UK Prime Minister Begs Scotland on Bended Knee: Please Don't Go! And Adds a Threat

Please Don't Go- But if you do go, don't come back!

That's what right-wing British Prime Minister David Cameron said to Scottish voters, beseeching them to reject independence from the so-called “United Kingdom:”
 
"It’s my duty to be clear about the likely consequences of a 'yes' vote. Independence would not be a trial separation, it would be a painful divorce. So this is our message to the people of Scotland: We want you to stay. Head, heart and soul, we want you to stay. Please don’t mix up the temporary and the permanent. Please don’t think: I’m frustrated with politics right now so I’ll walk out the door and never come back. If you don’t like me, I won’t be here forever. If you don’t like this government, it won’t last forever. But if you leave the United Kingdom, that will be forever.” (Cameron's emphasis.)


Actually there's no reason- politically, legally, economically, or any other way- that Scotland and Britain couldn't reunite in the future, if both entities were willing. What Cameron said is Please don't go- but if you do, we'll hold a grudge.


The threat doesn't bode well for the independence supporters' plans to join the EU and NATO. Britain has a veto on new EU members (as do all EU members). Oddly, the BBC noted that Spain might block Scotland entering the EU, because of hostility to their own separatists in Catalonia and the Basque region, but they didn't mention that Britain would block Scottish EU membership.


The British power structure was smug and sanguine about the referendum outcome until the past few weeks, when polls suddenly showed a shift from defeat for independence to a tie. Showing signs of desperation, the UK political establishment has suddenly offered various blandishments. First came PROMISES of more autonomy (they've had years to actually DO that if they were serious), the bosses of the three Brutish ruling class parties even signing a scrap of paper with promises of new powers and money for Scotland! (The same phonies have been promising the British public a referendum on European Union membership for a decade- and have yet to make good on it.)


Of course they're frantic to preserve their power, so they want to hang on to the territory and population- and the nuclear submarine naval base and several “Royal “ Air Force bases in Scotland. Also Scotland makes a nice ocean chokepoint to stick it to Russia. (But NATO has Norway for that purpose anyway.) Other nations are similarly ruled by power-mongers, who hate the example of a secessionist movement. China has put in its two cents, expressing hostility to Scottish independence- no surprise, given their need to keep the Uyghurs and Tibetans oppressed.


Margaret Thatcher wrecked the economy of Scotland with her all-out class warfare; deindustrialization, union busting, favoritism for high finance uber alles- in other words, vicious attacks on the working class.

Food banks are growing in Scotland- while the UK elite budgets $100 million equivalent for Trident nuclear submarines to nuke- who? Russia? Is that necessary? Can't the U.S. nuke Russia for you? Is the UK really going to nuke Russia on its own? Does having “strategic” nuclear weapons- weapons whose ONLY use is mass murder- make you feel better about losing your empire, British toffs?

Anyway, the independence movement is progressive, wants the nuclear ballistic missile subs out, wants more social services. Scotland has had to fend off attacks on the National Health Service from the toffs who rule Britain. They will have more money from North Sea oil if they become a separate nation. (The opposition keeps harping on the fact that the oil will run out someday. So?)


Without Scotland, Britain will become even more reactionary, as forty of the Labor MP's are from Scotland. But Labor is almost as bad as the Tories ever since that brigand Tony Blair did a (Bill) Clinton on the party.


I think the referendum will probably fail, however, because of the fear-mongering and threats from the opponents, and because people are innately conservative, by which I mean they fear change. But we will see shortly.