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An island within an island, Scotland’s independence day next?

An island within an island, Scotland’s independence day next?
By Euronews

The results are in and the difference is stark, the vote to leave the EU seems to stop at the border between England and Scotland.

The Scots voted 62% to remain a part of the European Union with all constituencies returning a Remain vote.

The only other islands of Remain support were London and Northern Ireland, and there are already calls of independence for the British capital and for Belfast to have its own referendum, so how has Scotland reacted to the news?

Farting against thunder

As it became clear throughout the night of the 24th June, the vote Leave camp would not be winning in Scotland, one Leave source apparently said ‘we’re essentially farting against thunder’, what turned out to be a very apt assessment of the final result.

However, with the results in England, Scottish Twitter erupted in shock and disbelief as well as worries for the future.

Even Harry Potter author JK Rowling called for a bit of supernatural help after tweeting ‘Goodbye UK’.

Disunited Kingdom

Brexit has heightened talk of a second Scottish independence referendum but will the country be keeping out the ballot boxes?

The Scottish National Party (SNP), which returned a minority government in Scotland’s parliamentary elections last month campaigned on the promise that a vote to leave the EU could trigger proceedings for a new ballot on independence.

In the manifesto it states that a new referendum would be held if there was material change ‘such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against its will”.

Former First Minister Alex Salmond told reporters that a new independence referendum must be held within 30 months, however, current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was more cautious saying a second referendum was ‘highly likely’.

The Scottish Greens who campaigned alongside the SNP has launched a petition to keep Scotland in the EU urging Holyrood “to examine and exhaust every option for continuing Scotland’s close ties with Europe.” It calls on all parties to work together, saying ‘it’s not over yet’.

What happens next depends largely on what might happen in the Conservative party leadership contest now that David Cameron has said he will step down. For Michael Keating, senior fellow at UK in a Changing Europe, Brexit on its own would not be enough to win a new referendum, “given that it could introduce a hard border with England, but the prospect of being ruled by the English nationalist Brexiters might. The Scottish Government will likely keep its options open until it sees how opinion develops.”

Opinion online was quite clear in the earlier hours of Friday morning with the hashtag #indyref2 trending. The words ‘unavoidable’ and ‘it’s time’ echoed across the Twittersphere. It looks like the Scottish voters may have another date with destiny.

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