Geopolitical processes viewed through a historical prism often reveal the implications that accompany a society within its political existence. That society does not have to be an active participant in those processes in order for certain implications of geopolitics to be reflected on it as a whole. This especially applies to smaller states that often have to depend on current global processes in order to articulate their interests in the most favorable way.
After Great Britain officially completed the process of exiting the European Union on the last day of 2020, many questions were raised that touched the sphere of society's functioning. Leaving the single market and customs union, which allowed for the freer movement of people, goods and services between EU members, necessitated a deal containing new rules on how the UK and the EU will work and trade together. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson, one of the leading proponents of Brexit, saw the split between the EU and the UK as giving freedom into the hands of the citizens, on the other hand, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Strujohn wrote on Twitter "Europe, Scotland is coming back soon, leave the light on." A few months after its announcement, regular Scottish parliamentary elections followed, in which pro-independence parties won a majority. The issue of the right of the people of Scotland to choose their future is once again in the focus of political activity, which would entail organizing a second independence referendum.
The history of the relationship between Scotland and England goes deep into the past, from wars to the final unification of the two crowns in 1707. Even during the Middle Ages, wars took place between the Scottish and English kingdoms. King Edward I of England proclaimed himself ruler and conquered Scotland in 1296. From 1306 to 1329, the King of Scotland was Robert the Bruce who led Scotland during the Wars of Independence. One of those wars was also fought in 1314, when the English army was defeated in the town of Bannockburn, precisely by the Scots king Robert Bruce. Peace entered into force in 1328, with the Edinburgh - Northampton Treaty. The Scottish kingdom gained independence with that treaty. A copy of this contract is now kept in the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh. Despite the signed agreement, the hostility between the two sides continued. Intermittent fighting between the two kingdoms was attempted to end by James IV of Scotland and Henry VII of England in 1502 with a treaty of permanent peace. The two kingdoms were united in 1603 when James VI of Scotland came to the English throne. The two separate political territories of England and Scotland remained until 1707, when a treaty of unification was signed that created the Kingdom of Great Britain, with one king and parliament. Great Britain also includes Northern Ireland and Wales. Only in 1998 did Scotland get the status of a semi-autonomous region with its own parliament. The Scottish Parliament has competences in the sphere of health, environment, education and justice. Foreign policy and defense are decided in London.
In the 2014 independence referendum in which more than four million Scottish citizens voted, more than 55 percent voted to remain in the United Kingdom. Data that for a certain period swayed advocates of independence. However, after the exit of Great Britain from the EU and the official data that 62 percent of the citizens of Scotland declared against leaving the community of European nations, ideas about a new referendum again became the focus of political processes.
After the parliamentary elections in Scotland, held on May 6, in which supporters of independence won a majority in the Scottish Parliament, the Prime Minister of Scotland said that the votes in the elections proved that a second vote on Scottish independence was the will of the country and that any politician from London who stood on way to be faced with the democratic will of the Scottish people.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has the main authority to allow another referendum on Scottish independence to be held.
He maintains that the issue was resolved in the 2014 referendum in which 55 percent of Scottish voters voted to remain in the UK. The American geopolitical portal "Bloomberg" writes that Scotland has its own distinctive culture and traditions that flourished despite the Act of Union of 1707. Now that three-century-old alliance is under threat, while polls showed that Scotland's future as part of the union was the top priority among to Scottish voters when deciding which party to vote for, and the election was set up as a de facto independence vote.
The period that is ahead of us will certainly bring new uncertainties to the political processes of Great Britain, and it is precisely in these uncertainties that the Scottish independenceists will look for a chance to politically secure themselves another opportunity to call a referendum. The political winds currently blowing on the political scene are certainly in favor of the majority in the Scottish Parliament. However, they face the task of how to maintain the motivation of those citizens who stand for an independent Scotland. Another political problem that burdens Great Britain is the situation in Northern Ireland, where there is a confrontation that has escalated in previous months into conflicts between Republicans, mainly Catholics who are supporters of unification with Ireland, and Protestant Unionists, ardent supporters of belonging to the United Kingdom.
The exit of Great Britain from the EU is not only characterized by the opening of the issue of customs traffic and freedom of movement. He awakens the long-dormant political processes that characterized the centuries-old relationship between Scotland and England. Instead of historical wanderings through the ages, marked by famous kings and fortresses overgrown with myths and legends, the current political stage is created by wise moves intertwined with a series of geopolitical processes that can bring one side the much-desired advantage to achieve a political goal.
The author is a master's student at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Montenegro
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