Scottish Independantism

The Scottish independantism is carried by a political movement which militates so that Scotland makes secession of the the United Kingdom and becomes again the Sovereign state and independent which it was before 1707.

Ideology

The independence claims are based on the idea that the Scotland, having a vigorous culture which is clean for him, of the banking structures, legal and educational distinct from those of the England, should in the long term make secession of the the United Kingdom and recover the independent statute which she enjoyed before 1707. The independence movement is very heterogeneous, energy of those which wish a series of transitions towards independence with a progressive transfer from the capacities, with those which wish to reach directly the statute of Sovereign state. A Scottish Parliament was born in 1999. It holds part of the legislative powers which concerned the British Parliament before. Parallel to the establishment of a legislative power (Holyrood), the installation of a Scottish executive allowed the government Whitehall the transfer of a certain number of competences and responsibilities administrative.

The partisans of independence continue to think that this Parliament and this executive are only one intermediate stage in a process which must in the long term lead Scotland to the independent statute of State-nation.

The independence movement recovers a a whole diversity of political currents. If it comprises a great number of republican militant, it is not the political objective which Parti national Scot proposes to the (SNP). This one is presented as an institution which rakes broad and makes pass the ideological conflicts behind this top priority which is independence. The representation proportional saw the election of deputies belonging to small parts which do not share the same political points of view, but which have jointly to wish the independence of Scotland. Since the elections of 2007, the nationalists are with the head of the Scottish executive, directed by Alex Salmond. They promised that they would organize a referendum on the independence of Scotland.

Context

As from 1072, the history of Scotland mentions a series of conflicts on the borders or controversies on the question of the suzerainty of king d' Angleterre about the Écossais sovereigns, mainly of origin Normande. During the wars of independence (roughly 1290-1363), parts of Scotland are occupied following various invasions, but it preserves its independence.

In 1603, Jacques VI of Scotland becomes also Jacques Ier of England, but the union of the crowns leaves the divided Parliaments. Scotland preserves its government under the total right of the Great Britain. The fight between the two countries became economic then.

After the signature of the act of union (1707) by the English and Scottish Parliaments, both are dissolved. Their capacities are reserved for the new Parliament of London which became the Parliament of Great Britain. Certain delicate subjects like the Law and Education remain independent of the English system, the Scottish culture and languages preserving their importance. Although there exists from now on a new British identity accepted with more or less of enthusiasm (during a certain time Scotland is renamed “Brittany of North”) the feeling of Scottish national identity remains strong.

The Jacobitisme, concerned at the origin by the question of the right of the sovereign about the Parliament, becomes an instrument of opposition associated soon with Scottish nationalism (and Irish). After the crushing of risings jacobites, the jacobitism will survive especially through the image that the novels of Walter Scott give some and will become one of the elements storage British.

There exist indices suggesting that some Scottish implied in various radical risings of the end of the 18th century and the beginning of, such as the “Radical War” in 1820, were also partisans of independence. One in particular discussed the direction to give to the slogan ( Scotland free gold has desart '') " Free Scotland or déserte" , being reproduced on a banner.

Autonomy

Starting from the middle of the 19th century, one sees appearing a movement for the autonomy which pleads in favor of a retrocession of the capacity on the interior matters, but the independence movement tends to be blown until in the years 1920.

The first claim for a Scottish Parliament, in 1853, emanates from a movement close to the Conservative party and receives the support of the Liberal party quickly. But the question is not considered to be priority and when the bill on the autonomy of Scotland is submitted to the Parliament of Westminster in 1913, the procedure is stopped by the First World War. The young person Workers party declares himself like the Liberal party in favor of the autonomy of Scotland, but the minority coalitions have other priorities and the members of the Labor Party give up this program with the favor of the general elections of 1945. In 1974 the Workers party goes into reverse by supporting the question of a Scottish Parliament and by proposing a Référendum.

Scottish nationalism

In 1921 (mainly at the instigation of Sinn Féin) is formed the Scottish national league, whose large one of the troops is concentrated with London and claims independence. The league founds a newspaper, the Scots Independant in 1926 and in 1928 it assists in its nationalist Association of the Scottish university of Glasgow to form the national Party of Scotland, whose objective is the creation of an independent Scottish State. Among his founders one can quote the poet Hugh MacDiarmid, who wishes to promote a specifically Scottish literature, and personalities related to the Workers party.

These nationalists will collaborate with the Scottish Party, organization separatist founded in 1932 by former members of the Conservative party. In 1934 these two movements amalgamate to form the Scottish National Party, which starts by fighting for autonomy before taking made and causes for Independence. The movement crosses one difficult period in the Thirties when the term nationalism is associated with German national-socialisme. It obtains nevertheless a seat at the Parliament at the time of a by-election in 1945, but the deputy loses his seat later three months at the time of the legislative elections. The Scottish national Party (SNP) knows a series of electoral successes in the Sixties, and after the oil discovery at sea of North (1970) it will be able to answer those which doubt the capacity of Scotland to only manage on the economic plan: “Oil belongs to Scotland”. According to criticisms, the incomes of oil taken by the ministry for finances profited little in Scotland compared with the other areas. Very reasonable estimates give a report on an amount of 200 billion books thus perceived.

Revival of the years 1970

In 1974, there will be by twice elections to renew the Parliament. At the time of the first election, the Scot elect seven members of the national party to the House of Commons, and eleven at the time of the second election. This reinforces the independence movement, at the same time making advance the question of the independence of Scotland in the day order of the House of Commons where the workers party is with the head of a Coalition government with the liberal party.

As he had promised, the workers party proposes the creation of a Scottish Parliament in the shape of an semi-autonomous assembly which would control certain questions of Scottish interior policy, but if this project has the support of the Scottish workers party, some members of Parliament (mainly of the English) oppose such a reform for which they were not elected. Westminster then decides to subject the question to a referendum, by fixing the bar very high since it will be necessary that more than 40% of the electorate and not only the majority of the expressed votes decides in favor of the reform. In fact 33% of the voters vote for and 31% against, with an abstention from 36% which makes hood the reform proposal. Walk towards independence returns at the dead point when Scottish the National party supports a motion of censure which precipitates the behavior of new elections in 1979 and carries to the capacity one of the most notorious adversaries of Scottish independence, Margaret Thatcher, which becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to the head of a preserving government .

Devolution

The partisans of the independence of the Scotland are always divided vis-a-vis the movement separatist. This one counts many defenders of the union who wish a delegation of the capacities within the framework of the the United Kingdom. Others regard the movement separatist as transition towards independence, others still militate for an immediate separation.

After 1979, during the years of the government of Margaret Thatcher then of John Major, the movement of claim in favor of a Scottish assembly leads in 1989 to the birth of a consensus between parties on the principle of the delegation of the capacities within convention for a constitution of Scotland. It should be noted however that the conservative party refuses to take part in work of convention and that the Scottish national party is withdrawn some since it understands that convention balks to consider independence as a possible solution with the constitutional debate. In 1997, the workers party gains the general elections and Donald Dewar, Secretary of State to the Scottish businesses, implements the stopped project of a Scottish Parliament that the workers party had begun to support. A referendum takes place in September of the same year, with 75% of the votes in favor of the devolution. The British Parliament can then pass a law which founds an elective Scottish Parliament, which will control most of the interior matters of Scotland. In May 1999 the first Scottish elections at the Parliament take place, and in July a new meeting of the Parliament is declared open for the first time since the preceding room had been deferred in July 1707. The Scottish Parliament counts 129 deputies elected according to a system of representation proportional.

With the unanimous agreement of all the parties, it is the egalitarian song has Man' S.A. Man for A' (a man is a man whatever it is) which will be interpreted by militant Sheena Wellington at the time of the inaugural session of the Scottish Parliament. The words of Robert Burns will cause a deep emotion in the audience and the song became the semi-official anthem of the Scottish independence movement.

In the same egalitarian vein, the inauguration of the seat of the new Scottish Parliament by the Elizabeth II queen will be made with the sound Fanfare for the Common Man of Aaron Copland.

Although the Scottish people obtained the Dévolution capacities and found his sovereignty on the majority of the Scottish interior matters, the nationalists (S.N.P.) continue to claim total independence. With the extreme-left, Solidarity and S.S.P., and at the Green , the independence feeling dominates too.

See too

Irish Nationalism

External bonds

Guide of the Scottish independantism in line
Site of the SNP, '' National Scottish Party '', left nationalist
Site the Scottish socialist party, in favor of independence
Site of Solidarity (socialist Movement of Scotland), independence

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