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The Eagle Eye: Scotland and Independence

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On September 18, 2014, Scotland decided to stay a part of the United Kingdom and the once tyrannical control of the brutish British empire. Scotland will greatly benefit from this continued cooperation in fields such as military capability, social services provided by the government, and protection from eastern located enemies, but will lose the possibility of one day creating its own sovereign nation.

With a winning 54% (194,770) votes for dependence and surprisingly close 46% (169,347) votes for independence, more than 4.2 million, out of the 5.3 million residents of Scotland registered to vote. Voter turnout for Scotland’s independence greatly tops the United States presidential elections turnout of 2012 with Scotland at 79% to our own at 57%.

If Scotland would have separated from the United Kingdom they would see a huge decrease in their military and social services. Scotland would face a partial separation with the already existing military facilities that have been provided by the United Kingdom. Since this is not the case, there is no way to know what the separation would look like or what Scotland would be allowed to keep.

Stuart Crawford, who published a report with a colleague for the Royal United Service Institute on the military defense of independent Scotland, was quoted as saying, “Well, I’m certain that Scotland could organize its own defense policy and armed forces. There’s no doubt about that—we’re not a stupid people.

“On the other hand, we couldn’t expect to walk away with anything like a miniature version of the UK’s defense system. We’re just too small for that. Some of Britain’s military assets are currently based in Scotland, and obviously some are not.

“Others, like the Trident nuclear weapons system, are here in spite of the fact that we don’t want them,” Crawford said.

When asked “in the event of a yes vote, Scotland would have to negotiate a share of the existing British military. What might the resulting force look like?” by Owen Duffy, on behalf of Vice News. Stuart also stated that independent Scotland’s armed forces would be between Ireland and Denmark.

Scottish nationalist chief Alex Salmon, who is stepping down as leader of pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), accuse the United Kingdom, specifically Great Britain, of tricking Scots out of independence.

A few days earlier, in response to Salmon’s comments, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron and his political rivals passed laws to transfer key decision-making powers from London to Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital. Cameron and his rivals also signed a pledge to grant Scot’s the power to control tax, budget and welfare policies.

In my humble opinion, I think it is in Scotland’s best interest to say part of the United Kingdom for both military advancement and social care. Even though Scotland would have been weaker without the aid of the United Kingdom I bet William Wallace (Braveheart) is turning over in his grave.

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The Eagle Eye: Scotland and Independence