Scottish independence

Scottish political movement

Scottish independence (Scottish Gaelic: Neo-eisimeileachd na h-Alba; Scots: Scots unthirldom) is a political stance that wants Scotland to leave the United Kingdom and be an independent sovereign state.

A Scottish Socialist Party fly poster

Scotland has not been an independent country since the Acts of Union 1707. At that time, the kingdom of Scotland united with the kingdom of England to make the United Kingdom of Great Britain.[1] Scotland and has been unified with England ever since.

Ideas of an independent Scotland were first made in the 19th century but were initially only calls for home rule within the United Kingdom. Ideas of a fully independent Scotland have became bigger in the late 20th and 21st century. The Scottish National Party, a party that wants full independence, have won a large number of seats in recent elections, showing the growth of the idea.

In September 2014, a Scottish independence referendum was held. 1,617,989 (44.7%) voted for independence and 2,001,926 people (55.3%) voting to stay as a part of the UK. But, since this referendum, the nationalist and independence movements have continued.

The growth in the idea has resulted in increased Welsh independence movements and also English independence movements.

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  1. Murdoch, Alexander (2007). "England, Scotland, and the Acts of Union (1707)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/96282. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 2021-06-17. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)