Scotland is once again seeing earnest talk of secession from the United Kingdom.
Salmond’s Scottish National Party (SNP), which came to power in May 2011, promised to hold a referendum on secession in the second half of a parliamentary term, lasting until 2016. And while UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron is against the split, he has agreed to a referendum — with strings attached — leading Salmond’s deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, to say, “Here we go again… another Tory-led government interfering in Scotland.” The government has firmly stated is that it takes two to tango: secession from the UK will not affect Scotland alone, so the matter cannot be decided by Scotland alone. The three biggest political parties — the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labor — as well as Cameron, are opposed to a break-up of the United Kingdom. Cameron says the split, as well as “uncertainty” over the vote, was damaging the UK’s economy by deterring investment, according to the BBC.
The date for a public referendum on secession is undetermined. One recent poll showed that only 38% of Scots favor leaving the UK.