Scotland to Vote on Independence in September 2014
Voters in Scotland will head to the polls in September 2014 to decide whether to go it alone as an independent country or remain in Great Britain with England and Wales.
The referendum could lead to the biggest political shakeup in the British Isles since Ireland achieved independence nearly a century ago.
Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, unveiled the date of the milestone vote Thursday in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. The plebiscite is the sine qua non of his Scottish National Party, or SNP, which swept to power in an election two years ago.
“I’m honored to announce that on Thursday, the 18th of September, 2014, we will hold Scotland’s referendum, a historic day when the people will decide Scotland’s future,” Salmond said to applause from fellow SNP lawmakers. “That day … is the day we take responsibility for our country, when we’re able to speak with our own voice, choose our own direction and contribute in our own distinct way.”
The date requires ratification by the Parliament, but since Salmond’s party controls the body, such approval is a formality.
The referendum will ask: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” A victory for the “yes” side would dissolve a sometimes happy, sometimes rocky political marriage sealed in 1707.
Salmond, considered by some to be the savviest politician in Britain, said that “two futures” for Scotland would be on offer.
“A ‘no’ vote means a future of governments we didn’t vote for, imposing cuts and policies we don’t support,” he told legislators. “A ‘yes’ vote means a future where we can be certain, 100% certain, that the people of Scotland will get the government they vote for.”
But he has his work cut out for him. Virtually no credible poll has ever shown a majority of Scots to favor independence - greater autonomy, perhaps, but not outright secession from Britain.