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Scottish nationals have two supra-national citizenships. One is UK citizenship, the second is EU citizenship. In democratic referenda over the past two years, Scots have voted clearly to retain both citizenships.
Unfortunately it is not possible to respect both democratic decisions of the Scottish people, due to a vote by other nationalities. So where you have democratic decisions which cannot both be implemented, which does democracy demand should take precedence?
It is not a simple question. The vote to retain EU citizenship was more recent and carried a much larger majority than the earlier vote. In addition it was made crystal clear during the campaign that it may require the overturning of the earlier vote. So on these grounds I believe the most recent vote must, as an exercise in democracy, have precedence.
In these circumstances the announcement by the First Minister that she is initiating the procedure on a new referendum for Scottish independence from the UK, in order to retain Scottish membership of the EU, is a sensible step.
Source: Craig Murray
Craig Murray is an author, broadcaster and human rights activist. He was British Ambassador to Uzbekistan from August 2002 to October 2004 and Rector of the University of Dundee from 2007 to 2010.
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Saturday June 25 2016, @02:03PM
The way I keep it straight in my mind:
United States(of America) as a 'nation state', the rest of the world has countries as 'nation states'
*glass half empty-glass half full-same difference to me*
We(USA) tend to play word games to seem the exception to the rest of the world, when actual differences already exist.
It is obvious to me that the USA is a nation state, as evidenced by a central Federal government, much less a State Department.
I heard recently that Texas is making noise about seceding from the USA, yet again. I say let them go, this time. (Trump can build a lot of his Wall at the Texas border instead of Mexico, and make Texas pay for it) ;-)
I think Texas would find it's sovereign garden not as rosy as expected...(regardless of the Trump clown)
(Score: 2) by ilPapa on Saturday June 25 2016, @02:42PM
Duncan Black put it well. He describes a conversation between the newly sovereign Texas and Uncle Sam:
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday June 25 2016, @05:03PM
The way I keep it straight in my mind: United States(of America) as a 'nation state', the rest of the world has countries as 'nation states' *glass half empty-glass half full-same difference to me*
We(USA) tend to play word games to seem the exception to the rest of the world, when actual differences already exist.
A little history would shed light on this. The US didn't start as the US at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, but rather a collection of 13 embryonic nation states with a crude supernational organization (the Continental Congress) that realized they couldn't stand independently to the UK or other European powers. They really were states per the usual non-US definition. But of course, this has to be some ego trip of the US not natural evolution of language over time.
I heard recently that Texas is making noise about seceding from the USA, yet again. I say let them go, this time. (Trump can build a lot of his Wall at the Texas border instead of Mexico, and make Texas pay for it) ;-) I think Texas would find it's sovereign garden not as rosy as expected...(regardless of the Trump clown)
This is that typically dysfunctional collectivist entitlement when faced with people who wish to leave a collective group. We'll fuck them over and show them how much they need us! Well, there's a reason that people don't want to belong and you're a big part of it.