End of the UK: Scotland on course to be independent

[The Comrade]

united kingdom is what the queen still pretends she owns, great britain is the islands, and english is where they eat beans to the sound of big ben.

[John Galt]

[Spider]

Seems like if the UK wanted to take it badly, they could do a lot of damage to Scotland in economic retaliation.

[Doncorelone]

I think that is what is going to happen, alot of English people have been complacent about the vote happening up until the last minute, I think the psychological shock of losing a third of the UK will mean that it will be a messy divorce, irregardless of the 'goodwill' Alex Salmond says there will be.

[exploited]

Eh, I don't see much of a benefit to a trade war. It hurts both parties and will only confirm the decision to separate as the right one.

[Doncorelone]

So what? Who said it would be based on rationality? Ireland and the UK had a trade war in the 1930's it's not an unprecedented scenario.

[exploited]

Yes, I'm aware that Ireland and the UK had a trade war nearly a century ago. Because you brought it up as a precedent, and precedent relies upon similar circumstances and actions, perhaps we should compare the two situations.

In what way is Ireland and Britain in the 1930s similar to Scotland and Britain in 2014? In what way is a legal referendum similar to a violent revolution? How integrated were their respective economies then versus now? How willing were the British to hold onto Ireland at a cost, versus Scotland at a cost?

I'm pretty sure you're just hyperbolic as shit. Which fits your historical MO, I might add.

[Dylan]

This Scottish girl I met said it's crazy partisan over this. Like she went door to door urging no votes and a guy told her she was a flower of paradise who shouldn't reproduce
...

[Doncorelone]

[exploited]

So, to sum it up, the only similarities are population size and a hypothetical currency dispute that just about every source I can find says is extremely unlikely to happen. Great post.