Following the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in 2016, Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, just announced a second referendum on Scottish independence. Described by prevalent historical scholars as one of Scotland's most vital resolutions in many decades, the upcoming referendum will provide massive consequences for Scotland. A second referendum on Scottish independence will give Scottish voters an opportunity to decide whether or not they will remain a part of Great Britain or become an independent nation. The debate about whether or not Scotland should be independent is rooted in the matter of identity and nationhood, not policy. This can be characterised by the simple question; where do Scots feel, they belong? …show more content…
The Scots are less British and more Scottish than ever. But does his theory about a Scottish identity crisis put forward a justified case for Scottish independence? This is indeed a significant question as Scottish Independence would entail immense consequences. These vivid and unforeseen consequences of Scottish Independence is exactly the talking point in the article “My British identity is in Scotland's hands now” written by columnist Madeleine Bunting. The article was published on the website of The Guardian in June 2014 just before the first referendum on Scottish independence. Madelaine Bunting mentions how Scottish independence would involve denying “…the British identity that nearly all Scots have, as citizens of Great Britain…”. According to her, it would also involve turning their backs not only on a great deal of shared history and shared triumphs and disasters but on the cultural resemblances that exist today between Scots and the English. The likes of Barry Graham will claim that the shared identity will still find its expression, through the monarchy, the shared currency, and so forth. But keeping an identity alive calls for more than just symbols. It needs institutions and events that actively brings people together, for instance, the shared interest of sporting events such as Sunday
The Quebec referendum that was held in 1995 was a second round of vote that was meant to give the residents of the Quebec province in Canada the chance to determine whether they wanted to secede from Canada and thus establish Quebec as a sovereign state. Quebec has had a long history of wanting to secede from Canada, considering that it is the Canadian providence that is predominantly inhabited by the French-speaking people, whose political relationship with the rest of the Canadian provinces, mostly inhabited by the English-speaking people has been characterized by conflicting ideologies . Thus, the 1995 referendum was not the first political attempt to have Quebec gain its own independence. The discussion holds that the Quebec 1995 referendum would have had both positive and negative implications. Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze the political consequences that would have f...
Aboriginals have lived various types of lives and in attempt to improve the lives of Canada’s Aboriginal people formed the Aboriginal self-government. Developing self-government for aboriginal peoples living in urban areas was not easy. The form of self-government varied across the country depending on the factors in each area or region. Some cities had existing aboriginal organizations providing a good basis upon which to build which made the self-government an easier thing to make. Despite the many challenges, self-government for aboriginal peoples living in urban areas is a concept that can be realized and can contribute to meeting the needs and aspirations of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. Since the formation, the self-government has accomplished
As is evidenced in the UK’s devolved unitary system, the Canadian federation and the European Union, each model aims to protect regional diversity and autonomy within it’s limitations, though the degree to which autonomy is granted creates a natural tension between unity and the desire for subsidiarity and self-determination. In devolution, asymmetrical federalism and the constitutional framework of a confederation there is the ability to manage diversity, discourage secession, and ensure stability, but with each of these comes the danger of divisive encouragement of difference. It is up to the individual governments in question then, how to best manage diversity and unity. As phrased by George Anderson, perhaps “stability can be enhanced if the culture goes beyond mere tolerance of diversity to the active embrace of diversity as part of what defines the country and gives it it's value. Institutional arrangements can hep societies better manage their conflicts, but institutions alone are not enough…” Perhaps the answer to encouraging national unity is not then found in the model, but in the contingencies of identity and
Henderson, Ailsa. Hierarchies of belonging: National identity and political culture in Scotland and Quebec. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP, 2007.
Scottish devolution, with its advantages and disadvantages, is the best example of how great political and social changes can be achieved not through bloody revolution but with the patience, intelligence and hard work of a united country but is still a work in progress.
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson (with the help of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, as well as many others), was signed on July 1st, 1776 in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to appeal to the British Parliament and King and explain why the American Colonies wanted independence from England. Thomas Jefferson and the other delegates from the Second Continental Congress agreed that, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator certain unalienable rights” (p. 112) which became the base for nearly all of the points made in the document. Logical and emotional statements were used throughout the document to make impactful statements that would convince the audience of the seriousness of the matters they were presenting.
Homelessness in the United States has been an important subject that the government needs to turn its attention to. There has been announced in the news that the number of the homeless people in many major cities in the United States has been increasing enormously. According to United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that there was an estimation of 83,170 individuals have experienced chronic homelessness on the streets of the United States’ streets and shelters on only a single night of January 2015, which is a small decrease of only 1% from the previous year (People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, n.d.). The United States must consider this subject that most of the people underestimate it and not pay attention
Print. The. national identity, n. OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2014. Web. The Web.
Though diversity can be, and often is an asset, in the context of nationalism, so many variations among a nation in conjunction with globalization can cause an observer to believe that in a sense, there is no true Canadian nationalism. Prime Minister Trudeau may have indeed attributed nationalism and the foundation of a nation to will, but a desire to build a nation is insufficient for one to be formed. For a nation to truly be stable and unified, nationalism is key. In turn, then, this nationalism will result in citizens desiring to improve and further their nation. Despite the fact that will has indeed played a critical role in preserving Canada by helping to create nationalism during watershed moments in history such as the Patriote movement, key battles in World war I, and even Québécois movement today, it is i...
The longing for freedom has long been the blood that flows within the veins of Americans. The cultural elements of the eighteenth century that led to the American desire to separate from England are as follows: Religion, government, and economic systems. The American focus and longing for freedom through these cultural elements is what contributed to the desire to separate from Great Britain in the eighteenth century. The cultural element of religion contributed to the desire to separate from Great Britain because the colonists wanted to experience religious and spiritual freedom.
There are countless laws today that subliminally discriminate against homeless people. One such law was passed in 2014 that made it illegal to sleep in public areas of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Philosopher Jeremy Waldron and author of the essay “Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom” would view this law as extremely unconstitutional and immoral. Waldron would argue that making it illegal to sleep somewhere takes away the homeless persons freedom to live. I agree with Waldron on the claim that outlawing sleeping in public spaces is unconstitutional because by doing so one is taking away the homeless persons only home. For those who do not have a place to sleep the streets are their only homes. The law banning sleeping in public spaces therefore discretely makes it illegal for homeless people to even exist.
Homelessness is a subject that has inspired many to write poems, speeches, and even songs. However, there is more depth to homelessness than just a source for inspiration; this is an ongoing problem for many all over the world. The 40th president to the United States, Ronald Reagan, once said that "what we have found in this country, and maybe we're more aware of it now, is one problem that we've had, even in the best of times, and that is the people who are sleeping on the grates, the homeless, you might say, by choice."(Reagan). The president's expression is very powerful even today, implying that even in the best of times homelessness is one of the top issues in society. Notice how President Regan cleverly used the wording "by choice" at the end of the sentence, what did he mean to convey by this? Was he implying that those who are homeless are so by choice? Or that many individuals perceived homelessness to be a choice? Perhaps it was a way to raise awareness of the impending problems that can lead an individual to homelessness. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the National Coalition for the Homeless, there are three triggering factors that lead to homelessness, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and health care ("Why Are People Homeless?"). Therefore, when exploring into more depth the determining reasons, considering the key roles that a home, money, and employment play in an individual’s life will facilitate a better understanding of the downward spiral towards homelessness.
The document Declaration of Independence signed July 4, the year 1776 and written by one of the country’s ancestors Thomas Jefferson. It was a time in history that declared independence a manuscript written for this occasion which introduces five separate sections that include the introduction which states it is vital to take action on Britain for the colonies.
Over the years there have been calls for independence from various countries making up the UK. Part of the reasons for these calls comes from the realisation that most of these countries feel they have been short-changed in terms of resource distribution (MacKinnon, 2015). A good example is a recent referendum on the independence of Scotland. Nevertheless, with devolution, the majority of the resources will be brought close to the people and not many people will have the feeling of being short-changed.
In their book, Smith and Wistrich state that Britain sensed a problem in the identity once there has been devolution of power to Scotland and Wales in 1998 (2009). It maybe true that Scots and Welsh feel more attached to their own na...