Source: CNKI
In the early 18th century, Scotland was forced to merge with England to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. However, since then, Scotland has not been willing to rest on its laurels and has repeatedly wanted to regain its independence again.
Why do the Scots swear not to be British?
If England were to break up one day, Scotland would be the first to secede.
The annexation was finally achieved
Scotland has a long history of feud with England, dating back to the 17th century.
At that time, Scotland was still an independent and sovereign kingdom, occupying one-third of the northern part of the island of Great Britain. And in the southeastern part of the island, there is the most densely populated and economically developed kingdom of England.
Although they are both countries on the island of Blink, there are certain differences in the ethnic composition of the two countries.
Scotland is derived from the Celts, who speak Gaelic and Low Scottish languages, but England is a branch of the Germanic peoples. Until now, the Scots have retained their original language, with the exception of English.
It can be seen that Scotland has always been unwilling to be ruled by England.
By the end of the 13th century, King Edward I of England wanted to strengthen his control over the other countries of the island, and coveted the lands of Scotland in the north.
The unexpected death of King Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 made the King of England realize that the time had come to annex Scotland.
This is because the only direct blood relative left by Alexander III in this world is his granddaughter, Margaret, who is only 3 years old. And, 4 years later, Margaret also died of illness.
As soon as the news of the death of the only heir to the royal family came out, ambitious nobles and nobles in Scotland all started to take the throne.
In the face of this "battle for the throne", the Scottish Parliament could not decide who would become the future king, so it had to invite Edward I to make the decision, because only the king of England had the ability to calm the political turmoil in Scotland.
It should also be explained here that unlike the absolute monarchy of the Chinese feudal period and the dictatorship of the Son of Heaven, the Kingdom of Scotland consisted of a parliament and the king to discuss state affairs.
Edward I, who had received an invitation from Scotland, arrived at once. He proposed to the Scottish nobility that whoever became King of Scotland must recognize himself as the supreme lord of Scotland.
Although the nobles thought this proposal was ridiculous, they accepted it in order to end the dispute as soon as possible and make themselves kings.
In 1292, Edward I, who held the seat of the throne, chose Barriol, a 16-year-old Scottish nobleman who looked easy to fiddle with, as king.
Although Barriol recognized Edward I's lordship as agreed, he did not really obey and refused to send reinforcements in the subsequent war between England and France. Barriol's actions angered Edward I and provoked requisition from England.
At this time, the Scottish aristocracy, large and small, recognized Edward I's ambitions, put aside past grievances, and united to resist the invasion of England.
The war lasted until 1328, when Scotland was able to regain its independence.
But the days of peace did not last long.
Scotland failed to colonize Panama in the 17th century and was unable to repay its huge debts due to the war, which made England feel once again expected to take control of Scotland.
England then proposed to Scotland that Scotland unite with it to form the United Kingdom. In return, England would help Scotland pay its debts.
Of course, if Scotland does not agree, England will completely block Scottish imports and exports.
After weighing the pros and cons, the Scottish aristocracy opted for a compromise.
With the signing of the Act of Union in 1707, Scotland formally renounced its political independence and merged with England to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Although Scotland also managed to maintain the original judicial system and religious system, the Scottish parliament was merged with England.
But even then, Scotland's desire to secede from England still existed. After all, it was England who annexed Scotland by coercion and inducement.
Never forget, independent heart
In the mid-18th century, the Kingdom of Great Britain, which completed the Industrial Revolution, continued to expand its colony by sea routes.
In 1801, the United Kingdom annexed Northern Ireland and formed the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland", which is now known as "Great Britain".
The growing strength of Britain has also drowned out the "voices" of Scottish wanting independence. In order to control Scotland, the United Kingdom also set up a special "Scottish Department" in 1885 to manage the affairs of Scotland.
It was also from this time that Scotland obtained an administrative system of "decentralization" in the United Kingdom, which also laid the groundwork for the subsequent political independence of Scotland.
At the end of the 19th century, a war of Polish descendants for the resources of South Africa caused a huge economic burden on the British.
In addition, Britain at this stage experienced two more world wars, and its national strength was not as good as before.
After the decline of the United Kingdom, it directly affected the "loyalty" of Scotland to the United Kingdom.
Although Britain is willing to control the "mood" of Scottish independence, it is "powerless" and can only delegate more autonomy to Scotland again in exchange for a semblance of peace.
In 2008, the financial crisis in the United States swept the world, and the British economy was also hit hard, and its former international status and strength no longer existed.
In addition, the economic development of the capital London and the southern region is much higher than that of the north.
This is due to the fact that from 1066 onwards, a central government agency was established in London, which, with its political resources, attracted a large number of nobles to settle here.
The excessively large gap between the rich and the poor has stimulated more of Scotland's desire for independence.
In addition to these practical factors, there is also the uneven distribution of benefits.
The northwestern part of the island of Great Britain is bordered by the North Sea. There is a large area of oil fields at the bottom of the North Sea, 92% of which belong to Scottish waters.
It stands to reason that Scotland could profit a lot from this subsea oil field, but the UK took all the oil revenue.
Britain also said that the benefits that the government gives to Scotland each year far outweigh the benefits of the oil fields.
From 1980 to 2014, North Sea oil fields generated more than £166 billion in revenue for the UK government. In the next 30 years, this field can continue to be exploited.
Therefore, when the Scots saw this number, their idea of "leaving the UK" was even more determined.
On 18 September 2014, Scotland hosted a referendum to decide whether Scotland would secede from the United Kingdom.
The referendum failed, but he still wants to leave the UK
In this referendum, all residents of Scotland over the age of 16 have the right to vote.
Why, then, would the UK agree to Scotland's attempt to leave the UK in a referendum? This is rooted in the British ideology and legal tradition of "sovereignty rests with the people".
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron said that since the Scots had elected a party that advocated a referendum, they might as well respect their choice. After all, Britain has every right to reject the Scottish referendum proposal.
On September 19, Scotland announced the results of the referendum, with more than 55% of Scots choosing not to leave the United Kingdom.
The defeat of the referendum does not mean that most Scots are unwilling to restore independence, but that they have less confidence in the economic development of Scotland after leaving the United Kingdom than independence.
Because Scottish political parties have always only promoted good news after Brexit, such as Scotland can use alcohol excise tax, corporate income tax and other revenues to stimulate economic development.
The Scottish parties have said nothing about the economic problems they will face after leaving the UK.
Statistics show that between 2004 and 2005, Scotland spent £11 billion more than it receives, but the North Sea oil field revenue that year was only £5.2 billion.
Therefore, even if Scotland gets back the North Sea oil fields, it will be difficult to break even on the national books. It can also be seen from here that what Britain said is true, but the Scottish political parties did not see it clearly.
In addition, after independence, Scotland will lose the financial subsidies and public benefits given by the United Kingdom, which will cause Scots to pay higher taxes to the government in the future. This has a direct impact on the interests of the Scottish working class and middle class.
In addition to this reason, there are also some Scots who feel that once they leave the UK, the UK will definitely prevent Scotland from joining the EU as a sovereign state.
In this way, Scotland will lose the common market established by the EU economically, and politically the friend of the EU.
A UK research institute also made a population projection for Scotland in 2013, showing that Scotland's population will grow by less than 6% in the next 50 years, but the UK will reach 22%.
As a result, some Scots are concerned that an ageing population will lead to stagnation in the Scottish economy.
Although Scotland lost the 2014 referendum, the referendum figures also show that more than 45 percent of Scots aspire to independence, and those who oppose it are only concerned about their own declining economic interests.
If one day Scotland solves its fiscal deficit and achieves economic prosperity, I believe that the Scots at that time will not want to be British again.
However, before Scotland could afford a second referendum, Cameron's successor, Theresa, had publicly stated that she would not allow another referendum in Scotland during her term, which immediately angered the Scottish independents.
Sturgeon, the former first minister of the Scottish government, responded that Scotland would hold a second referendum before 2020, and she promised the Scots that they would preserve Scottish's economic interests and join the European Union as an independent state.
Sturgeon also kept her promise and submitted an application to the UK for a referendum in 2017, which was rejected. So, in 2022, she reintroduced the referendum again.
Although the British prime minister at this time had been succeeded by Johnson, he, like Theresa, did not approve it.
It can also be seen from Sturgeon's relentless actions that if Britain is dissolved one day, it will definitely start with Scotland, because "independence" has always been buried deep in the hearts of the Scots.
Resources:
1. CNKI: A Preliminary Study on the Impact of Brexit on Scotland's Brexit
2. CNKI: "The Change of Scottish Dual Identity and the Intensification of Scottish Separation from the Perspective of Party Politics"