Scotland voting on independence

September 18, 2014 12:37 pm

From his office at Providence College Assistant Professor Tobias Harper will be keeping a close eye on events taking place across the pond. On Thursday Scotland is deciding whether to separate from England. A split could have significant effects on a global level.

“There are a lot of national groups within Europe who would like to be independent of their larger state entities and this sets a really interesting precedent for other countries,” said Harper.

The “yes” vote is a grass roots effort that believes Scotland is better off making decisions on its own. Supporters are pointing to the Iraq war and the financial crisis. Opponents argue the risks out weigh potential rewards. The historic vote is expected to be tight.

“This is really an usual vote in modern western democracy– to see so many people turning out and to see such a close run up to the referendum,” said Harper.

Even if Scottish citizens decide to keep things the way they are. Harper says the pro– “no” politicians are promising greater powers of independence for the country than currently exist. However, if Scotland does vote for independence the declaration could be made as early as March of next year, and would be immediately followed by elections. It would end a 307–year old union with England

“Either way this is going to set up interesting precedents for how the central and local governments interact in the United Kingdom and Europe as well,” he said.

The polls in Scotland close at 10 pm.