The announcements are underway. One by one, the subdivisions of Scotland are beginning to submit their totals. At this point, twelve out of thirty-two have declared. The current standing: 47% Yes, 53% No. And something about this has changed me. More specifically, it's made me question my dislike of the English. I can't even bring my self to say hatred at this point. I'm starting to feel bad for the Brits, almost as though I've misjudged them. The England I hate wouldn't have allowed a referendum of this sort to take place at all. Perhaps even more instrumental in my change of heart is the realization of how this would impact the US. I mentioned a few of the impacts on the world yesterday, but the realization of how an independent Scotland could damage one of our strongest allies never quite set in until now. It could greatly impact the UK's military capacity, at a time when it needs to be stronger than ever. It would take away a huge source of the UK's wealth and derive them of a huge source of their economic power - as previously mentioned, Scotland has huge oil reserves. And there's no guarantee that an independent Scotland - which is a very real possibility at this point - would want to align itself closely to the United States. I'm getting a bit worried at this point, and I'm starting to think that a choice of "No" might be better for everybody. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm saying it: Scotland might be better off if it stays with Great Britain.
Yea or nay, long live Alba.
It is an interesting question. I'm falling on the side of No. The world has too many divisions all ready, people are already too divided. There is enough tribalism, enough sectarianism, enough nationalism. If we are to come together as a species and save the planet, which is what we should be doing, we need to come together, not move apart.
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