Sovereignty

Independence, then, might be inevitable, but it has to be contemplated with some sense of reality. The reality of Brexit in front of our eyes. Scotland’s freedom from unending Tory rule from London may well be unavoidable. The constitutional position is simply unsustainable.

BBC History Magazine view of the Act of Union

A Scottish historical view of the passing of the Act of Union.

A largely neutral record of the events leading to the union of England and Scotland.

A brief description of the formation of the UK and its domination by England.

The union of England and Scotland was hindered in the 17th century by Scottish fear of becoming a region of England.  England feared alliances with France.  The Darien Scheme bankrupted much of wealthy Scotland.  Amidst allegations of bribery, the Scottish Parliament in 1707 voted for union with

Decisions on independence are balanced between a few elements:

A rebalancing of relations with England outside the EU.

Independence with the objective to join the EU, creating a hard border with England.

The arrangements for the countries of the UK are likely to continue to develop through piecemeal change. This change process is more difficult as a result of the 2016 referendum on the EU. This presents an ongoing threat to the survival of the UK as a unitary state.

An independent Scotland within the EU would be part of the EU’s single market: England and Wales would be outside.  The border checks may be quite significant. Ireland's experience shows it is clearly possible for a small country to succeed economically in a similar situation to that which would

There are indications that the EU would welcome an application from an independent Scotland. Full membership of the EU may take up to a decade to complete.