the 2014 referendum, like brexit was fought along emotional lines. But unlike brexit, a 700+ page document outlining precisely what voting YES means was produced. So before the independence referendum happened, that was fact checked and a real debate could happen about real things. 2/7
The UKs Minister for Extraordinary Eyebrows, Alastair Darling, famously made a big deal about Scotland being *DUMPED OUT OF THE EU*, if they voted for independence and the Scottish £ currency was doomed to failure. 11 years later and that argument hasn't held up well. 3/7
2 years later another referendum took place and Scots voted 62% in favour of remaining in the EU. NI voted 56% remain and Gibraltar 97%. The Falklands didn't get a vote but would have voted remain too. It also highlighted how the english had a very different outlook to the rest of the UK. 4/7
9 years after the brexit vote, Scots look on as: #NorthernIreland stays in the EU single market for goods, #Gibraltar joins the EU customs union & schengen area and the #Falklands look to do their own deal with the EU, like the #IsleofMan did. And the EU has made it easier & quicker to join. 5/7
NI leaving the UK to rejoin the EU with Ireland will bring an end to the Act of (UK) union 1801 - the end of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland." Which offers an opportunity to discuss a new flag for britain and for Scotland to demand self determination from London. 6/7
brexit changed the conversation in Northern Ireland about an United Ireland and in Scotland too, I suspect, about independence. A vote for reunification in NI or indyref2 in Scotland, is as much a vote, now, to re-join the EU as it is to leave the UK. 7/7
quick thread on the 11th anniversary of the Scottish independence vote 👆 TL;DR: "brexit changed the conversation - a vote to leave the UK, now, is as much a vote to re-join the EU". @mrjamesob.bsky.social @profjacob.bsky.social @vivamjm.bsky.social @anandmenon.bsky.social
fascinating chart outlining the 3 main reasons people voted a certain way during the Scottish independence vote in 2014. With the NHS no longer the "envy of the world" the GBP£ Pound crashing and EU Membership gone, it's not hard to see a YES vote for indyref2.
Here's a link to the full chart and other polls related to the 2014 Scottish independence vote. lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/u...
😂
for those wondering about the falklands and the EU this short thread sheds some light on how they would have voted in 2016 if they had a vote.
Same old 💩. Different day.
Something about Gibraltar voting remain✔️ Something about the conversation changing ✔️ Same old diagram of the EU ✔️ Some crap about shared Ireland and flags ✔️ Verdict: ❌
I never bought it, how would the EU kick them out? Totally impractical. I wonder if Scotland had voted out of the UK, would Brexit have happened at all?
Probably not, because for some in the UK establishment, one of the main reasons for Brexit was a grab of Scotland's powers that were held by the EU and that should have gone back to Holyrood, but ended up in Westminster.