may be weaker as three sovereign states (yes, Wales may break away too) than as one.  But after getting the short end of the stick for so long, the Scots in particular have had enough and want to be treated with a lot more dignity and respect, and many of theme see independence as the only solution.  Hey, it worked for Croatia.

But I personally don't believe that Scots will vote for independence.  Starting a new sovereign country costs too much money. 😃