The political odds that Scotland will vote no to independence in 2014 are 1/8, while the odds that the vote will be yes are 5/1. The Scottish independence referendum will take place on Thursday 18 September 2014. There is no doubt that if Mark Renton were a real person he would vote yes, if not for independence at least for finding a decent culture to be colonized by. On the other hand, English celebrities such as actor Ross Kemp, comedian Eddie Izzard, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, and actress Michele Collins are trying to show how decent they are by asking Scotland to please Let’s Stay Together.
Even though anyone in the Republic of Ireland, continental Europe, America, or the rest of the world would probably think that it is Scotland’s business and no one else’s whether they it wants to become a separate country, the people behind the Let’s Stay Together campaign feel that people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland should have a say, if not a vote, in the matter. No campaigners believe that the result of the referendum will have a significant impact on the identity, culture, and future of the entire United Kingdom.
Unfortunately, this type of plea makes this issue seem more like a lover’s quarrel than anything else, and distracts from the potential geopolitical consequences a breakup could have, not to say the more pressing and serious issue of political betting. If we were to venture an opinion we would say that the Scots might very well take a chance on the yes vote. That way they can see what it’s like to be independent, and if it doesn’t take, we’re sure the UK will be more than happy to take them back, since it turns out that they love them so much. After all, it’s not like the country will physically detach from the rest of the island and sail away until it annexes itself to a different continent; it will still be right there. Plus, Scotland already has a separate soccer team, so the separation should not come as so much of a shock either.