In 2014, 55 percent of Scots voted to remain in the United Kingdom. But then came the Brexit referendum, in which most Scots voted to remain in the E.U., and then coronavirus, in which public perception favored the Scottish government’s handling of the pandemic to that of Westminster. Current polling from June and July indicates a clear majority, 54 percent, for independence north of the border. Yesterday Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, tweeted:
I welcome [the prime minister] to Scotland today. One of the key arguments for independence is the ability of Scotland to take our own decisions, rather than having our future decided by politicians we didn’t vote for, taking us down a path we haven’t chosen. His presence highlights that.
Boris Johnson has his work cut out. The case against the union may be more rhetorical than rational, but we do not live in a rational age.