300 yrs on, UK may not be united any longer

[Aslan]

EDINBURGH: Britain's prime minister and Scotland's first minister signed an agreement on Monday to hold a referendum in 2014 on Scottish independence that could lead to the United Kingdom breaking up after 300 years.
Prime Minister David Cameron and pro-independence First Minister Alex Salmond inked the agreement and shook hands after a meeting at the Scottish government building St Andrews House in Edinburgh.

Cameron strongly opposes a Scottish breakaway and the signing of the terms for the vote fires the starting gun on two years of campaigning which puts the leaders firmly in opposing camps.

After months of negotiations , the deal clears the way for Scotland's administration to hold the referendum in the final quarter of 2014, offering Scots a straight yes-no question on leaving the United Kingdom. "This is an important day for our United Kingdom , but you can't hold a country in the United Kingdom against the will of its people ," Cameron said.

"Scotland voted for a party that wanted to hold a referendum . I believe in showing respect . This is the right outcome for Scotland and for the United Kingdom to give the people the choice.

"But I passionately hope and believe that they will vote to keep the United Kingdom together. We are better off together , we are stronger together , we are safer together." Salmond said before the signing that the agreement "will see Scotland take an important step toward independence , and the means to create a fairer and more prosperous Scotland. I look forward to working positively for a yes vote in 2014."

Cameron's Conservatives will be joined by their Liberal Democrat coalition partners in the British parliament and the opposition Labour party in urging voters to keep Britain together. The terms have been signed as support among Scots for independence appears to be slipping, with a survey by pollsters TNSBMRB released last week showing 28% in favour and 53% opposed.

Salmond has said he wants independence "not because I think we are better than any other country, but because I know that we are as good as any other country" . The SNP had pressed for the 2014 date, giving them time to try to win over voters.

[Lepzerin]

Scottish independence would provide some scenarios for Kurdish people to deal with. For one thing, how to decouple the economy from the rest of the economy, create your own currency (though it seems here they would just use the Euro), and more importantly, resources. One of the biggest things that comes down to Scotland's case is that of the North Sea's oil and gas, where BP has a lot of operations. Would a Scotland that votes for independence get rights to those, or would the remaining UK keep it?

Though I'm not sure of the likelihood for Scottish independence. The sentiment for an independent Scotland doesn't seem as strong as the Kurdish one, though they are displeased with the way London handles their affairs at a national level. If the Prime Minister of the UK willingly accepts this referendum, there's a good chance they are also confident it would not succeed and further bolster pro-union sentiments in the country.