Is the UK headed for a Break-Up?

By Ken Ferguson

The stunning victory in last week’s elections by the pro-independence
Scottish National Party was a result which was supposed to be
impossible.

Scotland, after all, ceased to be an independent country in 1707, when it was
forcibly joined with England to form Great Britain.

The union took place against a background of popular riots put down by
troops and has been controversial, to a greater or lesser degree, ever
since.

In 1999, following years of agitation and its endorsement in a
Scotland-wide referendum, the Scottish Parliament reconvened with
powers over a wide range of domestic matters such a health, education,
planning, etc.

The new parliament was designed with an electoral system designed so that it
would supposed be impossible for any one party to win a majority -- the explicit intention being to prevent the SNP from using it a stepping stone
to independence.

The May 5th result, which gave the SNP 69 seats in the 129-seat
parliament has thrown all this into the melting point and raises the
real possibility of Scotland taking the next step to becoming a full-fledged independent country.

SNP leader Alex Salmond who master-minded the stunningly successful campaign, plans to wait until the second part of the parliament’s five-year term before
putting the question of secession to an all-Scotland referendum for decision.

Pro-British forces in Scotlant, which include the three main UK parties -- Labour,
Conservatives and Liberal Democrats -- oppose independence and question
whether a vote for the SNP equals a vote for independence rather than
a vote of confidence in its last four years in power, when it lead a coalition government.

Certainly opinion polls show support for independence lagging behind
support for the SNP, but the unknown is how a having a majority SNP
government might change that.

Since the election, the Scottish leaders of all three pro-union parties
have resigned, indicating the magnitude of their defeat.

All this is happening in the midst of a perfect storm, with the UK
government set to slash public spending on vital services—a policy
path bitterly opposed by the SNP, which the party will work flat out to
avoid...

For the rest of this article by Scottish correspondent KEN FERGUSON in ThisCantBeHappening!, the new independent online alternative newspaper, please go to: ThisCantBeHappening!