should scotland be an independent country
SHOULD SCOTLAND BE AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY?
Prior to 1707 the island of Great Britain housed two separate kingdoms, the kingdom of England and that of Scotland, although both had been under the rule of the same monarch since 1603, they were separate with individual parliaments. However with the acts of union- which proposed the joining of the two kingdoms – passed and both were amalgamated forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the act also brought them together under the parliament of Great Britain. While a surrender of independence was unpopular in Scotland, more than 300 years later, Scotland has not fully given up her national identity and thoughts for independence. With the approaching referendum, a crucial event which would define the future of Scotland, the viability of an independent Scotland is questioned. The objective of this essay is to argue against the proposed independence of Scotland, examining key economic, social and political reasons why Scotland should remain united.
An independent Scotland is undesirable as it would be economically volatile, heavily depending on North Sea oil revenues. Upon independence, North Sea oil revenues would account for 10-20% of Scotland’s GDP (BBC 2013a), it would lose £7 billion it receives from the UK government yearly (The Telegraph 2014), and will be allocated its share of the UK’s £1.4 trillion national debt. Coupled with this, public expenditure per head is substantially higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK (BBC 2013a). However, Scotland boasts a wide range of sectors, it is a leading provider in renewable energy constituting 25% and 10% Europe’s off shore wind and tidal resources, 19% of it wave resource respectively and its food and drink sector accounts for 18% of its international exports, especially Scottish whiskey which experiences high demand overseas (Scottish government 2013a). Oil reserves, as stated by White paper 2013, is forecasted to last well into the next half of this century, and
Prior to 1707 the island of Great Britain housed two separate kingdoms, the kingdom of England and that of Scotland, although both had been under the rule of the same monarch since 1603, they were separate with individual parliaments. However with the acts of union- which proposed the joining of the two kingdoms – passed and both were amalgamated forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the act also brought them together under the parliament of Great Britain. While a surrender of independence was unpopular in Scotland, more than 300 years later, Scotland has not fully given up her national identity and thoughts for independence. With the approaching referendum, a crucial event which would define the future of Scotland, the viability of an independent Scotland is questioned. The objective of this essay is to argue against the proposed independence of Scotland, examining key economic, social and political reasons why Scotland should remain united.
An independent Scotland is undesirable as it would be economically volatile, heavily depending on North Sea oil revenues. Upon independence, North Sea oil revenues would account for 10-20% of Scotland’s GDP (BBC 2013a), it would lose £7 billion it receives from the UK government yearly (The Telegraph 2014), and will be allocated its share of the UK’s £1.4 trillion national debt. Coupled with this, public expenditure per head is substantially higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK (BBC 2013a). However, Scotland boasts a wide range of sectors, it is a leading provider in renewable energy constituting 25% and 10% Europe’s off shore wind and tidal resources, 19% of it wave resource respectively and its food and drink sector accounts for 18% of its international exports, especially Scottish whiskey which experiences high demand overseas (Scottish government 2013a). Oil reserves, as stated by White paper 2013, is forecasted to last well into the next half of this century, and
References: BBC. (2013a). Scotland in numbers. [Online] 25 November. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24866266 [Accessed: 14 Feb 2014]. BBC BBC. (2014). Scottish independence: Query over tuition fees legality [online] 12 January. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-25699409 [Accessed: 13 Feb 2014]. Carney, M Scottish Government. (2013a). Scotland’s Economy: the case for independence. [Online] Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0042/00422987.pdf [Accessed: 14 Feb 2014]. Scottish Government Scottish Government. (2013c). Currency Choices for an Independent Scotland: Response to the Fiscal Commission Working Group. 2013. [e-book] http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0042/00420804.pdf [Accessed: 14 Feb 2014]. Scottish Government Scottish Government. (2014). Economy Statistics. [Online] Available at: http://scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/Q/pno/1 [Accessed: 14 Feb 2014]. The Guardian The Guardian. (2014). Scottish independence: the economic implications. [Online] 7 February. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/07/scottish-independence-economic-implications-niesr [Accessed: 14 Feb 2014]. The Telegraph