INVERNESS, Scotland — For 307 years, Scotland has helped put the “united” in the United Kingdom.
That could change Sept. 18, as Scottish voters decide whether the nation should declare independence and break away from England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
It’s a question that evokes a historic rivalry and images from Scotland’s rich history, such as William Wallace leading an uprising against English occupation in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
Proponents of separation, though, say it’s a more modern tale. Scotland is a country booming with oil reserves, ready to conduct its own affairs, they contend. There’s growing frustration among many in the left-of-center country who say the U.K.’s London-based government began moving to the right with the election of Margaret Thatcher and has not looked back.
“It’s not about teary-eyed Scots yearning for ancient soil, it’s about hoping to live in a civilized, caring society, and we’ve given up all hope we can do that with Westminster,” said Keith Aitchison, 67, a retired civil servant who volunteers at a busy pro-independence campaign office in Inverness. “Our two nations have moved apart.”
Yet critics — including the U.K. government led by British Prime Minister David Cameron — argue that Scotland benefits from the union and challenge the wisdom and the cost of going it alone. They’ve raised questions about what would happen if Westminster prevented an independent Scotland from using its currency, the British pound.
“We’ve been united for so long and it works,” said Laraine Johnston of Edinburgh, catching one of several shows at the recent Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the city’s famed performing arts showcase. “I prefer it together. I’m proud to be Scottish and I’m proud to be part of the U.K. I’m not sure people realize how entwined we are and what the costs would be for a divorce.”
Polls suggest a plurality of Scots agree with Johnston. But momentum appears to be with the nationalists, and the vote may be closer than many expected, said Richard Whitman, a European political expert at the University of Kent in England. A poll this week showed voters split 48 percent to 42 percent against independence, the 6-point lead down from 22 in early August.
Divorce would not cripple the United Kingdom — Scotland includes a small percentage of its population — but “third-party perception will be that the U.K. is greatly diminished,” Whitman said. It could lose clout on the world stage, at the United Nations Security Council and in the European Union.
Severance probably would cost Cameron his job, as he’d be considered “the man who lost Scotland,” Whitman said. Cameron conceded early in the debate that Scotland could stand on its own — words that the “yes” campaign seized on to help the case for independence — though Cameron argued that it was better off staying in the U.K.
The U.S. has said it’s neutral in the debate, but President Barack Obama in June made it clear that the administration wants Scotland in the U.K., even as he said the decision was up to the Scottish people.
“We obviously have a deep interest in making sure that one of the closest allies that we will ever have remains strong, robust, united and an effective partner,” Obama said a press conference in Brussels with Cameron at his side.
Across Scotland, the campaigns have established dueling storefronts: Better Together offers pens and faux airline boarding passes: “Non-refundable,” the tickets say, warning that independence, once declared, is irreversible. The price of going it alone: “Unknown.”
The Yes movement has struck a chord with other regions in Europe looking to go it alone, including Catalonians in Spain, who hope to hold an independence vote in November.
“We hope Scotland works because maybe it would be a good sign for us,” says Jaume Artes, a vacationing Catalonian who visited the Yes office in Inverness.
At times, the debate has become heated. Signs have been defaced. Eggs have been tossed. “No” voters say they’ve been accused of lacking sufficient patriotism. “Yes” voters say they’re accused of painting too rosy a picture of an independent Scotland.
Simpson, 19, a recent college graduate who works as a beauty therapist, takes great pride in her Scottish heritage and is convinced that Scottish priorities, such as helping the poor, get short shrift from Westminster.
But she says she’s worried voters are being asked to take too much of a leap of faith.
“I want to believe as an independent nation we’ll be better,” she said. “But we just don’t know.”
