United Kingdom of Scotland and Northern Ireland
One aspect of Scottish independence that I’ve never seen discussed is the “problem” that Ireland joined the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1801, nearly a hundred year after Scotland and England formed a union. As far as I can tell, this means that it’s not obvious whether England or Scotland gets Northern Ireland if Scotland becomes independent again.
Everybody seems to assume that the two resulting countries would be the Kingdom (or Republic) of Scotland and the United Kingdom of England and Northern Ireland, but wouldn’t it just be interesting if instead we ended up with the Kingdom of England and the United Kingdom of Scotland and Northern Ireland? 😉
In many ways it would make sense, since Northern Ireland is culturally and linguistically much closer to Lowland Scotland than to England.
I think this wd be a cool outcome. I hate that we’re the biggest so we get everything attitude – it is so taken for granted.
On the contrary Phyl … I’m sure most English folks would be very happy for Northern Ireland to become someone else’s problem!
Why would Northern Ireland be considered a problem?
Northern Ireland should be rightfully united with Ireland, as it’s culturally closest to Ireland, despite what certain people would try to have you believe and despite what some people like to pretend.
And you also chose to completely ignore Wales in your piece, as though it didn’t even exist.
I chose to ignore Wales, because Great Britain was formed out of the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, Wales having been swallowed without a trace many years before the Act of Union. The reappearance of Wales as a political unit is a more recent phenomenon.
Personally I don’t have any issues with Northern Ireland reuniting with Ireland. This posting was just based on the assumption that they wouldn’t.