Could one of you good United Kingdom members assist in describing the relationship to us out of EU folks?
I'm looking for an appropriate analogy as to the sort of connection or bond you feel with Scotland if say you are living in England.
Is it like someone in California and another person in Texas, where they both have very different lifestyles but are part of the same larger national framework?
Or is it more like someone in the US and then someone in Puerto Rico where it's basically an entirely different country and social organization but part of the same overall group on paper?
It's a fair bit complex.
One simple issue that resonates strongly, with all nations of the UK and what is defining the relationship right now, is that things, everything, economics, politics, society etc, are all way too London-centric.
Being strictly technical, London is a part of England, but it's its own city state in all but name. It's the main cash-cow for the economy, it has its own administration as well as being the seat of national government, house prices and rents are extortionate but people keep buying them because London has a massive pull factor, sucking in wealth and wealth creation from the rest of the UK. Which wouldn't be a problem if British industry was strong, but after 70's Labour govt, then 80's Tory government, industry collapsed and most Northern cities never recovered
So, within just England you have England/London, as well as North/South.
The theory behind the Act of Union which created the UK from England (and Wales) and Scotland is that it would be a partnership of two powers, but as things worked out, due in no small part to constitutional neglect, England grew while Scotland still grew but at a much slower rate, thus terms of an equal partnership grew to favour the larger party, politically and constitutionally.
The majority of Scots, I don't think, see themselves as oppressed but as the recipients of a bad deal, which isn't without some very good ground.
A lot of English folk outside of London sympathise because they are in a similar situation; Central
government is profoundly disinterested in their affairs, and because the English have no devolved administration they have only two real avenues for politics; Local Councils, which are basically just elected admin bods and treasury agents, and one house of the national Parliament which rarely if ever manages to come across as sympathetic to the interests of regular folks.
Wales, while erring less towards Scottish style independence was not recognised as a proper state of the UK until the late 20th century and still by and large feels part of an unequal deal. Particularly since a great deal of industry disappeared thanks to decisions made by London governments over the 70's and 80's. My own grandfather worked in the steel industry at Port Talbot and left just as the industry began to decline.
Northern Ireland has a mire of issues that would need and essay to address, and should be considered as kind of special case in comparison to Scotland and Wales.
As opposed to the States of America where states grew with each other, developing like links in a chain, these Nations have distinct identities and intertwined but very individual histories, growing into each other as opposed to growing together.
On the basic social interaction level of people, strangers friends and family etc, by and large we get along just normally with no issues. The British people are nothing if not disposed towards minding their own business.
In short, socially we're all just content and happy with each other, jokes aside, but politically, economically and historically we're divided.
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Topic: The Scotland Referendum (Read 16936 times)